2022 AIM Leadership in Action Detailed Conference Agenda
This detailed agenda includes times, speaker biographies, and session topics for the 2022 AIM Leadership in Action Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.
Monday, August 29
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm ET
Executive Committee Meeting (Executive Committee members and AIM staff only)
3 pm – 6 pm ET
Registration is open
6 pm ET
Meet & Greet: Iron Hill Brewery
Tuesday, August 30
7:30 am ET
Registration Opens
8:30 am – 9:45 am ET
AIM Business Meeting (Program managers or designated representatives only)
10 am – 11:15 am ET
Hot Topics (AIM members/staff and nonprofit partners only)
Session Description: AIM program managers, immunization program staff, and nonprofit partners will engage in a lively discussion of immunization-related hot topics ranging from COVID-19 and Monkeypox to the upcoming flu season and the best strategies for back-to-school vaccinations.
Facilitator: Laurel Wood, MPH
Laurel Wood retired from state government service in 2011 after working in public health communicable disease/epidemiology programs for almost 30 years. Among other roles, she served as the Immunization Program Manager for the Alaska Division of Public Health for 16 years and directed the AIDS/HIV Program in the State of Tennessee. Laurel is the former Chair of the Association of Immunization Managers, serves as Director for Public Health at Immunize.org, and consults for AIM.
11:30 am – 1:30 pm ET
Lunch on own (those not attending Corporate Alliance Platinum/Gold Lunch)
11:30 am – 1:30 pm ET
Corporate Alliance Business Luncheon (AIM Members / Gold and Platinum Corporate Alliance Members Only)
Session Description: This luncheon provides an opportunity for immunization program managers to meet with Platinum-and Gold-level Corporate Alliance Members in a casual setting. Corporate Alliance members may share information about their products, policies, and sales campaigns during this time.
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm ET
Conference Opening Session and AIM Awards
Session Description: Join AIM leadership, staff, and members for a warm welcome to Philadelphia and a joyful kickoff to our first conference since 2019! Celebrate the hard work and innovation shown by program managers throughout the nation with the 2022 AIM Awards that honor excellence in immunization program management!
Speaker: Dr. Melinda Wharton, Associate Director for Vaccine Policy and Executive Secretary of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC
Dr. Melinda Wharton currently serves as the Associate Director for Vaccine Policy and Executive Secretary of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Wharton joined CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in 1986, was assigned to the Tennessee Department of Health and Environment in Nashville, TN, and joined CDC’s immunization program in 1992. From 2006 to 2013, she served as Deputy Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and from 2013 to 2021 as Director, Immunization Services Division, NCIRD. She previously served as a member (2009-2015) and as chair (2012-2015) of WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety and as a member of FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (2006-2020).
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET
Break in Exhibit Hall
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET
Leadership Session – Managing in a Hybrid Workplace
Session Description: For many organizations returning to the office can feel like a rollercoaster of worry, excitement, and uncertainty. After almost two years of working from home, many employees feel profoundly disconnected from others. This feeling of disconnect affects one’s personal performance and deeply impacts the effectiveness and cohesion of our teams. Studies have shown that human connection helps people tolerate and recover from stress and chronic burnout. During this highly interactive session, leaders will explore current best practices for leading and managing teams in the new era of hybrid workplaces.
Speaker: Corey Leneker, MPA, Leadership Consultant and Executive Leadership Coach
Corey Leneker is a Leadership Consultant and Executive Leadership Coach with The Leneker Team. Having spent over 20 years in higher education, the private sector, and state government, Corey is known for his valuable council, track record of delivering results, and uplifting energy. Corey is a certified trainer in The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, Outward Mindset, Mental Conditioning, and Mindset Mastery, Leading at the Speed of Trust, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity. As a first-generation college student, Corey believes in the transformative power of higher education and holds a Master’s in Public Administration.
Wednesday, August 31
7:30 am
Registration Opens
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Light Breakfast
8:30 am – 10:30 am
Leadership Plenary – Authentic Leadership
Session Description: What does it mean to be an authentic leader? Why is it important? This training will explore authentic leadership and its role in successful teams and organizations. We will also review research from around the world on what team members want in a leader. Each participant will leave with a personalized action plan for their authentic leadership journey.
