Location: Regency VII

Missionary disciples witness to Jesus Christ in both word and action. Stewardship parishes help members identify their unique talents and gifts, and assist members in unlocking the passionate servant within. This session will offer ideas and strategies for helping your parishioners to become that witness for Jesus through service.

Speaker: Mary Ann Otto
Pastoral Minister
St. Joseph and St. Mary Parishes
Appleton, Wisconsin

Moderator: Kimberly Kaup
Director of Stewardship
St. Anne Catholic Church
Columbus, Georgia

Mary Ann Otto recently returned to her ministerial roots in parish life after serving for nine years as the stewardship and special projects director for the Diocese of Green Bay. She currently is a pastoral minister for St. Joseph and St. Mary parishes in Appleton, Wisconsin where her responsibilities include adult formation, evangelization and stewardship. In her work at the diocese, Ms. Otto worked with parish leaders talking about the spirituality and practicalities of Christian stewardship. She assisted parishes in fostering plans for infusing the stewardship message to help create in their communities a culture of grateful generosity. She is the author of several stewardship resources including a six-week small group process, Be Not Afraid-How to Follow Jesus. She has given stewardship presentations and parish missions nationally and has recently returned from a stewardship mission trip to the Philippines. Ms. Otto holds a master’s degree in theology and served as Region VII representative on the ICSC board of directors for the past five years. She chairs the ICSC parish stewardship education and services committee. She and her husband, Jeff, have five children and eight grandchildren.

Location: International North

Stewards are those who have been evangelized and made disciples. Stewardship flows from discipleship, which grows from an encounter with Jesus Christ. The key to creating a culture of stewardship in your parish is through a clear and intentional plan of evangelization and disciplemaking. Does your parish have a clear strategy for making disciples? In this session, Catholic evangelists and authors, Chris Stewart, Tony Brandt, and Héctor Molina will inspire, inform and equip you to renew your vision and approach to stewardship.

Speaker: Tony Brandt
Co-Founder and President
Casting Nets Ministries
Wichita, Kansas

Speaker: Héctor Molina
CEO
Casting Nets Ministries
Wichita, Kansas

Speaker: Chris Stewart
Co-Founder and COO
Casting Nets Ministries
Wichita, Kansas

Moderator: Barb Vite
Director of Parish Stewardship
Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Tony Brandt is the president of Casting Nets Ministries, a nonprofit lay apostolate. Casting Nets, dedicated to the challenge of the New Evangelization, is a resource in evangelization and catechesis available to parishes, individuals and organizations. Mr. Brandt earned a degree in theology, philosophy and youth ministry at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. He is now using his passion for spreading the gospel to train and inspire others. Mr. Brandt and his wife, Kelly, have six children and live in Wichita, Kansas.

Héctor Molina is the CEO of Casting Nets Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit evangelization apostolate dedicated to equipping Catholics for the New Evangelization. He is a bilingual Catholic speaker and evangelist with over 25 years of experience in professional pastoral ministry and leadership in the Church. Mr. Molina has served in several capacities over his lengthy ministerial career – as pastoral associate in his home Diocese of Brooklyn, as director of the office of Hispanic ministry and founding director of the office for the New Evangelization in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He and his wife, Uki, live in St. Louis, Missouri, and have six children.

Chris Stewart is the chairman of the board and COO of Casting Nets Ministries, a nonprofit lay apostolate dedicated to the challenge of the New Evangelization. Casting Nets is a resource for parishes, individuals and organizations looking for fresh ways to evangelize and catechize. Mr. Stewart earned a master’s degree in theological studies from Ave Maria University in Florida, and is a frequent presenter at retreats, conferences, on the radio and in classrooms. He and his wife, Maria, live in Wichita, Kansas, and have seven children.

Location: Regency VI

Looking for a “kick in the Faith?” Then this talk is for you. Not only will you enjoy an energetic, dynamic presentation, but you’ll learn how to become a more engaging minister in the process. “To engage others we must become more engaging.” – Coach D

Speaker: Darryl Dziedzic
Steward for Youth and Young Adult Ministry
St. Mary Magdalen Parish
Altamonte Springs, Florida

Moderator: Jennifer Clark
Director, Parish Life and Faith Formation
St. Hedwig Catholic Church
Los Alamitos, California

Mr. Darryl Dziedzic – Actively involved in ministry for over 17 years, Mr. Dziedzic currently serves as youth minister at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and is the spiritual/ theological advisor for Adventure Catholic, a teen leadership formation experience. Drawing from his business, family life, and ministerial experiences Coach D, as he is affectionately called, addresses the challenges facing young Catholics, often through speaking engagements before hundreds of people. Mr. Dziedzic holds a master’s degree in theology from St. Leo University, in St. Leo, Florida and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in theology from St. JohnVianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida.

