The Bucks-Mont Collaborative is a proud sponsor of Montgomery County’s inaugural Black Author & Business Expo! Join us on August 22 for a dynamic community experience designed for everyone. This day will include powerful speakers, valuable workshops, engaging networking, practical resources, and unforgettable conversations.

Be part of history as we launch this signature event celebrating learning, entrepreneurship, culture, and community impact!

Learn more about this community event, which is free and open to all (registration is required).

Saturday, August 22
10:00am-3:00pm
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center

Join us for the 2026-27 Trauma Program kick-off with the two-part Trauma 101 event!

PART 1: VIRTUAL TRAINING | Research shows that 67% of the population has experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience. These trauma-based adversities are predictive of a multitude of toxic physical, mental, and social outcomes throughout a person’s lifetime.

As a society and as individuals, we need to be better informed and prepared to prevent and address the traumatic impact of childhood adversities. In this multi-media, interactive workshop, professionals work together to build a powerful image that helps them appreciate the complex nature of trauma and its aftermath.

PART 2 | IN-PERSON APPLIED LEARNING CIRCLE (ALC) | In this workshop, we will integrate the themes and tools from Trauma 101 into our work and lives through guided reflection, experiential learning, and applied practice to strengthen participants’ use of trauma-informed approaches.

Part 1: Virtual Training
Tuesday, September 8, 10:00am-12:00pm
Zoom

Part 2: In-person ALC (Optional, But Strongly Recommended)
Wednesday, September 16, 10:00am-12:00pm
Lakeside Global Institute, North Wales, PA

Who Is This For?

Trauma workshops are free and open to all Bucks-Mont Collaborative members and Foundations Community Partnership grantees. Not sure if your organization is a member? View the network.

If you are not a current member, please contact Nadja Mummery.

What You’ll Takeaway

• Childhood trauma is widespread and has lifelong impacts. With over two-thirds (67%) of the population experiencing at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), trauma is far more common than most realize—predicting severe physical, mental, and social health consequences across a person’s lifespan.
• Effective prevention and care require collective, trauma-informed action. Addressing the complex nature of trauma requires individuals, professionals, and society as a whole to become better educated, collaborating on strategies to prevent and mitigate the lasting effects of childhood adversity.
• A certificate of completion for your professional development records and free CEU credits through Gwynedd Mercy University.

Meet the Trainers

Nadja Mummery
Training Institute Coordinator, Bucks-Mont Collaborative
Founder, Learn to Heal Consulting

Nadja Mummery is a seasoned community educator with over a decade of experience promoting positive change in the Greater Philadelphia and North Penn regions. Nadja has been instrumental in developing trauma-informed and racial equity programs focused on poverty, trauma, and discrimination.

Beyond her direct program work, Nadja has also provided training to organizations and individuals, equipping them with tools to navigate these complex issues through Learn to Heal Consulting.

As the Training Institute Coordinator with the Bucks-Mont Collaborative, Nadja is excited to continue her dedication to community support and training. Her work centers on building knowledge and promoting equitable, trauma-informed practices within the community.

Melissa Groden
Human Services Practitioner
The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

Melissa is a Human Service Professional with 29 years of experience in the field. She engages in a person-centered approach to support, educate, and empower those in need.

She has worked at The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. for seventeen years, overseeing the Prevention, School Services, and Training Programs, and has also been an adjunct professor at Chestnut Hill College for seventeen years, instructing and writing curricula in both classroom and hybrid formats for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Melissa is a Human Services – Board Certified Practitioner, Certified Family Recovery Specialist, Adjunct Trainer for Lakeside Global Institute, and a Certified Trainer in the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program and Youth Mental Health First Aid. She holds a master’s degree in administration of human services from Chestnut Hill College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a minor in criminal justice, from Temple University. Melissa is currently a Psy.D. student in behavioral health leadership with a focus on industrial and organizational psychology.

Every organization is sitting on stories – they’re just not always easy to find or to tell. In this two-hour, in-person workshop, Cosmic Writers will help you get at both.

Part I: Your Organization’s Story

• Construct and frame a compelling narrative about your work
• Identify and map the stories already hiding inside your organization
• Adjust the framing for who’s listening – a legislator, a donor, or the wider community

Part II: Supporting Others to Tell Theirs

• Help the people your organization serves share their own experience
• Practice with other organizations in the room

Tuesday, September 15
9:30-11:30am
Community Partners Center, Colmar, PA

Who Is This For?

This workshop is open to Bucks-Mont Collaborative members and Tigris Foundation grantees. Space is limited to 30.

What You’ll Takeaway

• Learn how to identify and shape compelling stories that communicate your organization’s mission and impact.
• Practice adapting stories for different audiences and purposes while preserving the integrity of the story and honoring the storyteller’s voice.
• Gain practical strategies for supporting people with lived experience to share their stories authentically, respectfully, and effectively.
• Participants will leave with workshop handouts and slides.

