[December 2021] Critical Conversation: The State of Vaccine Mandates and Community-Based Organizations

Recorded Webinar
December 1, 2021 from 12:00-1:00 EST
Critical Conversation: The State of Vaccine Mandates and Community-Based Organizations 


Webinar Description:

Health and wellness continue to be at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging variants. Vaccines, despite their effectiveness in countering the pandemic, have become a political diversion at best and dangerously polarizing at worst. Although freedom of choice is important, considerations should be given to the myriad implications of a pandemic that continues to pose critical risks to the health and well-being of many citizens. For these reasons, companies across the country are mandating vaccinations for employees—whether as an internal organizational decision or in compliance with federal and regional mandates—with the burden falling on leaders to determine their organization’s path for creating and upholding vaccine policies.

Community-based organizations, many of which continue to be on the leading edge of the pandemic’s damaging effects on marginalized and high-risk populations, are working to navigate the current  landscape in the best interest of the individuals, families, and communities they serve. This is done while also needing to support their most valuable asset—their employees. 

Often, community members turn to the programs and services that community-based organizations provide to get advice and resources in making vaccine decisions for their families. This can put organizations and their staff in difficult situations that cannot be void of personal beliefs and biases. The scenario can also cause additional stress and division among team members and thwart a supportive and productive organizational culture. Leaders and human resources staff may find themselves struggling to make the right choices with and for their workforce during this period of “Great Resignation,” when recruitment and retention of staff and talent remain challenging.

In this panel discussion, you will hear from leaders who are dealing with difficult decisions every day to support their communities and their workforce. Participants can expect:

·         A direct, authentic, and bold discussion with leaders of community-based organizations

·         To address the issues and challenges community-based organizations are facing

·         Idea sharing around steps that have been taken and their results

 

Because the stakes are high, the conversation will be direct, authentic, and bold. The fact is that we are in this together and our work has never been more critical.

Takeaways

·         Current issues affecting community-based organizations as the COVID-19 pandemic continues

·         Ways you can support your community and workforce during this difficult time.

·         Engage with a call to action identifying your next steps

Who Should Participate:
CEOs, HR directors, recruiters, benefit managers, people managers

Presenters:

Jill Huynh
Vice President of New Business Development
Beech Acres Parenting Center

 

Jill Huynh is currently the vice president for new business development at Beech Acres Parenting Center, which is a parent-focused, family-centered organization with the mission of: Inspiring and equipping today’s parents, families and communities to raise capable, caring, contributing children.  Huynh oversees transformative and innovative projects that will guide Beech Acres into the future by responding to the needs of today’s parents.

 

Parent Connext™ is a program that launched in 2016 under Huynh's leadership and embeds parenting specialists in the pediatric office to support parents experiencing challenges. With the goal to prevent and/or mitigate toxic family stress, this program brings medical expertise together with parenting expertise to support parents, children and families holistically.  Under Huynh's leadership, more than 10,000 parents have completed toxic stress screenings and more than 1200 parents have engaged in Parent Coaching services during the initial two years of implementation 

Huynh has been employed at Beech Acres for 20 years. Prior to joining the Beech Acres team, she worked for Psych Systems of Cincinnati and St. Joseph’s Orphanage as a child mental health clinician for several years.

 Huynh has been a licensed social worker in Ohio since 1994. She graduated from the University of Louisville with degrees in psychology and sociology.

 She has participated in numerous speaking engagements, trainings, and parenting workshops throughout the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area addressing parenting and mental health issues. Huynh was nominated by the Cincinnati Business Courier as a 40 under 40 leader in the community. She is most proud of her two sons, Austin and Owen, as well as her 25 years of marriage to her husband, Minh.

 

Eric Schindler

CEO

Child & Family Resources

Since 2005, Dr. Eric Schindler has been the president and CEO of Child & Family Resources Inc. (CFR), a statewide community-based nonprofit based in Tucson. Across 13 cities in Arizona, CFR works in communities to promote strong, healthy families and ensure high quality early childhood education so children can reach their full potential. CFR also partners with teens to prevent pregnancy, drug use, and suicide.

 Schindler received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona in 1982. After postdoctoral studies in child and family psychology at U.C. Davis, and pediatric psychology in Chicago, he has spent the last 40 years working in Tucson community settings as an administrator, director, teacher, and practitioner. A licensed clinical psychologist since 1984, he had a private practice focused on marriage and family therapy, and substance abuse, and was an adjunct faculty in the Department of Family Studies and Human Development at the University of Arizona for many years.

 He and his wife Andrea, a family practice physician, have two adult sons. They enjoy scuba diving, travel adventures to different countries, yoga, hiking, and cycling in their spare time.

 

David Siler
Executive Director of Indiana
National Youth Advocate Program Inc. (NYAP)

 In April 2021, David Siler began serving as the executive director of Indiana for National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP). Previously, he served for five years as the president/CEO of Families First Indiana. Siler took Families First through an organizational strategic planning process during 2019-2020 that resulted in a merger with the Children’s Bureau of Indiana. Since the newly merged organization did not need two CEOs, he commenced a job search that led him to NYAP.

 Prior to his time with Families First, Siler served the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis as the agency director of St. Elizabeth Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services, followed by his promotion to the executive director for Catholic Charities, where he served for 16 years.

Siler holds a bachelor’s in business from Ball State University, a master’s in social work from Indiana University, and is a licensed clinical social worker.

 Siler currently serves on the board of directors of IARCA (Indiana Association of Resources and Child Advocacy, a statewide association of organizations serving children); the IN211 Advisory Council for the Family & Social Service Administration of Indiana; the Social Current CEO Council; and Purdue University’s Center on the Family Advisory Council.

 

Siler has a passion for family, justice and equity, leadership, and learning. His focus is to help NYAP continue to grow as a champion for children and families in Indiana.

 

Moderator: Ilana Levinson, Senior Director, Government Relation, Social Current

Ilana Levinson is the senior director of government relations for Social Current. In this role, she represents the organization and its network to Congress and federal agencies. She also coordinates activities and partnerships with partners and policy coalitions in Washington D.C. to advance aligned goals.

 Prior to joining Social Current, Levinson served as senior director of advocacy and public policy for YouthBuild USA, a national organization focused on reconnecting low-income, out-of-school youth to education and job training. Under her leadership, the organization more than doubled federal legislative support and increased annual federal investment by $12 million, to $90 million annually. She also cofounded the Reconnecting Youth Campaign, a national advocacy campaign focused on creating one million reconnection pathways for opportunity youth each year. She served as a legislative assistant from 2006-2011 in the office of Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), focusing on furthering legislation to expand healthy food access to low-income residents, the promotion of green collar jobs, and efforts to re-engage out-of-school youth in education and employment opportunities.

 She received her master’s in public and nonprofit administration from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University and her bachelor’s from Michigan State University.