Please note that the full program agenda is subject to change as new workshops, presenters and details are added!
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Coffee Connection
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Welcome
8:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Opening Keynote – Mission Possible: Thriving in Chaos
Featuring Steve Cozart, PCC
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- WORKSHOP SESSIONS A
Generations in Dialogue: Changing Practice Through Peer Connection
In today’s dynamic workplace, bridging generational divides isn’t just a challenge—it’s a mission. This interactive workshop empowers staff to transform everyday interactions into opportunities for connection, collaboration and growth. By exploring the values, communication styles and strengths of different generations, participants will uncover practical strategies to foster trust, reduce misunderstandings and build inclusive teams that thrive.
Through engaging activities and real-world scenarios, attendees will leave with actionable tools to change practice and transform lives—starting with their own workplace relationships.
Presenter: Nic Bryant
Mission Possible: Engaging Fathers to Transform Practice and Strengthen Communities
Fathers matter! Their involvement can be a game-changer for children, families and entire communities. This dynamic session dives into the latest research on father engagement and its far-reaching impact.
Through guided reflection, participants will examine how their own experiences with father figures shape their professional lens. The session will wrap up with actionable strategies to foster father-inclusive practices and create more welcoming, "father-friendly" environments within organizations. Come ready to challenge assumptions, share insights and leave with tools to elevate your practice.
Presenter: Lamar Henderson
Navigating the Cal-OAR Framework: A CQI Approach to County-Level Planning and Accountability
This interactive training provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of the California CalWORKs Outcomes and Accountability Review (Cal-OAR) framework. Designed in the style of a Model United Nations, the course immerses learners in a simulated environment where they assume the roles of county representatives. Participants will work collaboratively to navigate the full Cal-OAR lifecycle, including the County Self-Assessment (CSA) and Systems Improvement Plan (SIP), using fictional counties that reflect real-world challenges and successes. Through guided activities and hands-on exercises, learners will apply human-centered design principles and analyze performance metrics to develop strategic, data-informed solutions that enhance CalWORKs and Welfare-to-Work outcomes.
Presenter: Jeremy Duval, M.A.
Understanding Trauma 101: A Starting Point for Transforming Practice
In a world where trauma touches every corner of our communities, understanding its impact is not just important, it's essential. This workshop is designed to empower social services professionals with the foundational knowledge needed to recognize, respond to, and transform the lives of trauma survivors.
This session goes beyond theory, equipping attendees with culturally humble, trauma-informed strategies that support healing and resilience. By fostering awareness and practical skills, this workshop helps professionals shift their practice—making the mission of transforming lives not only possible, but powerful.
Presenter: Avni Panchal, LCSW
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
- WORKSHOP SESSIONS B
CCUV: Collaboration, Communication, and Uncovering Vulnerability
We are all conditioned by templates, rules and behaviors passed down since birth. This workshop creates space to uncover how communities connect and share vulnerability, often misunderstood as only sadness or loneliness. Through conversation and short activities, participants will explore self-awareness, collaboration and communication while gaining new insights into vulnerability in modern society. Together we will unlearn limiting frames, discover the power of vulnerability as a tool for healing and growth, and strengthen our ability to connect with others.
Presenter: Anthony Pineda
From Practice to Possibility: AI and Human Services in Harmony
In a time of rapid change, human services professionals face the challenge—and opportunity—of integrating technology without losing the heart of their work. This interactive workshop explores how AI can support, not replace, the values of empathy, equity and purpose. Participants will reconnect with their mission, explore practical AI tools for streamlining tasks and engage in hands-on activities that demonstrate how innovation can enhance—not hinder—human connection. Ethical use, cultural responsiveness and human oversight will be central to the discussion, empowering attendees to lead change with confidence and compassion.
Presenter: Jay David
Turning Tension into Teamwork: Practical Conflict Resolution Strategies
Tension is inevitable in any team, but when addressed with intention, it becomes a powerful catalyst for growth and collaboration. In this interactive session, participants will explore a mission-driven approach to handling tough conversations that can transform not only how we work, but how we lead. Through practical tools and a mindset shift, this workshop empowers participants to turn conflict into opportunity and create lasting change in their professional relationships.
Presenter: Cathy Hoyle, MBA, MA
Unlocking Impact: Key Updates in Medi-Cal and CalFresh
Join us for a timely and essential workshop exploring the most recent developments in California’s Medi-Cal and CalFresh programs. As the 2025-2026 fiscal year brings significant policy shifts, expanded eligibility and enhanced benefits, this session will equip case managers, program specialists and supervisors with the knowledge they need to navigate and leverage these changes for greater community impact.
Participants will leave with actionable insights, updated resources and a clearer understanding of how these programs are evolving to serve California’s diverse populations better.
