2026 Annual Conference Sessions

Cultivating Leaders: Today's Supervisors, Tomorrow's Leaders

About This Session

Today's frontline supervisors have often entered their role with little to no supervisory experience, are promoted after demonstrating excellence in direct support, and enter their new role as a leader with little to no training or support. How do we provide the support, training, and experiences necessary for new supervisors to thrive and support the teams they lead today, and engage and inspire them as the next generation of leaders? Tomorrow's leaders will reshape how services are provided and will build on the work of those who came before them. This session will include a brief case study of an effective blended learning training program for supervisors and include small group discussion and shared learning focused on strategies for providing informal and formal professional development opportunities that can build leadership experiences and engage leaders at all levels in building tomorrow.

Speaker: Megan Sanders

Applicant Screening Assessments

About This Session

This session will provide an overview of tools utilized to effectively screen applicants for the Direct Support Professional position. With advancement in technology, it is imperative that the employee have digital literacy to log their hours worked, document completed programing, and be able to chart medication administration. Employes must also have the passion to support those in need which can be assessed through customizable personality assessments.

Speakers: Rachel Gustofson and Lisa Nicholas

Building Solid Systems in Minnesota

About This Session

In this breakout, we’re laying out the foundations of quality in disability services. From protecting rights, to promoting respect, addressing abuse, improving natural supports, and other areas – attendees will learn the building blocks for organizational excellence. Then, we’ll share tips, techniques, and action steps for creating quality services, evaluating effectiveness, and ensuring it’s benefitting the people you support.

Speaker: Courtney Kelly Chapman

Navigating Difficult Conversations

About This Session

When teams come together to support someone in shaping their path, it’s natural for disagreements to arise. It’s easy to delay difficult discussions, hoping time will smooth things over. Real progress comes when we lean in with courage, conviction, and compassion. With a commitment to truly hearing each other, conflict turns into collaboration. Discover how purposeful conversations unlock unity, inspire progress, and move us forward—together.

Speakers: Christina Kurchner and Erin Martin

The First 90 Days That Matter: Helping DSPs Stay and Grow

About This Session

The first 90 days matter most for DSP retention. Join this engaging session to explore creative, practical strategies that help new staff build confidence, connection, and purpose early in their roles. From mentorship and competency-based training to leadership support and culture-building, discover ways organizations can move beyond orientation and create a strong start that keeps DSPs committed for the long haul.

Speaker: Claire Benway

Licensing Trends 2025

About This Session

In this training, we will look back at 2025 licensing trends and review the top three violations as identified in 245D correction orders. We all want to provide the best services possible and that includes understanding licensing requirements to ensure that we are compliant with the rules and regulations. Whether you are brand new to the field and want to set yourself up for success by avoiding common mistakes, or you are a current provider who wants to ensure your current practices are matching what licensors are looking for, we hope you join us for this informative class. For this course, we will discuss:

  • The top 3 licensing violations including their applicable citations
  • Honorable mentions of licensing violations
  • Methods to recognize these potential violations in your own documentation
  • Tips to remain compliant to 245D and the Positive Supports Rule (PSR)

Don't let, "I didn't know that!" be a barrier on your next licensing visit. Empower your organization and confidently say, "I know it and I've got it!"

Speaker: Brittney Zeller

Breaking the Forgetting Curve: Five Strategies for Training that Sticks

About This Session

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I just trained my team on that—why aren’t they doing it?” Despite ongoing training efforts, many professionals struggle to retain and apply what they’ve learned. Traditional training methods often fail to engage learners in a way that leads to lasting knowledge and meaningful behavior change. In this dynamic and interactive session, we’ll explore the Forgetting Curve, learning and retention barriers, and uncover five proven strategies to make training more effective, engaging, and memorable. Attendees will leave with practical tools to enhance learning retention, boost competence, and foster a culture of continuous improvement in their teams.

Speakers: Sarah Stein

Life Sharing

About This Session

Update on current application and guidance for Life sharing. Life Sharing is a relationship‑based HCBS residential model. This session provides an overview of the Life Sharing service as provided today and into the future highlighting how shared daily life, natural relationships, and person‑centered practices support stability, community integration, and individualized outcomes. Attendees will learn how Life Sharing functions as a regulated alternative to traditional group living within HCBS systems and future planed waiver amendments to make Life Sharing its own service.

