Upcoming Events

Session Line-up

Project Management Driving Social Impact 

Peter Monkhouse | Keynote Speaker

Social impact organizations run on purpose, but to scale results they need project management. This session—Project Management Driving Social Impact—shows how planning, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and performance measurement (applied to programs, fundraising, and volunteers) turn limited resources into reliable outcomes. With real examples, you’ll see how small improvements in discipline lead to big gains in mission delivery.

• Identify the three essentials of high-impact projects: a clear one-page plan, an owner with authority, and a fast feedback rhythm.
• Map the people who matter and choose three practical ways to earn their buy-in this month.
• Commit to a 14-day action plan: pick one initiative, define three outcome measures, schedule a 30-minute risk huddle, and set a simple weekly scoreboard.

Beyond the Triple Constraint: Rethinking Success in Fuzzy Projects for Lasting Impact | Lavagnon Ika, PhD

In today’s complex and dynamic environments, the triple constraint of time, cost, and quality has proven insufficient to assess project success. This deficiency particularly applies to transformational, “fuzzy” projects, considering their elusive goals and/or conflicting stakeholder expectations. This talk reframes project success through a multidimensional lens that includes efficiency (doing things right, like meeting time, cost, and quality targets), effectiveness (doing the right things, like delivering business case expectations) and effectivity (doing the best things for all, like achieving green efficacy and sustainability).

• Understand the limitations of the triple constraint of time, cost, and quality.
• Appreciate the role of time in project success assessment.
• Apply key success models through cases of fuzzy projects. 

Sustainability isn’t optional—it’s how smart projects win. This interactive session shows you how to embed Green Project Management in every phase, aligned with PMI and GPM-b standards. You’ll learn practical tools, metrics, and frameworks that turn goals into measurable results—boosting value, reducing risk, and future-proofing delivery. With real cases and clear takeaways, you’ll leave ready to lead with purpose and drive meaningful change—whether you’re experienced or just starting out.

• Explain the principles of Green Project Management (GPM) and its alignment with Project Management Institute (PMI) and GPM-b certification standards.
• Demonstrate how to integrate sustainability practices into project lifecycles for long-term environmental, social, and economic impact.
• Identify key tools, frameworks, and best practices for managing sustainable projects that drive both business value and global responsibility.

This session treats afterschool programming as a community project that benefits from strong project management. Attendees will see clear links to their daily work: defining program scope, aligning goals and budgets, engaging schools, parents, and donors, and adapting plans based on student needs and results. We will connect agile thinking and change management to real classroom realities and show how to track outcomes that matter, like attendance, skill growth, and family engagement. The session closes with simple ways project managers can help right now, including volunteering, pro bono planning support, and mentoring, so more students thrive after the final bell.

• Highlight the academic, social, and developmental benefits of high-quality after-school programming for students.
• Demonstrate how after-school programs contribute to educational equity and community well-being.

Why Social Impact Matters | Tracey Burke

Generosity is a fundamental human value with far-reaching impacts on individuals, organizations, and society. It encompasses the willingness to give time, resources, and support without expecting something in return. Generosity is not only a moral virtue but also a powerful driver of personal well-being and organizational success.

• Understand the strategic value of generosity in business
• Identify practical examples of generosity in everyday business practices
• How to apply generosity-driven principles to improve workplace culture and relationships

Energizing Change | Matt Brauning
Change can often be met with resistance and uncertainty, hindering progress and innovation. For organizations to thrive, leaders must communicate about new vision clearly and instill confidence in their teams. In this program, Matt presents his proven team engagement model to help leaders gain buy-in and drive change successfully. This talk is essential for leaders seeking to navigate the complexities of change management and foster a culture of agility and resilience.

• Communicating Vision Effectively: Discover strategies for articulating your vision clearly and compellingly, ensuring that every team member understands and is excited about the new direction.
• Building Trust and Engagement: Learn how to cultivate trust and engagement by involving your team in the change process, empowering them to contribute and collaborate toward shared goals.
• Overcoming Resistance: Explore techniques for addressing and overcoming resistance to change, transforming skepticism into support through empathy and active listening.