Meet the Trainer

Kristen Rocha Aldrich is a nonprofit professional with over a decade of experience in program direction, primarily in the youth literacy space.

She is the founder of the Early Childhood Education Department at the New York Public Library. After serving as a member of the Cosmic Writers Advisory Board for several years, Kristen now serves the Cosmic Writers community by creating partnerships, programs, and strategies that bring equitable creative writing education to children around the country.

Kristen holds both a BA and an MA in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania.

2-Part Implicit Bias Training

Part I – Our Blind Spots: Focuses on understanding bias and its effects on progress. Participants will explore how racial and social stereotypes influence implicit biases, promoting acceptance and reconstruction of these biases. Through interactive discussions and exercises, the program aims to provide tools for addressing race, racism, and gender biases while fostering respect, equity, dignity, and belonging.

Part II – Diversify Ourselves: Examines how our racial and cultural experiences influence our capacity to promote hope and healing during uncertain times. It highlights the significance of reflection in becoming trusted allies and enhancing community relationships. Through interactive discussions and exercises, participants will gain tools to confront race, racism, and gender biases while developing strategies for respect, equity, dignity, and belonging.

2 Parts | Wednesday, September 23, and Thursday, September 24
10:00-12:00pm
Zoom

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

What You’ll Takeaway

• Uncovering and restructuring implicit bias. Part I guides participants to recognize how underlying racial and social stereotypes shape automatic biases, providing actionable tools to deconstruct these blind spots and replace them with equity, dignity, and respect.
• Leveraging reflection to foster healing and allyship. Part II emphasizes how examining our own cultural and racial backgrounds empowers us to navigate uncertainty, build deeper community trust, and actively champion belonging as authentic allies.

Meet the Trainer

Sherry Wherry
Trauma Coalition Coordinator at Bucks-Mont Collaborative, Director of Mission Initiatives at YWCA Tri-County Area, and CEO/Founder and Empowerment Strategist of Wherry Consultations, LLC.

Collaborative Connections is our quarterly networking series designed to strengthen relationships across Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Join nonprofit and community leaders for meaningful conversation, resource sharing, and the opportunity to build connections that can support your work, your organization, and the communities we serve together.

This gathering will be hosted at Inward Bloom Wellness, offering a chance to connect and network in their beautiful wellness studio!

Whether you’re looking to meet new partners, reconnect with colleagues, share resources, seek advice, or simply invest in your network, we’d love to see you there.

Light refreshments will be provided.

September 23
4:00-5:30pm
Inward Bloom Wellness, Willow Grove, PA

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

Insurance is one of the most important tools nonprofits have to protect their people, programs, assets, and mission – but it can also be one of the least understood areas of nonprofit leadership.

This session will help nonprofit senior and executive leaders better understand the insurance coverage, risk management practices, and key decision points most relevant to nonprofit organizations. Through a moderated panel with insurance experts, participants will gain practical insights into common coverage gaps, emerging risks, cost pressures, claims considerations, and the questions leaders should be asking as they review their organization’s insurance needs.

This session is not about becoming an insurance expert. It is about knowing enough to ask stronger questions, identify potential gaps, and make sure your organization’s coverage keeps pace with your work.

Tuesday, September 29
12:00-1:00pm
Zoom

Who Is This For?

• Executive Directors, CEOs, and Senior Leadership
• Finance & Operations Professionals
• Human Resources Professionals

Meet the Moderator and Panelists

Moderator

Kevin McCabe
Regional Vice President, Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Panelists

Brendan Brower
Account Executive, Selzer Company

Brian Courtney
Northeast Regional Vice President – Sales, Patriot Growth Insurance Services

Andrew Detweiler
Senior Vice President, Commercial Lines Team Leader, Univest

Phyllis Mann
Agent Advisor, E&M Insurance LLC

PART 1: VIRTUAL TRAINING | Building on information provided in Trauma 101, professionals expand their understanding of trauma and are provided specific skills that enhance abilities to interact in emotionally and relationally healthy ways with people impacted by trauma.

As professionals become trauma-aware, they have a responsibility to prevent, avoid, and respond to trauma. In this hands-on, interactive workshop, professionals are provided opportunities to implement and practice the skills presented.

PART 2 | IN-PERSON APPLIED LEARNING CIRCLE (ALC) | In this workshop, we will integrate the themes and tools from Trauma 102 into our work and lives through guided reflection, experiential learning, and applied practice to strengthen participants’ use of trauma-informed approaches.

