(WASHINGTON, November 2, 2009) -- White House Advisor Melody Barnes to Present Obama Administration Policy Perspective In Opening Keynote

This year Independent Sector has partnered with the Council of Michigan Foundations for the “Challenging Times, New Opportunities” Annual Conference to take place November 4-6, 2009 at the Detroit Marriott, Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan. The conference has already broken registration records with over 1,100 leaders attending from the nation’s charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs. The sessions are designed to be highly interactive and will tap the collective energy and innovation of participants to develop lasting solutions to current conditions and help create a brighter future for our organizations and the millions we serve. Also breaking records at the conference is the NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now initiative, which will provide special programming to more than 200 professionals under the age of 40.

Just added to open the conference is Melody Barnes, domestic policy advisor to President Obama and director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council. She joins a dynamic, richly varied list of plenary speakers that includes Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone; Margaret McKenna of the Wal-Mart Foundation; Janet Murguía of the National Council of La Raza; Sean Parker, founder of Facebook Causes; Benjamin Todd Jealous of the NAACP; and Jeff Raikes of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

General Conference Details:

WHAT: Independent Sector/Council of Michigan Foundations
2009 Annual Conference
THEME: Challenging Times, New Opportunities

WHEN: November 4-6, 2009

WHERE: Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center
Renaissance Center Drive
Detroit, Michigan 48243
Phone: 313-568-8000

Plenary Sessions:

Opening Plenary: Navigating Change Together

Melody Barnes, a leading voice in the Obama administration will open the conference with insights on how government and nonprofits can work together in new ways to respond to the challenges facing communities across the country.

Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Time: 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Columbus Room

Moderator: Luis Ubiñas, president, Ford Foundation

Featured Speaker:

• Melody Barnes, domestic policy adviser and director, Domestic Policy Council, The White House 

The session continues with an array of leaders who offer diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Groups of three speakers will examine the current nonprofit landscape and suggest creative routes forward, focusing on key trends and opportunities that will define the next decade.

Moderator:

Jim Canales, president and CEO, The James Irvine Foundation

Speakers:

• Aaron Dworkin, president, Sphinx Organization
• Brian Gallagher, president and CEO, United Way Worldwide
• Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO, NAACP
• Gail McGovern, president and CEO, American Red Cross
• Margaret McKenna, president, Wal-Mart Foundation
• Janet Murguía, IS board member; president and CEO, National Council of La Raza
• Michelle Nunn, chief executive officer, Points of Light Institute
• Sean Parker, chairman, Causes on Facebook; managing partner, Founders Fund
• Jim Wallis, Jr., president and CEO, Sojourners

Breakfast Plenary:
A Conversation with Jeff Raikes, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

How does the chief executive of the world’s largest philanthropy view the rapidly changing landscape of the nonprofit sector?

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Time: 8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
Location: Columbus Room

Interviewer:
Kelvin Taketa, IS board member, president and CEO, Hawai’i Community Foundation

Luncheon Plenary:
Keynote Address from IS President and CEO Diana Aviv

The luncheon plenary will open with remarks from Frederick Shell, president, DTE Energy Foundation, followed by a keynote address from IS President and CEO Diana Aviv, “ Fashioning our Future Together.” In her address, Aviv will examine how our sector cannot just weather the current climate, but must use this time to help create the conditions that will produce a society characterized by shared responsibility and greater opportunity for all. Aviv’s keynote will be followed by panel of leaders examining the trends and solutions she raises.

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Time: 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Location: Columbus Room

Moderator:
Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Speakers:

• Ben Hecht, president and CEO, Living Cities, Inc.
• Stephen Heintz, IS board member; president, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
• Wendy Puriefoy, IS board member; president, Public Education Network

Closing Plenary:
Strengthening Communities Together

Revitalizing communities devastated by economic and natural disasters will require enormous efforts by every sector of our society. New alliances between government, business, foundations, nonprofits, and neighborhood groups are leading to innovative solutions in communities across the country, and this session will close the conference with a powerful exchange between leaders at the forefront of community renewal throughout the country.

Date: Friday, November 6, 2009
Time: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Location: Columbus Room

Host:
Rip Rapson, president and CEO, The Kresge Foundation

Moderator:
Irene Hirano, president, U.S.-Japan Council

Speakers:

• Andrew Plepler, IS board member; global corporate social responsibility and consumer policy executive, Bank of America
• The Honorable Norman Rice, president and CEO, The Seattle Foundation
• Shirley Stancato, president and CEO, New Detroit, Inc.

For more information, please visit the conference program, which describes the five main plenaries in more detail and highlights the nearly 40 breakout sessions. Workshops and forums cover crucial issues such as shaping public policy, communicating nonprofits’ value, building a strong staff, and increasing effectiveness and innovation.

Annual Conference Final Program:

www.independentsector.org/AnnualConference/2009/index.html.

Full-time journalists are welcome to attend the conference. To obtain a media pass, contact Lorraine Snebold at lorraines@independentsector.org or 202-467-6132 or Bill Wright at billw@independentsector.org or 202-467-6131.

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 550 charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community.

The Council of Michigan Foundations is a 501(c)(3) membership association of more than 350 foundations and corporate giving programs working together to strengthen, promote and increase philanthropy in Michigan. Learn more at www.michiganfoundations.org.