Click the graphic below for the full INSPIRE program including daily agenda, detailed breakout sessions, and speaker bio’s.
INSPIRE ’24 Program
Keynote Day One: JODEE BLANCO, NY Times Best-Selling Author
School bullying survivor, activist, and author of the seminal New York Times bestseller, Please Stop Laughing at Me…, Jodee Blanco is a pioneer of the anti-bullying movement, having dedicated her life to awareness and prevention of bullying long before it was on the public or media’s radar. For the past two decades, she has been traveling to schools, sharing her story to motivate change, and has spoken to tens of thousands of students, teachers, and parents worldwide.
Jodee is the in-house author of the NCEA’s popular Anti-Bullying Survivor Series, an imprint of their Briefs publishing program, and is a regular featured speaker at their conferences and conventions. She contributes content for the Andrew M. Greeley Center for Catholic Education at Loyola University in the areas of anti-bullying, governance, and Catholic identity. She has also worked with Notre Dame University’s prestigious Latino Enrollment Institute, and presented at RECongress.
Jodee has brought her in-school anti-bullying program, INJJA™ (“It’s NOT Just Joking Around!”™), which includes live presentations, a communications focused follow-up curriculum, and professional development, to hundreds of Catholic schools at the behest of diocesan leadership as well as individual administrators and teachers. All of her methodologies, the crux of everything she does in the anti-bullying space, are based on core Catholic values of tolerance, compassion, and forgiveness.
One of the most trusted authorities on bullying within the Catholic school system, she has worked with some of the largest dioceses in the country who regularly turn to her to deepen their understanding of bullying from the rare perspective of someone that endured it herself and has dedicated her adult life to preventing other students from similar suffering. Dioceses (and archdioceses) in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, California, Kansas, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois, Idaho, Nebraska, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, Curacao, Guam, and many others have brought Jodee in to keynote their in-services and then sent her to speak at their schools and implement her program. Often, she’ll do residency tours, working with large cohorts of schools across several months.
Her seminars on restorative communication practices for Catholic administrators also draw large audiences. One of her signature talks, “How to Handle Parents that Bully the School,”™ has become so popular that she was asked to create webinars, boot-camps, a principals’ institute, and an entire NCEA Brief to the subject. The head of NACPA (National Association of Church Personnel Administrators), after attending one of these seminars had Jodee present a daylong masterclass on navigating challenging people as the keynote for their annual national conference. Jodee also recently released an online course for educators on building positive relationships with parents.
In addition to her presentations and anti-bullying program, Jodee consults with administrators on parent relations management, crisis navigation, and innovative approaches to SEL.
While Jodee also works in the public-school system and has implemented INJJA in school districts throughout the United States, Canada, and internationally, her emphasis on compassion resonates for Catholic school leaders. Jodee focuses on the human element of bullying, incorporating the matrix of students, educators and parents into each aspect of her program, and offers a realistic, practical plan of action that continues to save lives.
CBS Evening News and USA Today have featured her story, and she has bylined for CNN.Com and The Huff Post. Considered one of the preeminent experts on school bullying, she’s a commentator for national broadcast and cable networks on bullying-related breaking news, and her story has been featured in hundreds of newspapers in the U.S. and abroad.
Keynote Day Two: JOSEPH WOMAC, President of Specialty Family Foundation
Having joined in 2012 as Executive Director, Joe Womac now serves as President of Southern California’s Specialty Family Foundation, which has granted nearly $50 million in poverty alleviation motivated investments during his 12 years in the role. Joe leads the Foundation’s efforts in capacity building with low-income serving Catholic schools in the region. In his role as President, Joe also leads the Foundation’s aggressive efforts to work with partners to end the housing crisis in Los Angeles County, particularly for system-impacted young adults.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Joe served 9 years as Executive Director for the Fulcrum Foundation in Seattle, WA which raised more than $65 million in strategic support for 73 Catholic schools in the Seattle area. The White House honored Mr. Womac in 2012 as one of nine National “Champions of Change” in Catholic Education. Joe is also the recipient of the University of Notre Dame’s Michael Pressley Award for Excellence in Catholic Education, the University of Portland’s Oddo Service Award, and the National Catholic Education Association’s Presidential Award.
Joe also taught and received education in Catholic schools. Under the auspices of the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education, he taught and coached in Louisiana Catholic schools from 2000 to 2002. Mr. Womac holds B.A. in Communication and Political Science from the University of Portland, a M.Ed. from Notre Dame, and a J.D. from Seattle University.
Breakout Session Topics
School Track
Continuous Enrollment, Volunteer Engagement, Marketing Mission, Latino Outreach, Office Etiquette & Efficiency, Effective Fundraising, How to Handle Difficult Conversations, What is your Data Telling You?, AI in Marketing & Communications, Video Storytelling, School Branding & Value Propositions, Mental Health and Mission Work, The Art of Donor Relationships, Photo Management, School Growth, Optimizing Communications, Grant Writing, Planned Giving, School Culture & Strategy, Managing the Expectations of Others, Building a Community of Belonging, Engaging and Effective Admissions Events, The Importance of a Welcoming Front Office- the Art of Hospitality, Alternative sources of Revenue- a Conversation with Funders
Parish Track (Archdiocese of Seattle participants only)
Stewardship- Principals of Engagement, #iGiveCatholic, Non-Profit IRS Guidelines, ParishStaq
What is INSPIRE?
INSPIRE 2024 is a dynamic 2-day conference dedicated to advancing innovation in Catholic schools and parishes, driving the mission of sharing the Gospel in today’s world.
Featuring an exceptional lineup of speakers from across the country, INSPIRE is packed with creative ideas and today’s best practices to strengthen operational vitality. (Domain 4: Operational Vitality, NSBECS)
Attendees engage in keynotes, participate in breakout sessions, and experience the power of community and collaboration.
Join the movement where innovation meets mission!
Who’s Invited?
Catholic school staff working in admissions, marketing, communications & fundraising, school office managers, secretaries, finance managers, and tuition assistance teams from inside and outside of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Early learning staff & parish staff within the Archdiocese of Seattle only are also invited.
Event Details
Date: August 15 & 16th, 2023
Time: 8:00am-4:00pm (light breakfast & lunch provided)
Where: Seattle University, Pigott building
Cost: FREE for Seattle Arch Staff, $250 (plus optional on-campus housing) for Catholic School Staff outside the Archdiocese
Overnight Accommodations
Overnight accommodations are available on the beautiful Seattle University campus.
Re-live your college days by staying in one of the lovely residence hall rooms!
Shared bathrooms are located down the hall.
Free internet is available for all guests.
Beds are made up with fresh linens.
Rooms include sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, and washcloths.
Cost: FREE for Seattle Archdiocese Staff, $100 per night for staff outside the Archdiocese
Reservations must be made by July 15th.