Presenter: Dan Witherell
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- WORKSHOP SESSIONS C
First Impressions, Lasting Impact: Strategies for Front Office Success
Every customer service interaction holds the power to transform perceptions and build lasting trust. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how front-facing staff play a pivotal role in shaping the customer experience—and how intentional strategies can turn everyday interactions into opportunities for meaningful impact. By investing in first impressions and embracing the CARE framework, staff can elevate service delivery, foster connection, and contribute to a culture of excellence. Join us to discover how changing practice in customer service can truly transform lives.
Presenter: Amanda BrumFrom Burnout to Breakthrough: Keeping Your Heart and Head in the Game
In the demanding world of public service, burnout can quietly build—even when we’re driven by purpose and passion. This interactive workshop empowers participants to reconnect with their mission, reframe their relationship with stress, and reignite their resilience. Through guided reflection and peer dialogue, attendees will gain practical tools to sustain their well-being and continue transforming lives through their work. This is more than self-care. It’s mission-critical care.
Presenter: Catherine Payne
From Conflict to Connection: Activating ENERGY to Transform How We Work Together
What if the key to transforming conflict wasn’t just about resolution, but about energy? In this highly interactive session, participants will explore how the ENERGY framework (Expansive, Nurturing, Execution, Resilient, Grounded and Yes!) can be used to identify personal triggers, diffuse tension and strengthen collaboration.
By linking the neuroscience behind the SCARF model (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness) with the ENERGY archetypes, attendees will learn how to minimize emotional threat responses and cultivate psychological safety. You’ll leave with tools to elevate how you engage with clients, colleagues, and yourself—reigniting purpose and transforming the way you serve.
Presenter: Kimberle Smith Austin, MBA, DTM, QS
Level Up Learning: Gamification Strategies for Virtual Engagement
Gamification is a proven strategy to boost motivation, deepen knowledge retention and transform virtual learning into an engaging, learner-centered experience. In this interactive, hands-on workshop, participants will dive into a variety of gamified techniques, including interactive PowerPoint games, tools like Kahoot and Quizizz, branching scenarios, digital leaderboards and micro-challenges.
Attendees will explore how to seamlessly integrate these tools into adult learning environments using platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and learning management systems. Whether you're building new content or refreshing existing training, you’ll leave with practical strategies, ready-to-use templates, and the confidence to create dynamic, gamified experiences that drive participation and performance.
Presenter: Kelly West-Binning
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
- WORKSHOP SESSIONS D
Challenge Accepted: Finding Strength and Stability in Times of Change
In an ever-changing world where our careers are impacted by many factors other than the reasons we started them, it makes it easier to distort the reasons we chose these paths to begin with. Through the concept of conquering inner narratives, this interactive workshop looks to highlight the purpose of why we chose the path of human services and will lean on thought-provoking discussion prompts and conversation to highlight why we began this journey in the first place. We hope that in our time together, we will be inspired to hear the motivations of our peers and give participants reenergized vocabulary that helps us articulate the purpose underneath why we do the work we do.
Presenter: Derrin Ford, M.Ed.
Empowering Each Other: Peer Support Strategies for Welfare-to-Work Staff
This hands-on, interactive workshop empowers staff to reignite their sense of purpose and strengthen both personal and team resilience: two key ingredients for transforming the lives of Welfare-to-Work clients. Through reflective exercises, peer support strategies and meaningful dialogue, participants will reconnect with the “why” behind their work and explore how small shifts in mindset and practice can lead to big impacts. Attendees will leave with practical tools to foster a culture of empathy, trust and empowerment, making the mission of changing lives not only possible, but sustainable.
Presenter: Keisha Stepheny
Field Safety for Entering Homeless Encampments
This workshop emphasizes a person-centered, respectful and trauma-informed approach to developing safety plans that protect the well-being of both outreach staff and encampment residents. Participants will explore how effective outreach requires recognizing the unique experiences, needs and preferences of individuals experiencing homelessness and tailoring support accordingly. By examining their own perceptions of homelessness and deepening their understanding of the challenges faced by those who are unsheltered, participants will build greater empathy and insight. This foundation will support more effective outreach efforts that foster safer, stronger and more sustainable outcomes for everyone involved.
Presenter: Natalie Newson
Introduction to Eligibility Programs, CalSAWS and Troubleshooting EDBC
This CalSAWS workshop ntroduce employees to the Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS), which manages and delivers various welfare and social services programs across California. We'll provide a comprehensive overview of the system’s functionality, including data entry, case management and reporting tools. Participants will gain hands-on experience with the system, learning to navigate its interface and utilize its features to process and manage client information efficiently.
Presenter: Stacy Bradford
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Closing Keynote - Mission Activated: The Power of Purpose, Presence and Possibility
Featuring Laurie Cozart, MCC
11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Autumn Institute for Public Assistance Professionals
Virtual: Nov. 12-14, 2025
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