United Way of Westchester and Putnam Hosts 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summit
United Way of Westchester and Putnam hosted their 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summit on Tuesday, April 8. The summit, held at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, inspired professional development for nonprofit staff and volunteers across the region.
The 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summit encouraged attendees to talk, think, and take action, empowering nonprofit leaders and their teams with actionable strategies to thrive in challenging environments.
The summit kicked off with an engaging keynote address from bestselling author Dan Heath, known for popular releases “Switch,” “Made to Stick,” and “Upstream.” Heath shared powerful insights on change management and organizational transformation. The first 500 summit attendees received a complimentary copy of Heath’s new book, “Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working.”
The afternoon portion of the summit featured a keynote presentation by retired Navy Captain Gail Harris, the first African American in naval history to serve as an Intelligence Officer in a Navy aviation squadron. Her keynote address, “Take Command & Win,” drew from her incredible 28-year military career and detailed how she provided crucial intelligence support from the Cold War to Kosovo.
The summit included Q&A opportunities, breakout sessions, a vendor exhibition, lunch, and networking opportunities. “The event underscored the United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector and empowering leaders to create positive change within their communities,” (Thomson and Bender, April 10, 2025).
“This year’s Nonprofit Leadership Summit provided personable and data-driven insight on how our leaders and volunteers in the nonprofit space can be successful and achieve their goals,” said Tom Gabriel, President and CEO of United Way of Westchester and Putnam. “We had many talented and professional speakers, presenters, and vendors participating in this year’s summit. I am grateful to Dan Heath and Captain Gail Harris for sharing their experiences and embodying our summit’s commitment to leadership, resilience, and innovation.”
Sponsors of the 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summit included TD Bank, Con Edison, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Westchester County Economic Development, Grassi, The Arc Westchester, Association of Development Officers, Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc., Lifting Up Westchester, The Loft LGBTQ+ Center, Nonprofit Westchester, Pace University, Pro Bono Partnership, SPARC, Inc., Westchester Institute for Human Development, Westchester Library System, Westhab, and Wegmans.