Go Green Racing | Impact4Good
Go Green Racing (by Impact 4 Good) is a hands-on CSR teambuilder where participants assemble solar cars, build a recycled car, and walk an assembly line to pack “solar car kits” for donation to a youth beneficiary—culminating in head-to-head races and a thank-you from the nonprofit partner. It promotes STEAM learning and alternative energy while strengthening teamwork. Typical run time is 90–120 minutes; group size 20+; in-person format.

• Understand how a simple, well-scoped project can advance STEAM education and alternative energy awareness through tangible donations to local kids.
• Practice collaborative execution by coordinating build tasks and an assembly-line packaging process that mirrors real project handoffs.
• Experience stakeholder connection by hearing directly from the beneficiary, reinforcing purpose and community impact.

Featured Speaker bios:

Peter Monkhouse

Peter Monkhouse is a globally recognized speaker, educator, and consultant with over 40 years of experience in project leadership. He has taught more than 6,000 students at institutions like the University of Toronto and co-authored the bestselling book Gen P: New Generation of Product Owners Who Care About Customers. A former Chair of the PMI Board and PMI Educational Foundation, Peter is also co-founder of NewGenP and has consulted for leading organizations including CIBC, MetroLinx, and the City of Toronto.

Hillary Sawyer

Hillary is an experienced development and fundraising professional with over a decade of expertise, holding dual master's degrees in Health Care Administration and Nonprofit Administration from Grand Valley State University. She is the Donor Relationship Coordinator at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids. With a solid background in service-focused work, Hillary remains deeply committed to improving the lives of others through thoughtful and sustainable efforts. Her wide range of interests and experiences allows her to bring a well-rounded perspective to her work and to connect authentically with those around her. Outside of work, Hillary enjoys gardening, traveling, camping, and listening to true crime and suspense-thriller audiobooks.  

Lavagnon Ika

Lavagnon Ika, MSc, PhD is Professor of Project Management and Founding Director of the Major Projects Observatory at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. He is also an Extraordinary Professor at both the Graduate School of Technology Management and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GBIS) of the University of Pretoria. He is a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow, an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Project Management and the Canadian Journal of Development Studies, and a (former) member of the Academic Boards of the international project management associations PMI and IPMA.

Professor Ika is a key contributor to the most recent debates on major infrastructure delivery (e.g., project behavior or why projects experience cost overruns and benefit shortfalls), and he is considered the world leader of the research on managing global development projects (e.g., World Bank or Global Affairs Canada-funded projects delivered in Africa).

Professor Ika's work has earned him three Emerald Publishing House Awards of Excellence (Best Reviewer Award in 2018, Outstanding Paper in 2017 and Highly Commended Paper Award in 2011), as well as three IPMA Global Awards of Excellence (Research Award in 2017 and 2022 and Contribution of a Young Researcher Award in 2012). He won the PM World Journal Editor’s Choice Award in 2021.

He was a finalist of the 2023 UK Association for Project Management (APM) Award for the Research Paper of the Year. He was awarded the Telfer Innovative Researcher Award in 2017 and the Telfer Established Researcher Award in 2021. He is the co-author of the 2024 PMI Book of the Year Managing Fuzzy Projects in 3D and he is leading a handbook on project behavior to be published with Cambridge University Press in 2024. Professor Ika has provided guidance for the World Bank as external advisory panel member on their Results and Performance of the World Bank Group 2023 and for the PMI in 2024 as a lead scholar on how to measure project success.

Matt Brauning

Matt Brauning is an international keynote speaker and leadership trainer, a 3-time bestselling author, and a huge yo-yo nerd.
He has filmed in 2 movies, you've seen him all over morning Television on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and he has spoken at places like TEDx, McDonald's, NASDAQ, and the United States Air Force Academy. Matt delivers engaging keynote talks that are equal parts inspiring, actionable, and fun for corporate events, conferences, and association gatherings all over the world. Leaders, sales teams, and entrepreneurs get the opportunity to learn, grow and laugh all at the same time! Matt is also an avid motorcycle rider, rock climber, and pro wrestling fan! He currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his amazing wife Lola, and awesome son Valiant.

