2025 Administrative Professionals Conference Agenda
We are excited to host this year’s event on Sept. 17 and 18!
AGENDA
Day One, Sept. 17
9-9:30 a.m.: Introductions and Welcomes
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9:30-10:30 a.m. Empowering Efficiency: M365 and Emerging Tech Trends
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Administrative professionals are at the heart of organizational efficiency, balancing schedules, communication and documentation while supporting teams across every level. This session will highlight practical strategies for using Microsoft 365 tools including Teams, OneNote, OneDrive and beyond to streamline tasks, improve collaboration, and enhance productivity. You’ll explore emerging technology trends and learn how to apply them in real-world scenarios to save time, reduce stress, and create smoother workflows. Leave equipped with actionable tips and insights to boost your effectiveness and elevate your role as a strategic partner in your workplace.
Sara Games, DCYF IT Training Manager
10:30-11 a.m. Break
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions:
Rooted in Purpose: Reengaging Your Why and Protecting Your Energy
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95911405518
This interactive workshop invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the deeper “why” that fuels your work. Through guided values identification and alignment exercises, you will uncover what matters most to you and how those values can be expressed in your role at DCYF.
Mackenzie Dunham, LICSW, CMHS, CDWF-Clinician
Appreciating Administrative Work Through Appreciative Inquiry
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The other AI at DCYF is the Appreciative Inquiry (A.I.) work: A team of dedicated individuals who volunteered to participate in a workgroup with the mission to engage staff in dialogue and bring forth ideas and accomplishments that staff have appreciated due to its positive impact. So, how can this A.I. work benefit your professional administrative support experience at DCYF? Learn about what DCYF is doing with appreciative inquiry and get the chance to participate in an A.I. activity with your administrative peers. This peer-driven exercise will encourage making connections with the administrative professional community, sharing creative problem solving solutions as well as discovering new ways to approach our work.
Joan O’Connell, Administrative Assistant to Amy Russell, Early Learning Deputy Director
Marissa Foss, Executive Assistant to Nicole Rose, Assistant Secretary of Early Learning
John Tuttle-Gates, DCYF Director of Office of Strategic Initiatives and Collaboration
Getting the Most Out of Meetings
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/99098756740
Would you like to contribute to more focused meetings, where you feel able to help move the discussion along, and that end with clear next steps? Even if you’re not the main lead during the meeting? This workshop will offer you practical tools for creating agendas; pacing of topics; preparation with leaders; ways to keep brainstorming and decision-making creative and focused; and options for solidifying next steps, including a tool that may help you articulate ways that more of your gifts can be considered in planning a project.
Adreanna Riley, Alliance Development and Facilitation Specialist
12:30-1:30 p.m. Lunch and Indigenous Radio Hour
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/98396876880
Turn off your camera and enjoy Indigenous Radio Hour while you eat lunch or catch up on tasks. KEXP DJ Tory J (AKA Tory Johnston) is the co-host of Sounds of Survivance, a show featuring indigenous artists from all over the world, and he has put together an hourlong program for us to enjoy during the break.
1:30-2:30 p.m.: When Helping Hurts: Understanding Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and How to Buffer the Impact
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/94258518437
This session provides a practical overview of the trauma stress continuum and its impact on those who serve in helping professions. Participants will gain an understanding of the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout, and how these can affect both professional effectiveness and personal well-being. In addition, the training will highlight evidence-informed protective factors and buffers—such as resilience practices, peer support, and healthy boundaries—that help mitigate the effects of stress and sustain long-term wellness.
Lori Eastep, Grassroots Therapy
2:30-3 p.m. Break
3-4 p.m. Choose Your Own Wellness Adventure
Rather than talk about self care lets actually do some health care! Learn different techniques for disconnecting after a tough day.
Soft Yoga
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/92965400025
We type all day and yet we do not always focus on the health of our hands until they are sore. Our feet are what hold us up throughout the day yet we don’t always take time to focus on their health. Let’s give our hands and feet some love today!
Holly Bond, MS, RYT, Alliance Regional Supervisor
Sound Bath
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/92330247580
Join Ourah Arts for an immersive sound experience that will offer relief from stress and anxiety, which in turn allows for a state of deep relaxation and restoration.
