NEPA Learning Conference | Conference for Nonprofits

The 2025 NEPA Learning Conference is scheduled for September 17-19!

Community • Connections • Purpose

The 2025 NEPA Learning Conference is all about creating and strengthening our community—together, with purpose and action. Tailored for employees, board members, and volunteers of nonprofit organizations, this conference is your affordable gateway to powerful tools, meaningful connections, and innovative strategies.

With a focus on building trust and relationships, establishing credibility through clear messaging and collaboration, and prioritizing team culture, this year’s conference offers more than just learning—it’s a catalyst for connection and growth. You’ll hear from national thought leaders and local changemakers who will guide you through interactive, transformative sessions designed to strengthen your organization from the inside out and amplify your impact in the community.

Over three energizing days, immerse yourself in engaging workshops, dynamic discussions, and hands-on learning that will help you tackle today’s challenges and spark new possibilities for your organization.

Ignite your nonprofit’s connection. Strengthen our community. Lead with purpose. Join us at the 2025 NEPA Learning Conference—where vision meets action for a stronger, more connected future.

Katie & Mike

Wednesday Keynote Speakers

Katie P. Desiderio Frino is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Beekeeper; Pollinating Your Organization for Transformative Growth and USA Today Bestseller of The Stargazer: Unleashing the Brilliance of Building Brighter Teams. She believes deeply in the power of connection and begins every day by counting her blessings—especially the people who enrich her life. This philosophy guides her work, where she prioritizes every organization’s most valuable asset: its people.

Katie serves as a Professor of Management and tenured faculty member at Moravian University. She is also the Principal Partner in Learning at Proximal Development, LLC, an authorized DiSC partner. Her expertise lies in leadership development and driving organizational performance through transformative learning experiences.

A champion for women leaders across the globe, Katie has collaborated with diverse professionals—from sales executives to clinicians in research and practice. Her mission is to lead with grace, spark curiosity, and inspire discovery in others, fostering growth through meaningful relationships and shared experiences.

Since earning her doctorate in Organizational Learning and Leadership, Katie has co-authored numerous scholar-practitioner journal articles, conference proceedings, and most recently national best-selling leadership fables, The Beekeeper: Pollinating Your Organization for Transformative Growth and The Stargazer: Unleashing the Brilliance of Building Brighter Teams alongside her learning partner and friend, bringing her vision of growth and collaboration to life.

Michael G. Frino is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Beekeeper; Pollinating Your Organization for Transformative Growth and USA Today Bestseller of The Stargazer: Unleashing the Brilliance of Building Brighter Teams. Michael has over 20 years of professional experience working for Fortune 500 companies in sales, leadership, and organizational development across the payroll/human resources, pharmaceutical, and med-tech industries.

Michael finds his flow state today from helping organizations transform their culture with a focus on the growth and development of human beings. His curiosity on how organizations optimize performance at work inspired him to obtain his PhD in Organizational Learning and Leadership in (2010) and embrace opportunities to help individuals, groups, and organizations reach their peak potential. His co-authoring of The Beekeeper is the culmination of decades of research and publishing with his friend, Katie P. Desiderio, in performance improvement journals to understand how organizations can provide transformational growth to their most important assets, people.

Dr. Tiffany "DrT" Manuel

Thursday Keynote Speaker

Dr. Tiffany "DrT" Manuel (she/her) is the founder and CEO of TheCaseMade, where she collaborates with social changemakers across the U.S. to build diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities.

She authored "Case Made! 10 Powerful Leadership Principles that Win Hearts, Change Minds, and Grow Impact".

Growing up in Detroit during turbulent times inspired her commitment to transformative policy, programs, and services. With over 25 years of experience in various sectors, DrT holds advanced degrees in public policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and political science from Purdue University and the University of Chicago.

Michael Swenson

Friday Keynote Speaker

Michael Swenson started teaching FranklinCovey content in 2001, first as a Client Facilitator for Nextel Communications and then later for Cornell and Yale Universities. In 2011, he was hired as a Contract Consultant for FranklinCovey’s education practice and has since taught personal effectiveness, time management, leadership, goal-setting and trust principles for corporations, universities, community colleges, and K-12 schools. He has delivered keynote addresses at leadership development conferences and for district launch days.

With a BA in Education from Seattle University, Michael served as an officer in the US Army for six years, earning a Bronze Star during his deployment to Desert Shield/Storm. He entered the telecommunications industry in 1994, working for MCI/Worldcom, Bell Atlantic, Startec, and

Nextel. Currently, Michael is an IT project manager and business analyst at Cornell University's SC Johnson College of Business, and also facilitates organizational development courses for Human Resources.

At the Scranton Area Community Foundation, we prioritize the importance of enhancing organizational capacity building and view it as transformative to the region as a whole.

Laura Ducceschi

President and CEO of
the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

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