Financial Turnaround: a Crain's Panel with Nonprofits Who've Done It

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Registration is now closed. Thank you for your interest.

8:30 - 9:00am - Networking and Coffee
9am - Noon - Workshop

Half-Day Workshop: $90

About this session: As a nonprofit leader, what can you learn from organizations that have successfully executed a turnaround? Join us for a conversation with nonprofit leaders recently highlighted in Crain’s Chicago Business magazine, “Four Nonprofits, Four Financial Turnarounds.” Moderated by Crain’s nonprofit reporter, Lisa Bertagnoli, this workshop will open with a panel discussion between Michelle Larson, CEO of Adler Planetarium, Jackie Edens, CEO of Inner Voice, and Alli Henry, Executive Director of The People’s Music School. It will also include guided breakout sessions on practical avenues for deep change at your own organization—on getting your board to “buy in” and changing your organization’s culture. Join us for this unique chance to hear stories of organizational turnaround and to explore practical opportunities for your own organization.

About the Presenters: 

Lisa Bertagnoli (moderator), Nonprofit Reporter, Crain's Chicago Business

Jackie Edens, CEO, Inner Voice

Alli Henry, MBA, Executive Director, The People’s Music School

Michelle Larson, PhD, President and CEO, Adler Planetarium

Lisa Bertagnoli covers nonprofits, philanthropy and cultural institutions for Crain’s Chicago Business. Before joining Crain’s in May of 2016, she was a full-time freelance writer published in, among other titles, Newsweek, Self, Fitness, Chicago magazine and the Chicago Tribune. Lisa is the author of “Scarlett Rules,” (Villard, 2006) a lighthearted life-lessons book based on the Scarlett O’Hara. Lisa holds bachelors’ degrees in history and journalism from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in linguistics from Indiana University.

Since 2012, Jacqueline C. Edens has been the CEO of Inner Voice, a social service organization that serves over 1,000 clients each year from the homeless community. She previously worked as a consultant for a range of homeless service agencies, and for 29 years for the city of Chicago in a range of roles, including, commissioner of workforce development for the Mayor’s office, executive director of Chicago Workforce Board, and assistant commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Human Services.

Allison Henry, MBA, is Executive Director of The People’s Music School.  Alli's career spans the private, public and social sectors. The foundation of her experience formed at Bain & Company, a global consultancy where she advised Fortune 500 companies across retail, consumer, health care and private equity industries in issues related to strategy, market entry, pricing, and M&A. 

Since Bain, Alli has specialized in entrepreneurial organizations with a commitment to social impact. She has worked at Mission Measurement, a for-profit social enterprise that supports nonprofits, foundations and corporations to measure the impact of their work and at the venture philanthropy fund A Better Chicago, where she led sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio management, and launched an early-stage funding competition. Alli earned her MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her BA from Grinnell College with a double major in mathematics and economics.

Michelle B. Larson, PhD, is President and CEO of Adler Planetarium. Michelle Larson discovered astronomy in her 20s, when she pointed a pair of binoculars at the moon. The stunning details visible on its craggy surface were a complete surprise, and the experience left her eager to find out what other secrets the sky had to offer. Now, as the president and CEO of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Michelle leads a talented team that helps people of all ages discover their own infinite possibilities through exploration.

Before joining the Adler in 2013, Michelle held positions in science engagement and administration at Utah State University, The Pennsylvania State University, the Montana Space Grant Consortium, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of California–Berkeley. At each of these institutions, she served as a bridge between scientists and broader audiences. She earned a PhD in physics from Montana State University, where she studied neutron stars and realized her passion for sharing science with the public through a NASA project about our star, the sun. Michelle is a member of the American Astronomical Society, the American Physical Society and serves on several national and Chicago-area advisory boards.