Part 1: Virtual Training
Tuesday, October 6, 10:00am-12:00pm
Zoom

Part 2: In-person ALC (Optional, But Strongly Recommended)
Thursday, October 15, 10:00am-12:00pm
Healthspark Walton Room, Colmar, PA

Who Is This For?

Trauma workshops are free and open to all Bucks-Mont Collaborative members and Foundations Community Partnership grantees. Not sure if your organization is a member? View the network.

If you are not a current member, please contact Nadja Mummery.

What You’ll Takeaway

• Shifting from awareness to practical skill-building. Moving beyond foundational knowledge, this workshop focuses on equipping professionals with concrete, relationally healthy skills to interact effectively with individuals affected by trauma.
• Active responsibility through practice. Being trauma-aware comes with an ethical duty to prevent, avoid, and respond to trauma—which professionals actively implement and refine through interactive exercises rather than passive learning.
• A certificate of completion for your professional development records and free CEU credits through Gwynedd Mercy University.

Meet the Trainers

Deb Harris
Geriatric Counselor
Family Services of Montgomery County

Deborah Harris has been in the social services field for twenty-five years. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and in her current position she is a Geriatric Counselor with Family Services of Montgomery County. Prior to this she has worked in the areas of substance abuse treatment for teens, community mental health, and in a college student counseling center.

She has also been involved in research on childcare quality, AmeriCorps Vista, and Adult Literacy. With her varied experience, she has found that trauma impacts us in all life stages. She is looking forward to the opportunity to be a Trauma Workshop instructor as she enjoys teaching and leading groups and believes it will be a meaningful experience to assist others in learning how to recognize and handle trauma when it comes up in our work lives.

Melissa Groden
Human Services Practitioner
The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

Melissa is a Human Service Professional with 29 years of experience in the field. She engages in a person-centered approach to support, educate, and empower those in need.

She has worked at The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. for seventeen years, overseeing the Prevention, School Services, and Training Programs, and has also been an adjunct professor at Chestnut Hill College for seventeen years, instructing and writing curricula in both classroom and hybrid formats for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Melissa is a Human Services – Board Certified Practitioner, Certified Family Recovery Specialist, Adjunct Trainer for Lakeside Global Institute, and a Certified Trainer in the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program and Youth Mental Health First Aid. She holds a master’s degree in administration of human services from Chestnut Hill College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a minor in criminal justice, from Temple University. Melissa is currently a Psy.D. student in behavioral health leadership with a focus on industrial and organizational psychology.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, person‑centered communication style that helps individuals strengthen their own motivation for change. This introductory session offers practical tools you can immediately apply in your work with clients and community members.

Thursday, October 8
10:00-11:30am
DeKalb Center Norristown, Community Room, First Floor

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

Learning Goals and Objectives

• Define the “spirit” or principles behind Motivational Interviewing.
• Define the core communication skills of Motivational Interviewing.
• Apply the spirit and communication skills of Motivational Interviewing to real work scenarios.

Meet the Trainer

Ryan Flynn
Caseworker Supervisor, Office of Community Connections, Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County

AI is already shaping nonprofit work, often before organizations have clear policies or shared expectations in place. This 3-session bootcamp will prepare 1 staff member from each participating organization to serve as an informed AI Champion.

Through practical, accessible learning, participants will explore responsible AI use, nonprofit applications, essential guardrails, and opportunities for thoughtful automation, with the goal to bring key insights and next-step questions back to their organization.

Mondays, October 12, 19, and 26
3:00-4:30pm
Community Partners Center, Colmar, PA

Who Should Attend?

• 1 staff member per organization | Max of 30 seats available.
• Participants should be curious about AI, trusted within their organization, and well-positioned to share what they learn with organizational leadership.
• Participants should be willing to attend all three sessions and serve as an internal resource as their organization has conversations about AI.
• This is not a technical training for IT specialists. It is a practical, accessible series for nonprofit staff who want to better understand what AI is, what it is not, where it may be useful, and what guardrails should be in place before it is used more broadly.

What You’ll Takeaway

• Session 1. AI Basics for Nonprofit Staff: What AI Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Matters. This opening session provides a practical foundation in generative AI, including how it works, where it is already showing up in nonprofit work, and why organizational awareness matters.
• Session 2. Guardrails, Policy, and Responsible Use: Protecting People, Privacy, and Trust. This session focuses on the risks and responsibilities of AI use in nonprofit settings, especially where organizations handle sensitive client, donor, personnel, financial, or strategic information.
• Session 3. Practical Uses, Automation, and Becoming an AI Champion: Moving from Curiosity to Responsible Action. This final session will identify practical ways AI may support nonprofit work, while introducing automation concepts in an accessible, non-technical approach.
• Learning Tools:
  • Session Slides + Handouts
  • Post-Series Reflection Tools, Discussion Prompts, and Planning Questions for Your Organization to Support Early-Stage Discussions and Internal Planning.

