This session is designed for leaders, managers, and practitioners across sectors who influence people, culture, or decision-making, including executives, senior leaders, managers, human resources professionals, team leads, and practitioners in organizational change or sustainability. It is relevant for participants working in nonprofit, private, public, and mission-driven organizations.

No prior subject-matter expertise is required. The session is designed to be accessible to participants at different experience levels, combining brief evidence-based framing with interactive dialogue and practical tools that support immediate application, regardless of role or sector.

Speaker:

Gerardo Gauthier-Zayas, Ed.D.
Founder and President of Avant Consultant and Training
Educator

Polarized “either/or” thinking can create tension and distrust, for example, between those who want change and those who want to maintain the status quo or between the desire for autonomy/flexibility and the need for consistent rules. Polarities can polarize a group and develop into “us/them” dynamics.

In this interactive workshop, Beth Tener will offer a training in Polarity Mapping, a remarkably simple approach to working with polarities that allows people to transcend this dynamic and find win-win solutions and a sense of unity. We will practice applying the method with the current challenges of participants. Once you learn this way of thinking, you will find many places to apply it, both at work and in your personal life.

Speaker:

Beth Tener, Principal, New Directions Collaborative, Kinship

With trends drawing more attention to the importance of mental health in the workplace and the link between work and well-being, it is important to know how to best support mental health and foster a more supportive and caring culture.  Participants will have a better understanding of the experience of individuals with mental health challenges; recognize signs and symptoms; increase awareness and insight; improve effective communication strategies; and hear about available resources and support, including crisis resources.  The workshop will include a lived experience speaker who will share her story of recovery. Participants will engage in a facilitated conversation on why words matter related to mental health and substance use conditions. This will provide considerations and practice for a simple approach, with inclusive language, that can bust myths and make staff feel more comfortable reaching out when they need help. Participants will leave with access to no-cost resources.

Speakers:

Liz Hodgkins, Deputy Director, NAMI New Hampshire
Sarah Horne, Director of Human Resources at Easterseals NH & VT

Operationalizing Sustainability with Purpose is an interactive, cross sector working session designed to help professionals and organizations move sustainability from aspiration to action. Participants will explore practical, values aligned frameworks for embedding sustainability into strategy and day to day operations while navigating budget constraints and competing priorities. Through live polling, small group collaboration, and a guided Values to Action exercise grounded in materiality, attendees will identify actionable quick wins that reduce environmental impact, strengthen community resilience, and improve operational efficiency.

Speaker:

Sifonobong Ekanem, Sustainability Reporting Supervisor, Albany International

This interactive session brings NHBSR’s focus on responsible business, sustainability, and community impact to life. Participants engage in a  simulation that mirrors real-world challenges—balancing economic priorities, workforce needs, environmental responsibility, and community well-being.

Working in cross-sector teams, participants make rapid decisions with limited resources, experiencing firsthand how individual and collective agency influence outcomes. The simulation reveals a powerful truth: while no single organization can solve today’s challenges alone, aligned action and shared ownership can dramatically accelerate progress.

A focused debrief connects the experience directly to New Hampshire’s business landscape, highlighting how agency shows up in leadership, decision-making, and partnership. Participants will identify where they have the ability to act—within their roles, organizations, and communities—and how collaboration amplifies that impact.

Speakers:

Carolyn Eastman, Founder / Lead Advisor, Future Ready Solutions Collective

Colleen Spear, Impact Consultant, Spearpoint Strategies

Struggling to fill critical roles in your company? Eager to grow interest and skills in your industry? Join our cross-industry panel of experts for a fast-paced action session where we will move beyond the basic “workforce development” talk. Learn about models and approaches to building the talent your organization needs in the face of current workforce challenges. Then, collaborate on possible solutions to engage and excite a new generation of workers. Connect with potential partners to co-create sustainable training infrastructures that feed the workforce you need with meaningful jobs people can thrive in.