Location: International South

This session will show how to do strategic planning, based on the presenter’s book, Strategic Planning: An Interactive Process for Leaders. Steps are: 1. Get the right people at the table. 2. Do your homework. 3. Focus on mission and values. 4. Prioritize your most pressing issues. 5. Generate new strategies. 6. Take specific action steps. 7. Communicate the vision. 8. Implement and evaluate. For more information, go to www. danebener.com

Speaker: Dr. Dan Ebener
Associate Professor, School of Organizational Leadership
St. Ambrose University
Davenport, Iowa

Moderator: Linda Maccarone
Stewardship Coordinator
St. Mary Catholic Church
Royal Oak, Michigan

Dr. Dan Ebener has been practicing leadership and developing leaders for churches, businesses and community organizations since 1976. He teaches courses in leadership, strategic planning, dialogical skills, conflict resolution, team-building and people skills at St. Ambrose University, Iowa. Dr. Ebener has conducted strategic planning for 165 organizations, including about 50 parishes, since the 1980s. He is co-author of the book, Strategic Planning: An Interactive Process for Leaders, published in 2015 by Paulist Press. He serves part-time as director of pastoral planning and stewardship for the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa. He was Catholic Charities director there from 1986 to 2006. He has traveled to 67 countries, most of them on mission trips or teaching leadership. He has presented at conferences, classrooms, church basements or community forums in 43 states and 20 countries. He teaches a leadership class in Croatia each year and in Germany every other year. He is also author of two books on servant leadership, and is finishing up a fourth book, tentatively titled Pastoral Leadership: How to Lead in a Catholic Parish. For more information on Dr. Ebener, go to www.danebener.com.

Location: Learning Center

Como Implementar la Corresponsabilidad y Mantenerla Viva en la Parroquia / How to Implement Stewardship and Keep it Alive in the Parish

Esta presentación ilustrará de una manera breve cómo el concepto de la corresponsabilidad no es algo nuevo en la Iglesia, sino que se encuentra en cada página de la Biblia. También nos ofrecerá prácticas sugerencias sobre cómo implementar la corresponsabilidad en la parroquia y transformarla de un simple lugar de culto en una vibrante comunidad Eucarística, comprometida plenamente al trabajo del Señor.

This presentation will briefly illustrate how the concept of stewardship is not something new in the Church but is found in every page of the Bible. It will also give practical suggestions on how to implement stewardship in the parish and transform it from a simple place of worship into a vibrant Eucharistic community, fully committed to the work of the Lord.

Speaker: Monsignor Matthew Bernelli
Pastor Emeritus
St. Mary Parish
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Moderator: Sonia Rodriguez
Administrative Assistant
St. Mary Parish
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Monsignor Matthew Bernelli is pastor emeritus of St. Mary Catholic Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and recipient of the 2016 ICSC Christian Stewardship Award. Monsignor Bernelli was born in Turin, Italy. He graduated from St. Anselm University in Rome and was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1964. He spent his first ten years of priesthood ministering to orphans and homeless boys in Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, and Panama where he founded a Boys Town. Monsignor Bernelli was the pastor at St. Mary Church for 35 years. Thanks to the implementation of stewardship, St. Mary’s, a disadvantaged parish on the verge of closing, became a thriving, lively and financially sound parish, and a source of inspiration to others.

Location: Hanover E

Enrollment Management Strategies

Focusing on enrollment management as both an art and a science, the session will detail key marketing, recruitment and retention strategies and how to include each in a yearly enrollment plan.

Speaker: Nick Regina
Deputy Secretary for Enrollment Management
Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Moderator: Ann Marie Calka
Member Services
ICSC
Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Nick Regina is the deputy secretary for enrollment management for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He has over 20 years of experience in the advancement and management of Catholic schools. He started his career as an English teacher at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, New Jersey, where he also served as director of institutional advancement. He went on to become senior advancement consultant for the Catholic School development program, the foundation director for the Lourdes Health System in Camden, New Jersey and the executive director of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Camden. He also served as interim president of St. Joseph High School in Hammonton, New Jersey. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English education from LaSalle University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Seton Hall University.

Location: Hanover AB

A discussion of stewardship and development models applicable specifically to the unique challenges and situations of dioceses with limited staffing and resources. A hosted panel will present successful examples in similar dioceses for discussion and sharing.

