What have you always wanted to ask a nonprofit leader?

This interactive panel brings local nonprofit leaders together for a candid conversation about their work, the challenges they face, the needs they see in our community, and the lessons they have learned while addressing some of our community’s most pressing issues.

Community members are invited to submit questions in advance, and attendees will also have an opportunity to submit questions during the event.

Moderator

Patrick J. Chambers, Founder, Nonprofit Advocates Networking Alliance (NANA)

Panelists

Workshop Description: Major life and career transitions within the military-connected community often involve much more than finding a new job or moving to a new place. They can affect identity, purpose, relationships, routines, and a sense of belonging. This session explores some of the less visible challenges service members, veterans, and military spouses may experience during transition—and practical ways community members, organizations, and employers can better understand, welcome, and support them.

Speaker Bio: Annie S. Brock is the Founder, President, and CEO of Leader Transition Institute, a Harford County-based nonprofit helping people navigate major life and career transitions with greater clarity, purpose, and confidence. A U.S. Army veteran, former paratrooper and medevac helicopter pilot, and longtime military spouse, Annie brings multiple perspectives to the realities of military-connected transition. She is a Past President of the Susquehanna Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and a Past Chair of the Harford County Commission on Veterans Affairs. Annie is also the creator of Changing Focus: Moving From We to Me, LTI’s flagship transition program, and a speaker and facilitator on transition, leadership, communication, and intentional living.

About Leader Transition Institute: Leader Transition Institute (LTI) is a Harford County-based nonprofit that has spent eight years preparing and walking beside people navigating significant life and career transitions. Through its flagship Changing Focus: Moving From We to Me program and other workshops, resources, and community support, LTI helps service members, veterans, military spouses, and others develop greater clarity about who they are, what matters to them, and what they want to build next. 

Workshop Description: After losing her 16 year old son, Bailey, to sudden cardiac arrest, Patrice Bullock turned personal tragedy into community action. In this presentation, Patrice will share Bailey’s story while providing practical education on recognizing sudden cardiac arrest, performing immediate CPR, and being prepared to use an AED. Participants will also learn steps families, schools, churches, and community organizations can take to improve emergency preparedness and help protect young lives.

Speaker Bio: Patrice Bullock, MHA, MSN, APRN/CRNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, NHA, is a dual-certified family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, healthcare leader, author, and founder of Bailey’s Heart & Soul Foundation. Following the sudden cardiac arrest death of her 16-year-old son, Bailey, Patrice transformed her grief into advocacy and action. Her work has helped expand access to youth heart screenings, CPR/AED education, emergency-response planning, mental-health support, and lifesaving community programs. She is also the author of 8 Minutes 45 Seconds: The Bailey Bullock Story.

About Bailey’s Heart & Soul Foundation: Bailey’s Heart & Soul Foundation was established in memory of 16-year-old Bailey Bullock, whose life was tragically lost to sudden cardiac arrest. The Foundation works to protect young lives through heart screenings, CPR/AED education, emergency preparedness, advocacy, and support for families affected by sudden cardiac arrest. Its mission is to ensure that schools, families, and communities are prepared to recognize and respond to cardiac emergencies when every second counts. Button: Learn more (link to https://www.baileysheartandsoul.org/)

Workshop Description: Online exploitation of children can happen in any community, including Harford County, and is often hidden in plain sight. This workshop will raise awareness about the growing risks children face online, including grooming, manipulation, sextortion, the sharing of explicit images, and other forms of digital exploitation.

Participants will learn how offenders may use social media, gaming platforms, messaging apps, and other online spaces to build trust, manipulate children, and exploit their vulnerabilities. The workshop will also address warning signs, common misconceptions, the impact of online exploitation on children and families, and practical steps adults can take to promote online safety.

The presentation will include a brief overview of the connection between online exploitation and human trafficking, emphasizing that exploitation can occur both online and offline. Participants will learn how to respond calmly and appropriately, prioritize safety, preserve relevant evidence, report concerns through appropriate channels, and work together to protect children and support those who may be affected.

Speaker Bio: Linda Aluoch is a human rights and anti-trafficking consultant and the founder of HopeWorks Global. Her work is deeply rooted in the personal loss of her sister, who was groomed and exploited from the age of 16 for 13 years. This experience has shaped Linda’s commitment to speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves and raising awareness about online exploitation of children, human trafficking, and the vulnerabilities that place individuals at risk.

Through HopeWorks Global, Linda provides education, training, advocacy, and community engagement focused on human rights, online safety, and anti-trafficking efforts. She equips parents, caregivers, educators, professionals, and organizations with the knowledge and tools needed to recognize risks, promote prevention, and respond to exploitation with compassion, dignity, and a survivor-centered approach.

Linda’s guiding principles are rooted in Proverbs 31:8–9, which calls us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the vulnerable.

About HopeWorks Global: HopeWorks Global is dedicated to speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves and helping communities address the vulnerabilities that can lead to online exploitation of children, human trafficking, and other forms of abuse.

The organization’s programs include training and awareness, advocacy, and the economic empowerment of communities. Through these efforts, HopeWorks Global works to increase understanding of online safety and exploitation, strengthen prevention, encourage informed action, and help create safer, more resilient communities.

HopeWorks Global is committed to partnering with parents, caregivers, schools, organizations, and community leaders to protect children, address online exploitation, and raise awareness about human trafficking in Harford County and beyond.