On April 10, 2025, MAX convened our Leadership MAX Class of 2025 members for Resource Development Day, presented by Amazon, our third learning day of the year. The day began with opening remarks from Rita Breen, Charitable Giving Executive Director, Georgia Power. Following Breen, MAX board chair Jenny Taylor, Chief Mission Officer and Vice President, Goodwill of North Georgia, provided a detailed overview of the resource development ecosystem for workforce development. The day then proceeded with expert speakers sharing insights on four key topics: The Ask, Braiding and Leveraging Funds, Funder Relationships, and Storytelling. Goodwill of North Georgia’s Erik Lee-Ryan, Stacy Rozier, and Ashia Walker led class members in an interactive game where they had an opportunity to “test out” options for braiding and leveraging funds from different sources to help hypothetical clients in real world situations. The day culminated with an opportunity for Leadership MAX class members to visit “takeaway tables” with the experts to identify actiion items to pursue for the remainder of the year.
Joining Taylor – along with 2025 Leadership MAX Chairs John Helton, CEO, CareerRise, and Breezy Straton, Vice President, Elevate Douglas – in the planning and execution of Resource Development Day were board leads Amelia Nickerson, CEO, First Step Staffing; Brett Lacy, Deputy Director, Select Fulton; and Kristin Laarhoven, Assistant Commissioner of Finance, Compliance, and External Affairs, Technical College System of Georgia. Our Leadership MAX Class of 2025 members are truly appreciative to all who are partnering to develop and deliver the Leadership MAX experience.
Special thanks to our partners who joined Taylor, Nickerson, Lacy, and Laarhoven to share their timely insights and expertise with our class members:
- Sofia Bork Aun, Community Affairs Manager – Georgia, Truist Foundation
- Lindsey Caldwell, Director, Coxe Curry & Associates
- Rob Cherof, Founder & President, Rocket Camp
- Nick Espinosa, Branch Chief, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food & Nutrition Service
- Amy Hall, Program Manager, Georgia Power Foundation
- Meghan Pietrantonio. Executive Director, Georgia Grantmakers Alliance
- Jeannie Ross, Director, Workforce Development, City of Refuge
Our sincere gratitude also to Breen and Georgia Power for so wonderfully hosting our group.
And a special shout out to Amazon for serving as our Presenting Sponsor and to Goodwill of North Georgia for serving as our Silver Sponsor for this year’s inaugural cohort of Leadership MAX.
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Leadership MAX provides an exciting opportunity for workforce developers to grow within the workforce development community and develop into a community of peer leaders who will solve problems together in the years to come. Designed especially for developing leaders in the workforce development field, this cohort-based leadership development program is as an extension and evolution of our commitment to provide high-quality professional development and network-building opportunities for our members. Click here to learn more.