Facilitator: Robert Anderson
Senior Director of Mission
Catholic Extension
Chicago, Illinois

Panelists:
Margaret Hampton
Coordinator of Development
Diocese of Boise, Idaho

Chris Koch
Chief Operating Officer
Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee

Karina Sandoval
Stewardship Coordinator
Diocese of El Paso, Texas

JoAnn Shull
Development Director
St. Thomas More Newman Center
Columbia, Missouri

Rob Anderson is the director of mission at Catholic Extension, a national nonprofit organization focused on supporting the growth of the Catholic Church in mission dioceses in the United States. Mr. Anderson works with Catholic Extension’s 90-plus mission dioceses to coordinate over $20 million in financial assistance provided annually to areas of each diocese’s greatest needs. He also manages the Seminarian Endowment Challenge, which has created over $7 million in long-term seminarian education endowments over the last four years, as well as leading initiatives for Catholic school leadership, cemetery management, prospect research, and Catholic Extension’s annual Lumen Christi Award. Mr. Anderson previously worked in development at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles for 11 years.While at LMU, he raised over $4 million in total funding for LMU Athletics, receiving three CASE VII awards for Excellence in Educational Fundraising, and managed the university’s leadership donor programs’ annual giving team. He holds both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from LMU.

Margaret Hampton has been involved in fundraising for the Catholic Church for 27 years. Since 2010, she has served as coordinator of development in the Diocese of Boise, Idaho. She was part of a team that raised over $13 million for a capital campaign, the first in the history of the diocese. She conducts the annual Idaho Catholic Appeal raising nearly $3 million. She was instrumental in launching the first major gifts and planned giving program, including parish estate planning seminars statewide. In addition, she works with parishes and diocesan ministries to provide grant writing services and stewardship education resources and guidance. Before coming to Idaho, Ms. Hampton served in the Dioceses of Amarillo, Dallas, and Victoria and in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. She attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. She and her husband, Rob, have three teenagers.

Chris Koch is a graduate of Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing/economics/finance. He has been with the Diocese of Memphis for twelve years and is currently the chief operating officer. Mr. Koch initially joined the diocese as director of development and strategic planning. Prior to joining the diocese he had sixteen years’ experience in the money management and investment business.

Karina Sandoval is a graduate from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; she currently works for the Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso as the stewardship coordinator. Ms. Sandoval began her pastoral journey with the Diocese of El Paso as the reverence for life coordinator in 2012. Later she was chosen for the Young Adult lay leadership program of the Catholic Church Extension Society. Through this initiative, she worked in the religious formation office, developing a post-Confirmation program for parishes in El Paso while completing her master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Boston College.

JoAnn Shull is the development director for the St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbia, Missouri, a university parish of over 700 families and 1,000 plus college students at the University of Missouri, Columbia College, and Stephens College. For nine years, she served as the assistant director of campus ministry at the Newman Center. Due to a grant provided by Catholic Extension, she started up the development office at Newman in 2016. She is a member of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association and serves on the board of the Catholic Newman Center at Truman State. Ms. Shull earned her undergraduate degree in communications from Truman State University and her master’s degree in theological studies from Quincy University, Quincy, Illinois. She and her husband, Kyle, live in Columbia, Missouri with their two young children.

Location: Hanover D

The potential for religious nonprofit organizations to be beneficiaries of estate funds will escalate rapidly over the coming decades as the largest and wealthiest generation, baby boomers pass along an estimated $30 trillion in assets. What can our parishes, schools, dioceses and ministries do to ensure they are included when people are making estate plans? Attend this session and you will find out.

Speaker: Sal Salvo
Co-founder and Principal
Summit Financial Resources, Inc.
Parsippany, New Jersey

Moderator: Stephen Nicholl
Director of Development
Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey

Sal Salvo is the founder of the Institute for Family Wealth Counseling as well as a cofounder of Summit Financial Resources, Inc. Mr. Salvo is a nationally recognized financial educator, speaker and lecturer. He contributed to the publications Getting to the Heart of the Matter: A Revolution in Estate Planning for Wealthy Families and Giving Transforms You, and has published many articles on the benefits of planned giving and how one can utilize charity to achieve financial goals. Mr. Salvo hosted “The Road to Significance,” a weekly talk radio show on WMTR on 1250 AM, and is a member of the Gift Planning Council of New Jersey. Mr. Salvo and his wife, Kathleen, have been married for 44 years, have five children, and live in Warren, New Jersey.

Location: Hanover C

As philanthropy and fundraising have evolved into true professions, so have the research, practices, skills, and knowledge that our Church needs us to possess. Yet, how do we attain this knowledge and these skills? Join us for a panel discussion which will explore graduate-level education opportunities and certifications that have transformed our panelists’ practice and helped them better fulfill the needs of our donors.

