At a Glance

For the 2025 Leadership Gathering, you have two ways to customize your experience:

Whether you prefer a deep dive or a bit of everything, the Leadership Gathering lets you tailor your own learning journey.

Early-Bird Session

Finding Grant Opportunities with ChatGPT | Melissa Vermillion _{^{Learn More}}

Intensive Tracks

Workshop Sessions

Block 1	The Path to Servant Leadership \| Tim Monroe, Tim Monroe Consulting LLC	Coach, Don’t Carry: People Development Tools that Build Culture, Confidence, and Capacity \| Susan Douglas, Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road	Network Weaving & Cross-Sector Collaboration: Lessons Learned in Central Appalachia \| Samantha Glaser, Teach for America Appalachia	Brainstorm-a-thon: Big Ideas for Big Challenges \| Betsy Whaley, Mountain Association	Trauma Informed Storytelling for Healing, Community Building, and Public Witness \| Michael Tierney, Step by Step WV
Block 2	Leveraging AI for Smarter Grant Prospecting with ChatGPT \| Melissa Vermillion, Grant Ready KY	Strategic Planning for Small and Medium Nonprofits \| Kiana Mahjub, Berea Arts Council	Sharing the Magic: Storytelling for Leaders \| Raymond Lauk, Eastern Kentucky University	Synergy for Service: Unleashing Your Team’s Impact Through Collaboration \| Annette Hines, KY Tenants	Generative Evaluation: Strategies for Delivering Impactful Evaluations \| Faye Adams-Eaton, Grow Appalachia
Block 3	Creating Economic Development in a Forgotten Neighborhood \| Rhondell Miller, Purposeful Missions Consulting	Let Go to Lead More: Creating Shared Ownership Through Co-Creation \| Gayle Hilleke & Abby Huffman, Engage KY	People Ready Communities \| Leah Van Winkle, Brushy Fork Leadership Institute	Strategic Doing: A Process to Tackle Complex Problems Collaboratively \| Betsy Whaley, Mountain Association	From Grant-Seeking to Power-Building: A Strategic Pivot Toward Community-Controlled Resilience \| Shana Goggins, Black Appalachian Coalition
Block 4	Trauma Informed Leadership \| Taryn Henning, Reluctantly Well	From Idea to Impact: Accelerating Nonprofit Growth with AI-Powered Grant Writing \| Natalie Axton, Appalachian Book Co.	Appalachian Values \| Chris Green, Loyal Jones Appalachian Center	Amplifying Appalachia: How Free Concerts Create Lasting Community Impact \| Ali Blair, First Friday Berea & Valerie Horn, Cowan Community Center	Moving Towards Action: Mutual Aid Disaster Response in EKY & Beyond \| bugz fraugg

Click here to read full session descriptions & presenter bios.

Questions? Contact us at brushyfork@berea.edu.

Block 1	The Path to Servant Leadership \| Tim Monroe, Tim Monroe Consulting LLC	Coach, Don’t Carry: People Development Tools that Build Culture, Confidence, and Capacity \| Susan Douglas, Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road	Network Weaving & Cross-Sector Collaboration: Lessons Learned in Central Appalachia \| Samantha Glaser, Teach for America Appalachia	Brainstorm-a-thon: Big Ideas for Big Challenges \| Betsy Whaley, Mountain Association	Trauma Informed Storytelling for Healing, Community Building, and Public Witness \| Michael Tierney, Step by Step WV
Block 2	Leveraging AI for Smarter Grant Prospecting with ChatGPT \| Melissa Vermillion, Grant Ready KY	Strategic Planning for Small and Medium Nonprofits \| Kiana Mahjub, Berea Arts Council	Sharing the Magic: Storytelling for Leaders \| Raymond Lauk, Eastern Kentucky University	Synergy for Service: Unleashing Your Team’s Impact Through Collaboration \| Annette Hines, KY Tenants	Generative Evaluation: Strategies for Delivering Impactful Evaluations \| Faye Adams-Eaton, Grow Appalachia
Block 3	Creating Economic Development in a Forgotten Neighborhood \| Rhondell Miller, Purposeful Missions Consulting	Let Go to Lead More: Creating Shared Ownership Through Co-Creation \| Gayle Hilleke & Abby Huffman, Engage KY	People Ready Communities \| Leah Van Winkle, Brushy Fork Leadership Institute	Strategic Doing: A Process to Tackle Complex Problems Collaboratively \| Betsy Whaley, Mountain Association	From Grant-Seeking to Power-Building: A Strategic Pivot Toward Community-Controlled Resilience \| Shana Goggins, Black Appalachian Coalition
Block 4	Trauma Informed Leadership \| Taryn Henning, Reluctantly Well	From Idea to Impact: Accelerating Nonprofit Growth with AI-Powered Grant Writing \| Natalie Axton, Appalachian Book Co.	Appalachian Values \| Chris Green, Loyal Jones Appalachian Center	Amplifying Appalachia: How Free Concerts Create Lasting Community Impact \| Ali Blair, First Friday Berea & Valerie Horn, Cowan Community Center	Moving Towards Action: Mutual Aid Disaster Response in EKY & Beyond \| bugz fraugg