August 1 at 8:00 AM
Sea Change: Participation, Philanthropy, and Volunteerism Today
Mississippi River Hall, RiverCenter North Building
Capacity: 100
Ticket: $50
Join us for a continental buffet breakfast and a special program designed for directors, CEOs, and leaders at any level and career stage. During a 45-minute talk show style conversation with local leaders, we’ll gain a local perspective on a national trend – shifts in participation, philanthropy, and volunteerism. They will share their observations about the sea change underway, how today’s political climate may have an impact, and how they are adapting to find stability despite the crosscurrents. Hear their perspectives and bring your own burning questions to the conversation!
This hour-long event (8:00-9:00 a.m.) will include time to mingle with your peers during breakfast service (~15 min). There will also be time immediately following the fireside chat (~30 min) before the start of the Flash Talks, our morning general session.
Moderator: Dave Herrell, President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities
Presenters:
- Jen Lewis-Snyder, Executive Director, Quad Cities Cultural Trust
- Betsy Matt Turner, Putnam Museum and Science Center
- Kaleigh Trammell, Quad Cities Community Foundation
- Ryan Wille, Quad City Botanical Center
The leadership breakfast is sponsored by Distinguished Fine Art & Collectibles and Hub International.
Moderator:
Dave Herrell
President & CEO, Visit Quad Cities
Visit Quad Cities is the region’s official destination marketing organization and is charged with driving positive economic development opportunities through tourism. Dave Herrell leads the vision, strategy, and day-to-day operations of the private non-profit, community-based organization. Under Dave’s leadership, Visit Quad Cities has produced record annual visitor expenditures of $1.37B and has set an ambitious plan toward the future.
A proven executive with more than twenty years of experience, Dave has a background in destination and brand marketing, tourism, non-profit management, operations, strategic planning, business development, and government relations. Prior to Visit Quad Cities, Dave led the City of Jacksonville’s Office of Sports & Entertainment, where he led the operation of annual signature events such as Jacksonville Jazz Festival and the Sea & Sky Airshow, managed the City’s Sports & Entertainment Complex Capital Maintenance Fund, and was a principal on a $90M EverBank Stadium renovation project. He has also held leadership positions with the Arizona Sports Foundation, Nashville Sports Council and Music City Bowl, Inc.
Dave is active in the industry and community where he lives, serving on the Iowa Tourism Advisory Group board, Illinois Destinations Association, Iowa Tourism Advisory Group, John Deere Classic, Figge Art Museum, Quad Cities Cultural Trust, and Q2030 Regional Vision Board of Directors.
Guest Speakers:
Jen Lewis-Snyder
Executive Director, Quad Cities Cultural Trust
Jen Lewis-Snyder is a dynamic leader in the arts and culture sector, dedicated to championing the transformative power of cultural organizations in communities. As the Executive Director of the Quad Cities Cultural Trust, she oversees strategic art and cultural investments, driving sustainable growth, regional impact, and innovation in arts philanthropy.
Before joining QCCT, Jen spent over a decade as the Vice President of United Way of the Quad Cities, where she played a pivotal role in creating affinity groups and elevating leadership giving to unprecedented levels. A University of Iowa graduate and certified strategic planner, she brings a sharp strategic mind to the table—along with a firm belief that collaboration (and perhaps a little coffee) can solve almost anything.
Jen is also a published author, a wife, and a mother—roles that keep her equally skilled in negotiation, crisis management, and creative problem-solving. Whether she’s leading a boardroom discussion or wrangling a family schedule, she brings energy, humor, and a results-driven approach.
Betsy Matt Turner
Vice President of Strategic Advancement, Putnam Museum and Science Center
Now in her 18th year at the Putnam, Betsy’s areas of focus include institutional fundraising, planning, government relations, and evaluation. Her prior positions include serving as Vice President of Planning for United Way of the Quad Cities Area, Director of Development for the Connecticut Association for Human Services, and as a Presidential Management Fellow in Washington, D.C. She received her B.A. in anthropology and psychology from the University of Iowa and her MPA from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Bloomington, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow.
Kaleigh Trammell
Director of Grantmaking and Community Initiatives, Quad Cities Community Foundation
Kaleigh is the Director of Grantmaking and Community Initiatives at the Quad Cities Community Foundation. Over the past twelve years, Kaleigh has built their career in the nonprofit sector. Their very first nonprofit job was in fact at a museum – from part-time staff to Visitor Experience Manager, that job is the one that sparked the passion for nonprofit work. The opportunity to dive into creativity, resilience, and FUN in that role inspired the next decade of work in this sector, during which Kaleigh has supported various nonprofits through fundraising and development, grant writing and administration, and event planning – most recently at Quad City Arts as the Director of Festival of Trees before bringing all of that experience to the Quad Cities Community Foundation in 2021.
At the community foundation, Kaleigh supervises the staff responsible for grant and scholarship cycles, implements special grant and community programs, supports rural grantmaking through affiliate foundations, and provides grantmaking guidance for private foundation clients. In addition, Kaleigh mentors high schoolers from across the Quad Cities through our Teens for Tomorrow Youth Philanthropy initiative. As part of this program, teens learn about the challenges our community faces and get to be an active part of the solution by getting to know community organizations, fundraising, and awarding grants to support the causes they care about. This year, they raised nearly $30,000 themselves through one-on-one donor meetings to grant back into the
community.
Ryan Wille
Executive Director, Quad City Botanical Center
Ryan has served as Executive Director at the Quad City Botanical Center for the last 4 years, after spending time in both the education and marketing departments. Originally from Palatine, IL, Ryan studied English at Bradley University and Horticulture at Penn State University. He previously held roles at landscape design firms in Chicago, managing plant health care programs and has most recently spent the last 8 years of his career in nonprofit work.