Speaker: Corey Leneker, MPA, Leadership Consultant and Executive Leadership Coach
Corey Leneker is a Leadership Consultant and Executive Leadership Coach with The Leneker Team. Having spent over 20 years in higher education, the private sector, and state government, Corey is known for his valuable council, track record of delivering results, and uplifting energy. Corey is a certified trainer in The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, Outward Mindset, Mental Conditioning, and Mindset Mastery, Leading at the Speed of Trust, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity. As a first-generation college student, Corey believes in the transformative power of higher education and holds a Master’s in Public Administration.
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Networking Break in Exhibit Hall
10:30 am
Headshots Open
Complimentary professional headshots are open to all conference attendees.
11:15 am – 12:00 pm
Leadership Workshop – Center for Compassionate Leadership
Session Description: These difficult and remarkable times have taken their toll. Individually we do our best to hold it together in the face of trauma, grief, overwhelm, and exhaustion. The cracks in our systems reveal not only how broken things were before, but the current state of so much that calls out for change.
Bringing a compassionate lens to leadership is a powerful, evidence-based approach to moving us forward. By acting with compassion, first for ourselves, and then for others, we find new ways to create cultures of safety, connection, and belonging. We discover how our own vulnerability and resilience are keys to inspiring teams and organizations. We change systems from the inside out. Together, we help heal the world.
This forty-five-minute session will explore the fundamentals of compassion and leadership: what it is, how and why it works, and how we can each bring it into our everyday life and interactions.
Speakers: Evan Harrel and Laura Berland
Evan Harrel is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the nonprofit Center for Compassionate Leadership. He leads the Center’s thought leadership efforts, the integration of scientific and business research into the work of the Center, and the development and delivery of the Center’s leadership training programs. Evan has worked extensively with leaders in the public health field from all over the world. Evan has also led compassionate leadership training for many nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Before working in the nonprofit sector, Evan was an investment manager for over 20 years. He was awarded a Master of Business Administration degree, with distinction, from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Princeton University.
Laura Berland is the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Center for Compassionate Leadership. Through community, education, and research, the Center supports leaders as catalysts to open hearts and minds to our shared common humanity and to urgently develop solutions to global crises and suffering at scale. Laura developed the Center’s research-proven Compassionate Leadership Model, which has been the foundation for engaging thousands of leaders from over 60 countries to embrace the practice of compassion from the inside out. For over 40 years, Laura has been a weaver of transformative organizations and experiences as a serial tech entrepreneur, Fortune 500 executive, meditation educator, yoga therapist, master facilitator, nonprofit board member, executive advisor, and digital media creator. Laura is an alumna of Cornell University and New York University.
Follow the Center for Compassionate Leadership on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch in Exhibit Hall
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Leadership Plenary – Center for Compassionate Leadership
Session Description: Building on the work of our earlier session, we will bring ways to apply and practice compassionate leadership in our relationships with ourselves, with family and friends, and with work colleagues. We will answer questions such as: What is the most important cultural element for team success, and how can we create it? Why does language matter, and why is that only the starting point? How can we change systems by bringing courageous compassion?
This ninety-minute session will explore specific practices for use in organizational life. This deeper dive will include a formal presentation, small group discussion, and full group engagement.
Speakers: Evan Harrel and Laura Berland
Evan Harrel is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the nonprofit Center for Compassionate Leadership. He leads the Center’s thought leadership efforts, the integration of scientific and business research into the work of the Center, and the development and delivery of the Center’s leadership training programs. Evan has worked extensively with leaders in the public health field from all over the world. Evan has also led compassionate leadership training for many nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Before working in the nonprofit sector, Evan was an investment manager for over 20 years. He was awarded a Master of Business Administration degree, with distinction, from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Princeton University.
Laura Berland is the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Center for Compassionate Leadership. Through community, education, and research, the Center supports leaders as catalysts to open hearts and minds to our shared common humanity and to urgently develop solutions to global crises and suffering at scale. Laura developed the Center’s research-proven Compassionate Leadership Model, which has been the foundation for engaging thousands of leaders from over 60 countries to embrace the practice of compassion from the inside out. For over 40 years, Laura has been a weaver of transformative organizations and experiences as a serial tech entrepreneur, Fortune 500 executive, meditation educator, yoga therapist, master facilitator, nonprofit board member, executive advisor, and digital media creator. Laura is an alumna of Cornell University and New York University.