Deb Ourah, owner of Ourah Arts
Day Two, Sept. 18
9-10 a.m.: Leading From the Middle
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/92408359516
Being an administrative professional can feel like you have all the responsibility but none of the authority. You’re caught between bosses, personalities, agencies, policies, not to mention the office drama-of-the-day, whatever that is. Trying to bring order to this chaos can be daunting…and feel like a thankless job. But here you are. In this session we’ll take a step back and try to understand how you can add value to your role by being an essential, trusted leader – even without the title.
Lee Riley, Organizational Development Consultant
10-10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Breakouts
Time Management Fundamentals: Crack the C.O.D.E. on Success!
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/98700976303
As an administrative professional, you manage a heavy workload with critical deadlines and lots of moving parts. Without strong time management skills, even the most capable professionals will quickly feel overwhelmed. Over time, the endless pressure and stress erodes credibility, heightens stress, and leaves you feeling perpetually behind instead of confidently in control. In this session, you’ll learn how to reclaim your time, energy and focus by mastering timeless principles and a simple yet powerful 4-part framework— C.O.D.E.—for dealing with demanding workloads under tight deadlines. You’ll also explore how mindset, communication and stress management play a critical role in productivity and help you perform at your best without burning out.
Chrissy Scivique, Eat Your Career
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95517071832
This session is designed for administrative professionals seeking to enhance their impact and well-being. The session shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” and explores how to apply the principles of trauma-informed care and healing-centered engagement to daily work life. You will learn how to identify common stress responses, use empathetic language, and apply practical strategies to foster a more compassionate, resilient, and supportive office environment for themselves and others. The session concludes with actionable steps and a Q&A to empower attendees to become agents of positive change.
Charina Carothers, Alliance Director of Equity and Belonging
Project Management 101
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/93712578222
This 90-minute workshop is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of project management. You will learn how to effectively start a project, build a project plan, and establish a communication plan. We’ll also explore the use of RACI charts to clarify roles and responsibilities. By the end, you’ll have a practical framework to organize work, align stakeholders, and increase the likelihood of project success.
Joey Pauley, Leadership and Organizational Consultant
12-1 p.m. Lunch and Indigenous Radio Hour
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/99665617646
Turn off your camera and enjoy Indigenous Radio Hour while you eat lunch or catch up on tasks. KEXP DJ Tory J (AKA Tory Johnston) is the co-host of Sounds of Survivance, a show featuring indigenous artists from all over the world, and he has put together an hourlong program for us to enjoy during the break.
1-2:30 p.m. Breakouts
FamLink Technology Tips
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/s/96951661791
This breakout will include a quick presentation and Q&A covering FamLink provider creation and what to do if a duplicate provider is created. We will also be offering an introduction to a useful file organizational concept “naming conventions” to better support your work and the field’s!
Matt Burrows, QA/CQI and Research Administrator
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95265655538
Over half a million Washingtonians speak English less than “very well,” per the US Census. We need to support these folks in their interactions with our agency. Join members of the Language Access team at DCYF as we talk about what language access is, why it’s important, and how to implement best practices in your own area.
Ali Taylor, Language Access Services Coordinator
Karin Morris, DCYF ADA Administrator
Jonathan Whitby, MA, JD, DCYF ADA Operations Manager
Time Management Mastery: Strategies to Work Smarter and Achieve More
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/97052362919
As your professional responsibilities grow, so does the complexity of executing them. Every interruption, delay and inefficiency costs you valuable momentum and keeps you from delivering your best work on time. At this level, basic time management principles aren’t enough. You need to leverage more advanced strategies to streamline execution and sharpen your focus even in high-pressure situations. This session takes you beyond the basics and equips you with proven efficiency methods for optimizing your processes and leveraging technology to its fullest.
Chrissy Scivique, Eat Your Career
3 p.m. How to Make Networking Not Feel Gross
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/s/94258518437
Join Dr. Daniel Hallak for a session straight out of his acclaimed TED Talk. Networking doesn’t always have to feel like a self-serving transaction. Highlighting the importance of focusing on giving rather than taking when it comes to making connections, he outlines a mindset shift to help you build better relationships — in a way that doesn’t feel gross.
Daniel Hallak, Ph.D., strategic advisor at The Sage Group and chief commercial officer at WiLD Leaders Inc., specializing in growth strategy and leadership development