Lisa Hammer

Lisa Hammer has more than 30 years of experience, specializing in project management and staff development for both large and small firms. She has managed the implementation of several multi-million-dollar programs, which included coordination of staff, consultants and subcontractors to achieve client goals while maintaining budget and cost controls across all activities. Her executive career has been highlighted by a broad range of qualifications, including proven leadership and analytical skills, collaboration with outside groups, along with a reputation for accountability, flexibility, and resourcefulness.

Lisa continues to be a Project Management practitioner, working with clients to improve their ability to execute against demanding deliverables in dynamic environments. Her client base includes many state and local agencies, non-profits and as well as public and private companies. Lisa understands that people who are satisfied with their employment experience are more engaged, which leads to improved quality, productivity and happiness. Her passion for professionalism shines through in her presentations on a wide range of project management topics. Using her broad and in-depth field experience she not only stands behind her training, she expects success!

Lisa has been selected to present multiple courses for PMI’s PMI Training® (formerly SeminarsWorld), a series of professional seminars, which are held annually in various cities throughout the United States and internationally.

David Newman

David B. Newman has over 30 years of experience, and holds a Master’s degree in Technical Management from Johns Hopkins University. He has a diversified background in engineering and product development, is a certified trainer for leadership seminars, and loves to share his experience and extensive background with others. Project teams have excelled under his leadership as he has emphasized that the key to building a high-performance team is to integrate management skills with a collaborative philosophy to influence and motivate teams.

Audiences eagerly engage with David’s interactive presentation style. Through a mix of personal experience, hands-on activities and touches of PMBOK® Guide formality, David’s workshops are entertaining and educational. His passion and humor make his workshops fun while his focus on results drives attendees to reach for practical solutions to real challenges.

David has been selected to present multiple courses for PMI’s PMI Training® (formerly SeminarsWorld), a series of professional seminars, which are held annually in various cities throughout the United States and internationally.

Tracey Burke

Tracey Burke is a seasoned health care leader with a positive history of utilizing strategy and operations to help grow successful clinical practices while maintaining the highest of quality care.  Tracey is VP of Clinical Operations for Athletico, overseeing strategy, business development and operations for the state of Michigan. Currently in Michigan, she oversees 70 clinics with growth plans for additional clinics in 2024-2025.

Previously, Tracey was at Spectrum Health where she served as VP of Cardiovascular Services.   Tracey developed COVID business recovery model for all major service lines. As executive lead for operations implementation of planning and recovery of non-COVID care for surgical, procedural, and ambulatory services. She implemented Lean standard work processes across cardiovascular service line, achieving 95% standardization and 100% accountability. Tracey led heart failure risk-based partnership in collaboration with Priority Health with $7,400,000 in potential savings to the insurance plan.

Preceding Cardiovascular Service she was the Executive Director of MedNow, establishing Telehealth and other virtual services. Partnering with medical industry to manage cost of care, improve access to care, and implement value driven initiatives as key deliverable in clinical care areas. Tracey established new care model with enhanced access by providing new electronic front door for patients, offering 15 specialty telehealth use cases and remote patient monitoring.

Throughout her career at Spectrum Health, Tracey has held clinical, operational, strategy and business development roles. In each of these roles, Tracey focused on improving the health and experience of others, she is passionate about lowering the cost of care while improving the patient outcome and experience. Tracey fulfilled lead roles in physician relations, radiology and vascular imaging and acted as Adjunct Professor at Grand Valley State University, Michigan. She is affiliated with multiple nationally recognized associations including, but not limited to the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, YMCA, and American Telehealth Association.

A self-described servant leader, Tracey is passionate about growing and developing people, programs, and portfolios. Tracey has a sincere love of learning and helping others; she prides herself on actively listening and learning from the teams she works with.

Tracey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ferris State University, a Master of Science Administration from Central Michigan University, and MBA from Grand Valley State University. In addition, Tracey holds a number of other certifications in the field of imaging to include maternal fetal, neurology, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular.

Tracey resides in the Grand Rapids, MI area with husband Henry and has three children and two dogs. Tracey grew up on the southeast side of Michigan and did her clinical training at U of M, DMC and Ascension Health. Outside of work, Tracey enjoys yoga, golf and paddle boarding.

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