2025 Catalyst Leadership Summit

Join us for Catalyst, an inspiring two-day leadership event designed specifically for nonprofit leaders in Montana. This is a unique opportunity to connect, learn, and grow with fellow professionals dedicated to making a difference in our communities

Event Overview:

May 14 | Pre-Summit Workshop: Leadership and Management Fundamentals

1:00pm – 4:30pm

Location: Confluence Center (119 W Main St First Floor, Missoula, MT 59802)

Kick off the Catalyst experience with our add-on workshop, “Leadership and Management Fundamentals,” led by Adam Jespersen and Shelby Rogala of Montana Nonprofit Association. Capped at 36 attendees, this experience will invite small group conversations. This afternoon session will equip you with essential skills and strategies to enhance your leadership effectiveness.

May 14 | Join us for Happy Hour! | 4:45pm – 6:00pm

Hosted by University of Montana | Location TBD

May 15 | Catalyst Leadership Summit | 9:00am – 4:15pm 

Location: Zootown Arts Community Center (216 W. Main St. Missoula, MT 59802)

The heart of Catalyst takes place on May 15th, featuring a keynote address to be announced. Engage in meaningful table conversations that encourage dialogue and idea-sharing among participants. Choose from a variety of breakout sessions tailored to address the pressing challenges and opportunities within the nonprofit sector.

May 15th Summit:

8:30am – 9:00am | Arrive and Check-In

9:00 – 10:15 | Keynote: Leading through Uncertainty | Speaker to be announced

10:15 – 12:00 | Group Discussion facilitated by Rachel Huff-Doria

12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch

1:15 – 4:15 | Extended breakouts

• A1: Leading from Your Core: Empowering Teams Through Shared Responsibility with Ashley Kent
  Join us for an interactive workshop tailored for nonprofit leaders eager to inspire others and foster a commitment to a shared vision. This session invites participants to analyze the difference between management and leadership, and understand when each is most effective. Participants will also engage in exercises to understand how personal core values shape your leadership behavior and influence relationships with staff, donors, and other stakeholders. Finally, participants will explore actionable strategies to create a culture of shared responsibility and trust, enhance team dynamics, and foster an environment of innovation and discretionary effort.
  Be the end of this session, participants will be able to:
  • Identify and help others identify personal core values and how they shape your leadership style
  • Understand how both leadership and management skills can be utilized to create a culture of trust
  • Apply strategies and best practices to increase the discretionary effort across the organization
  • Recognize the importance of modeling behavior to set and maintain consistent expectations

   

• A2: Improving Board Engagement with Kate Van Waes
  • In this session, we’ll dive into that sometimes elusive-seeming goal of improving or kickstarting board engagement. We’ll discuss what is your role as an ED versus their roles as board members (with the aim of improving your work-life balance and creating culture change), how to encourage their active engagement (without enabling their passivity), and how to think of them as an extension of your team (rather than people to whom you report). We’ll make sure there’s plenty of time for networking with each other to share ideas and problem-solve real-world issues together.

Join us for this transformative event that will ignite your passion for leadership, expand your network, and equip you with the tools to drive your organization forward.

Don’t miss this chance to be part of the Catalyst community and contribute to the future of nonprofit leadership in Montana!

Travel Scholarships are available for this event. Follow the scholarship information in the sidebar on this page to learn more and to apply.

Hotel Block:
Residence Inn Missoula Downtown | $166/night
Last Day to Book : Thursday, May 1st
Book your group rate for Catalyst MT Nonprofit Association

Speakers

Ashley Kent is the founder and principal consultant at Rocky Mountain Leadership Strategies. Ashley believes small businesses in our area are home to some of the brightest, most innovative people! In addition to providing governance and leadership education to local government leaders since 2014 and serving as the governance leader for a regional healthcare non-profit organization during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ashley holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Her unique combination of education and experience allows me to offer exciting, relevant, and timely training and facilitation to organizations looking to take the next step in creating value for their clients and reaching their long-term goals.

Rachel Huff-Doria, Participatory Designer/Facilitator, is the owner and director of RHD LLC, a small business dedicated to helping civic-minded leaders build capacity, alignment, and actionable plans to guide meaningful change. She works with non-profit, government, and coalition leaders who need to select the best path for the future, collaborate with greater ease, and maintain trust with their communities as they chart a path forward.

Dr. Kate Van Waes has advised cabinet-level officials, ambassadors, and rock stars. She’s led international research teams, and co-led NASA Mars mission coordination.  She’s sat in the White House situation room making tough decisions, co-written speeches for POTUS, led events for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and been the lead negotiator for the U.S. at United Nations meetings.  She’s co-led international advocacy campaigns to raise billions of dollars to end global hunger and malnutrition. She’s helmed a national nonprofit at a time of tremendous transformation, evolution, and growth.  She’s been a senior adviser on G8 negotiations and written reports that were hailed by the likes of Christine Legarde, Cheryl Sandberg, and the Clinton Global Initiative.  Kate’s super power:  sorting through the noise to get at the root of the problem.  And a deep empathy for what a leader needs to thrive.

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