Moderator:

Devon Skeritt, Founder, Design & Facilitation Strategist, SDS Social Design Strategies

Panelists:

• Corinne Breton-Benfield, Executive Director, Stay Work Play NH
• Dave Gambaccini, The Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies: Treasurer & Board of Trustees
• David Pease, SVP – Talent, Diversity & Belonging, Bangor Savings Bank
• Michael Miller, Senior Program Manager, ReGen Valley Common Campus

In an era defined by economic headwinds, shifting regulations, and complex supply chains, keeping green initiatives on track requires immense agility. This session explores how organizations can maintain momentum on their environmental goals despite the complexities of the current landscape. Hear firsthand insights from our distinguished panel of industry leaders spanning consumer goods, utilities, biotech, and manufacturing. These professionals will share actionable strategies to build resilience, navigate roadblocks, and ensure continuous, meaningful impact on your sustainability journey.

Moderator: Matthew Gardner, Managing Partner, Sustainserv

Panelists:

• Sarah Keller, VP of North America Sustainability, Lindt & Sprungli
• Sara Sankowich, VP of Shared Services and Sustainability, Unitil
• Kristopher Tiernan, Associate Director, Site CAPEX Planning & Sustainability, Lonza Biologics
• Robin Tindall, Director of Environmental Stewardship, Hypertherm Associates

This interactive workshop explores how organizations can bridge the gap between stated values and daily practices to foster resilience and meaningful social impact. Please come prepared to engage in activities and conversations.

We’ll address:

1. What are most strategies missing? Why is this a vulnerability to resilience and social impact?
2. How do values act as the glue that holds strategy, core operations, support functions, and innovation together?
3. What causes strategic misalignment and how does it facilitate ineffectiveness, injustices and inequities?
4. What are the practical actions that organizations can take to deepen resilience, justice, and impact?

Attendees will gain actionable tools for strengthening organizational resilience through operational excellence and organizational and social justice.

Speaker: Dr. Atyia Martin, CEO, All Aces, Inc.

Operationalizing Sustainability with Purpose is an interactive, cross sector working session designed to help professionals and organizations move sustainability from aspiration to action. Participants will explore practical, values aligned frameworks for embedding sustainability into strategy and day to day operations while navigating budget constraints and competing priorities. Through live polling, small group collaboration, and a guided Values to Action exercise grounded in materiality, attendees will identify actionable quick wins that reduce environmental impact, strengthen community resilience, and improve operational efficiency.

Speakers:

CJ Lewis, Director of Applied Programs, NH Theatre Project

Genevieve Aichele, Co-Facilitator

With trends drawing more attention to the importance of mental health in the workplace and the link between work and well-being, it is important to know how to best support mental health and foster a more supportive and caring culture.  Participants will have a better understanding of the experience of individuals with mental health challenges; recognize signs and symptoms; increase awareness and insight; improve effective communication strategies; and hear about available resources and support, including crisis resources.  The workshop will include a lived experience speaker who will share her story of recovery. Participants will engage in a facilitated conversation on why words matter related to mental health and substance use conditions. This will provide considerations and practice for a simple approach, with inclusive language, that can bust myths and make staff feel more comfortable reaching out when they need help. Participants will leave with access to no-cost resources.

Speaker: Gina Burke, Founder, Shine Bright Strategies

Most organizations don’t stall because of strategy. They stall because something invisible is running the show: A protection pattern built into how the leadership team operates, how decisions get made, or how conflict gets avoided.

In this session, you’ll learn The Dissolve: a three-step method for seeing, naming, and dissolving the invisible barriers that keep capable leaders and organizations from performing at the level they’re capable of.

You’ll leave with a framework you can apply immediately: to your leadership team, your organization, and the collaborations you’re trying to build.

This is a working session. Come ready to think.

Laurie McGinley is the founder of Via Lucent and the author of The Dissolve, launched at SXSW 2026.

At the Monadnock Conservancy, a network of Granite State innovators came together to deliver a net-zero headquarters rooted in mission, place, and community. Driven by the Conservancy’s vision, the project aligned local partners, regional materials, and transparent data to reduce carbon while using healthy materials, providing great indoor air quality, and avoiding local air pollution, all achieved without relying on complex or cost-prohibitive solutions. This session shares how the team translated values into action across design and construction, balancing performance, cost, and constructability. Panelists will highlight the owner’s role in setting direction, the importance of early alignment, and how local collaboration can unlock practical, scalable climate solutions. Attendees will leave with a repeatable model they can apply within their own organizations.

Speakers:

Amanda Littleton, Executive Director, Monadnock Conservancy

Sheldon Pennoyer, Founding Principal, SP | Architects

John Hyde, Director of Sustainability, Chapman Construction / Design