Speaker: Ric Nelson, Larua Vogel, Jen Eleraas, Scott Schifsky (DHS), other members of the DHS Coalition Work Group on Life Sharing

Beyond Compliance: What Providers Need to Hear (But Don’t Always Get to Hear)

About This Session

A candid discussion examining how well-intentioned systems can unintentionally create harm or silence disabled voices, and what accountability, shared leadership, and culture shift can look like in practice.

Speaker: Lexi Dunn

Money Mindset for Real Life

About This Session

Frontline employees carry the weight of real-life money stress every single day — rising costs, unpredictable schedules, unexpected bills, and the pressure to “just figure it out.” This session helps employees understand the money habits and beliefs they’ve picked up over time, how those patterns affect their stress at work, and how to build a healthier, more confident relationship with their money. Through relatable stories, simple tools, and zero judgment, Taylor shows employees how to shift from avoidance and anxiety to clarity and control — no complicated budgets, no financial jargon, just real-life strategies that actually fit their world.

Speaker: Taylor Paulson

Partnering with Lived Experience: Practical Strategies for Authentic Collaboration

About This Session

A constructive, solution-focused session exploring how providers can move beyond consultation toward meaningful partnership — strengthening person-centered practice while reducing unintended systemic barriers.

Speaker: Lexi Dunn

Clarity Under Pressure: Helping Managers Lead Teams Without Taking On Too Much

About This Session

Many provider organizations are asking managers to lead larger teams while also developing newer supervisors and responding to ongoing workforce and system pressures. At the same time, many managers have stepped into leadership roles after strong individual contributor careers and are still building the skills needed to lead others effectively.

Without clear expectations around roles, priorities, and decision ownership, strong managers often take on too much themselves. Over time this can lead to overload, confusion across teams, and reduced effectiveness in already complex service environments.

This session gives managers practical tools for creating clarity around responsibilities, responding to competing requests, and supporting staff development without absorbing additional work that should stay within other roles. Participants will learn language they can use in real conversations and leave with simple frameworks that strengthen communication across teams while protecting energy for the work that matters most.

The session is interactive and designed for immediate application in human-service leadership environments.

Speaker: Molly Asplin

Developing the Leader Within You

About This Session

Most people think leadership comes with a title, but the truth is leadership starts long before that.

in this session, we’ll walk through John C. Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership and what they actually look like in real life. From Position to Permission, Production, People Development, and Pinnacle, you’ll see how leadership grows and why influence matters more than authority.

This will not just be theory. You’ll complete a simple self-leadership assessment to figure out where you are right now and what your next step looks like. The goal is for you to leave with clarity, not just about leadership, but about your leadership.

Whether you are new to leadership or have been doing this for years, this session will help you step back, reflect, and refocus on how you show up for your team and your organization.

Speaker: Grant Haley

The Hidden Cost Of Financial Stress: What Every Leader Needs to Know

About This Session

Financial stress is one of the most overlooked performance barriers inside organizations. In this session we break down how money stress shows up in the workforce, why employees rarely think about it, and how leaders can create a culture of clarity the improves focus and overall performance. Leaders can walk away with a sharper understanding of the financial wellness tap and simple actionable ways to strengthen their teams.

Speaker: Taylor Paulson

More than Compassion: Upskilling and Professional Growth for DSPs

About This Session

The need for quality DSPs in Minnesota is overwhelming, and today's DSP workforce will emerge as tomorrow's leadership in providers. This session is intended for DSPs of any experience level who are interested in advancing in the human services field or for managers looking for ideas on skills to foster in their employees. Though the session will provide an overview of education and experience requirements for leadership positions in 245d licensed settings and Qualified Professionals, the majority of the time will be spent with a discussion of skills and traits for DSPs to develop that will help them stand out amidst their peers, and it will start them on the path to being an employee that an agency wants to promote (or recruit) above others in the field.

Speaker: Charles Gornik

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