Meet the Trainer

Jean Holmes
Founder, All Systems Go Consulting, LLC

Jean Holmes is the founder of All Systems Go Consulting, LLC. She brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, communications, systems implementation, and practical AI adoption. Her training style is clear, grounded, and designed for real organizations that need useful tools, not hype.

Jean specializes in helping nonprofit teams bridge strategy, operations, and communication so new tools actually support the work instead of adding more noise.

Join us for a timely conversation about the realities facing older adults and caregivers across Bucks & Montgomery Counties. Hear from leaders about emerging trends, population and senior center needs, critical service gaps, and opportunities for stronger partnership and advocacy.

Come to learn, connect with colleagues across sectors, and be part of building a coordinated and responsive system of support for older adults and those who care for them throughout our region.

Tuesday, October 13
9:30-10:00am, Optional Breakfast & Networking
10:00-11:30am, Panel Discussion with Leaders from Regional Senior Centers

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

What You’ll Takeaway

• Gain a clearer understanding of the trends and needs of older adults and caregivers across Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
• Learn from regional senior center leaders about opportunities for partnership, advocacy, and coordinated support.

Meet the Moderator and Panelists

Moderator: Kristin Chapin, Director, Area Agency on Aging, Bucks County

Panel:

• Elizabeth Beil, Executive Director, SPARK Senior Centers of Montco
• Mark Clark, Executive Director, Montco SAAC
• Peggy Lewis, Manager, Pennridge Senior Center
• Bonnie Worth, Director, Bristol Township Senior Center

Join fundraising master trainer Chad Barger, ACFRE, ACNP, for a workshop designed to boost the fundraising effectiveness of your board of directors.

During this 90-minute session, Chad will share practical tips and exercises that you can use with your board to make them more effective and engaged fundraisers. You’ll leave the session with a toolkit containing all of the exercises that you can take back and use with your full board of directors.

Tuesday, October 13
6:00-7:30pm
Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell Campus

Who Is This For?

• Executive Directors, CEOs, and Senior Leadership
• Board Members

What You’ll Takeaway

• Gain practical, easy-to-use strategies for helping board members become more confident and engaged fundraisers.
• Leave with exercises and tools to bring back to your organization to strengthen full board fundraising effectiveness.

Meet the Trainer

Chad Barger, ACFRE, ACNP
Chief Strategist and Owner, Productive Fundraising

Chad Barger helps nonprofit professionals fundraise more efficiently and effectively. He is the chief strategist and owner of the firm Productive Fundraising, which focuses on bringing actionable, research-based fundraising tactics to small and mid-sized nonprofits. He is an internationally top-rated conference speaker and webinar presenter as well as a master trainer of nonprofit boards that “don’t want to fundraise.” He teaches fundraising at Messiah University and is one of only 118 fundraisers in the world to achieve the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive (ACFRE) credential. Chad is also a strategic advisor and coach to many non-profit fundraisers, executive directors, and board members.

Each year, the Religious Diversity session features panelist representation from different faith traditions. This thought-provoking program is ideal for participants who have worked in religiously diverse contexts and want to explore issues of diversity in more depth.

Developing experience in supporting religiously diverse settings fosters employee retention, builds team connections, and allows the shared values of co-workers to make the workplace a more welcoming setting. Companies that promote workplace diversity tend to increase reach and contact with a wider population, clients, and customers.

Wednesday, October 14
10:00-11:30am
Zoom

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

What You’ll Takeaway

• Inclusion drives team cohesion and retention. Supporting religious diversity in the workplace deepens co-worker connections, leverages shared values, and creates a welcoming environment where employees feel valued and are more likely to stay.
• Broadening faith perspectives expands business impact. Engaging directly with diverse faith traditions—such as through panel discussions—helps organizations better understand and connect with a wider, more diverse client and customer base.

Meet the Moderator

Reverend Edward Livingston
Director of Community Partnerships, Interfaith Philadelphia

The Reverend Edward Livingston serves as Director of Community Partnerships at Interfaith Philadelphia, where he staffs the Religious Leaders Council and the Inter-Seminary Initiative—both fostering mutual support and deeper understanding among diverse faith traditions. He also contributes to Interfaith Philadelphia’s Leadership Institute, developing pathways for interfaith skill-building and engagement.

He holds a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary) and studied Globalization and Ecumenism at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. With over two decades of pastoral and community organizing experience through the United Church of Christ, the Direct Action Research Training Network, and Faith in Action, Rev. Edward brings a deep commitment to equity, belonging, and mutual respect. His vocation is grounded in the belief that fostering understanding through interfaith dialogue and community-based initiatives is essential to repairing the world—one relationship at a time.

Panelists to be announced soon covering the following faith traditions: Judaism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Islam.