Speaker: Tammy Abshire, CFRE
Director of Stewardship
Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Speaker: Cory Howat
Executive Director
Catholic Foundation
Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana

Speaker: Lindsay Waltower, M.B.A., C.A.P.
Founder, Managing Member
Waltower Philanthropic Advisors
Atlanta, Georgia

Moderator: Josephine Everly
COO and Director of Gift Planning
The Catholic Foundation
Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana

Tammy Abshire is director of stewardship for the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. A development professional with more than 20 years of philanthropic experience, Ms. Abshire serves as the chief fundraiser for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, managing the overall strategic vision and leading key philanthropic activities for the office of stewardship and the Catholic Foundation. Additionally, Ms. Abshire directs the bishop’s annual appeal, planned giving program, endowment development and the Catholic Foundation, as well as stewardship training for 67 parishes. Prior to joining the diocese, she served the Louisiana State University (LSU) College of Engineering and LSU School of Social Work in numerous roles, directing the activities of development, stewardship, communications, alumni relations and external affairs. She has raised millions of dollars in philanthropic support for higher education and faith-based organizations. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Ms. Abshire earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from LSU. In 2010, she earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential. She is an active member of ICSC and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Baton Rouge Chapter, where she is currently chapter administrator.

Cory Howat is the executive director of The Catholic Foundation for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. A native of New Orleans, Mr. Howat resides there with his wife and four children. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree in philanthropy and development from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota. Mr. Howat and an associate established the Smoothie King franchises in the Las Vegas valley, motivating him to take some of the entrepreneurial expectations of the business industry into the nonprofit sector. He served as the executive director for Boys Hope Girls Hope for over nine years, including the rebuilding of the organization following Hurricane Katrina. Cory has experience as a major gifts officer and as a director of institutional advancement. He served for three years as the director of stewardship for the Archdiocese of New Orleans before moving into the leadership development role of that office this past year. He also led an initiative to build an innovative parish curriculum, Encountering Christ, which guides parishes from discipleship into full Christian stewardship. Mr. Howat was a part of the team to create and launch #iGiveCatholic, the first-ever day of online Catholic giving in the United States.

Mr. Lindsay Waltower, MBA, CAP – As a United States Air Force veteran, Lindsay Waltower has served our country with distinction and is a deserving recipient of scholarships from the Penn Mutual Center for Veterans Affairs for both the CAP® designation earned and the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designation, which he is currently in the process of completing. In his role as managing member of Waltower Philanthropic Advisors (WPA), Mr. Waltower provides comprehensive philanthropic, consulting and wealth advisory services to individuals, families, nonprofits and professional advisors. Prior to founding WPA, he served as the managing member of Global Venture Financial, LLC. He secured first-round seed funding for entrepreneurs and managed real estate investment portfolios. Additionally, he has served as manager of foundation and corporate relations at Westminster Theological Seminary, providing leadership and strategic support to the seminary while cultivating relationships with the corporations, foundations and philanthropists. Mr. Waltower is an active member in the volunteer community and is currently serving as an ambassador for The Financial Awareness Foundation and as an advisory board member for Joseph and Sarah Caring Veterans in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also actively involved in The American College Alumni Association.

Location: Hanover FG

It’s All in the Data: Optimizing the Information and Fields Within Your Data to IncreaseYour Annual Appeal Direct Mail Response Rates

Close examination of your data can assist you in the optimization of the direct mail component of your annual appeal. This session offers an approach that blends an understanding of best development and direct mail practice in diocesan appeals. Attendees will walk away with new approaches to a diocesan annual appeal to increase acquisition, retention, and major gifts donors.

Speaker: Kate McDonough Cominsky
Director of Nonprofit Direct Mail Solutions
Cathedral Corporation
Rome, New York

Moderator: Shannon Lee
Director of Business Development
ICSC
Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Kate McDonough Cominsky has been with Cathedral Corporation working with nonprofit, higher education and diocesan annual appeals since 2011. Previously, Ms. Cominsky spent nearly 30 years in higher education enrollment management, sales and marketing management with a Fortune 500 consumer products company, and educational advisory subcommittee work with U.S. Congressman Richard Hanna. Using her experience in higher education and corporate marketing, she has considerable insight into developing unique and creative communication plans for diocesan appeals that push beyond the norm of segmentation strategies of history and level of donor giving. She has presented at ICSC and national and international higher education conferences, nonprofit organizations, and teacher education consortiums.