Follow the Center for Compassionate Leadership on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm
Regional Breakouts – Leadership Debrief
Session Description: Convene with colleagues from your region to debrief on Wednesday’s leadership sessions.
4:00 pm
Headshots Close
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Exhibitor Reception and Happy Hour
Session Description: Join us in the Exhibit Hall for networking, drinks, appetizers, and raffle prizes!
Thursday, September 1
7:30 am
Registration Opens
8:30 am – 11:30 am
Pandemic Lessons Learned Workshop
Session Description: Join us for this important 3-part workshop that will document the challenges and achievements of the pandemic.
Part I: Dr. Nancy Messonnier and Washington state program manager and former AIM chair Michele Roberts will kick off this session with a fireside chat to energize our members. The chat will inspire members to grow as leaders in public health and offer kudos for their tremendous accomplishments in the COVID-19 vaccine program.
Part II: Attendees will break out into guided round table discussions to share their lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part III: We’ll cap off this session/workshop by hearing from program managers facilitated by Brock Lamont. The larger group will reflect and share their lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine response.
Speakers: Dr. Nancy Messonnier and Brock Lamont
Brock Lamont retired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after 34 years of federal service. For the last ten years of his career, Brock served as Chief of the Immunization Services Division’s Program Operations Branch (POB). As POB Chief, Brock managed the Immunization and VFC Cooperative Agreement. Before becoming POB Chief, Brock was the Director of CDC’s Public Health Associate Program (PHAP). Brock has served in multiple CDC immunization field positions, including assignments in Houston, Washington State, and Missouri. Brock also served as the Deputy Associate Director of Management and Operations for CDC’s National Immunization Program, the precursor of the National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases. Brock dedicated his career to supporting state and local immunization programs and, specifically, immunization program managers. He is an original member of the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and has served on AIM’s Executive Committee.
10:30 am – 10:45 am
Break/check-out from the hotel (if needed)
11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Bull’s Eye Award Winner Presentations
Session Description: The 2022 AIM Leadership in Action Conference will end on a high note! Hear presentations from the three Bull’s Eye Innovation and Excellence in Immunization award winners whose immunization strategies have “hit their mark,” achieving goals and increasing awareness by encouraging replication in other programs.
Facilitator: Claire Hannan, MPH
Claire Hannan joined the Association of Immunization Managers as its first Executive Director in 2004 and has spent her career working to support immunization policies and practices. She is responsible for the overall administration and management of AIM, as well as representing AIM at conferences, meetings, on committees, and in workgroups. She also represents AIM in Congress, communicates with the CDC, and facilitates coordination among AIM members in addition to preparing AIM positions, policy papers, reports, letters, and presentations.
Claire holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Wagner College and a Master of Public Health in health policy from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Before joining AIM, she worked on Capitol Hill, lobbied for children’s health issues, and was the Director of Immunization Policy for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
12:15 pm – 12:30 pm
Conference Closing
Facilitator: Claire Hannan, MPH
Claire Hannan joined the Association of Immunization Managers as its first Executive Director in 2004 and has spent her career working to support immunization policies and practices. She is responsible for the overall administration and management of AIM, as well as representing AIM at conferences, meetings, on committees, and in workgroups. She also represents AIM in Congress, communicates with the CDC, and facilitates coordination among AIM members in addition to preparing AIM positions, policy papers, reports, letters, and presentations.
Claire holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Wagner College and a Master of Public Health in health policy from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Before joining AIM, she worked on Capitol Hill, lobbied for children’s health issues, and was the Director of Immunization Policy for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch and Screening of Vaccination from the Misinformation Virus (Optional)
Session Description: Stay after the conference concludes for a casual boxed lunch and free movie screening of Vaccination from the Misinformation Virus.
In the age of social media, we can all be fooled by digital misinformation. This one-hour documentary explains how to overcome our bias to understand why vaccines are safe, crucial to community health, and save millions of lives annually.