Family
Support
Summit
The Fall 2025 Family Support Summit is a two-day national gathering designed to inspire and equip the field, building on the momentum of the Together for Families Biennial Conference. Join peers, parents, and national leaders for bold conversations and practical strategies on fatherhood, parent leadership, data-driven planning, business partnerships, and building sustainable family support. Together, we’ll shape the future of family support — don’t miss it!
October 22-23, 2025 11:00 am-5:00 pm ET
The Fall 2025 Family Support Summit will spotlight three of the most requested and timely areas from NFSN Members and training participants:
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Father Engagement
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Parent Leadership
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Program Sustainability
Program sustainability is more important than ever in 2025 to ensure essential programming continues. At this Summit, it will be woven throughout the themes of father engagement and parent leadership, underscoring how elevating family voices and strengthening community partnerships directly contribute to long-term impact.
Sessions will equip participants with concrete sustainability strategies such as blending and braiding funding streams, engaging the private sector, grant writing, and positioning programs to remain strong and effective into the future.
Over two days, family support and strengthening professionals from across the country will come together for keynotes, interactive workshops, and thought-provoking panels. This is a unique opportunity to learn from national leaders and peer practitioners, deepen your practice, and return home better prepared to support families through community-centered, culturally grounded, and sustainable approaches.
The Family Support Summit is part of a national movement to ensure every family thrives. NFSN is proud to connect leaders, lift parent and community voices, and transform systems, rooted in the strengths of families and communities nationwide.
WHAT AWAITS YOU
TWO DAYS OF IMPACT
Day 1 Highlights
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Keynote: Beyond Engagement: Building Authentic Relationships with Fathers
Rob Harris, national fatherhood leader, shares research, personal stories, and strategies that move the field beyond “father engagement” toward authentic, sustaining relationships with fathers. -
Panel: Fathers as Leaders: Shifting Culture, Breaking Barriers
Hear from practitioners and fathers, including Neil Tift, Chris Brown, Dr James Rodriguez, Malcom Redhair, and Michael Finlay, on how programs are transforming culture, breaking barriers, and centering fathers as leaders. -
Workshop: Blending and Braiding: Pathways to Sustainability
Chris Stoner-Mertz highlights proven strategies for blending funding streams, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring long-term impact. -
Interactive: Using the Community Opportunity Map
Lucas Gerber and Tecoria Jones showcase this national data tool, with real-world applications from networks like Families Forward Virginia. Dive deeper into hands-on breakout sessions on grantwriting and program planning. -
Session: Business Development for Stronger Communities
Brenda McChesney reframes ROI as Resilience, Opportunity, and Impact, offering practical strategies for building authentic business partnerships that strengthen families and communities
Day 2 Highlights
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Panel: Parent & Family Leadership in Practice: Voices from the Field
Yazmil Soriano, Terrance Davis, Jennifer Johnson-Dungey, Hilary Espinosa, and Shaumbay Fuller share lived experiences of leadership in action, highlighting trust-building, shared power, and the “secret sauce” of sustaining thriving Parent Advisory Committees. -
Panel: Parent Leadership in Action in LatinX and Indigenous Communities
Elayna Fernandez, Arthur Argomaniz, Kukunaokalā Yoshimoto, Jolyana Begay-Kroupa, and Monica Beltran share culturally grounded approaches to outreach, leadership, and sustaining parent voice in LatinX and Native communities.
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Session: Indigenous Leadership Insights for Stronger Families Barb Fabre of All Nations Rise shares how Indigenous values and leadership strengthen families and guide the broader family support field. Drawing on national work and community experience, she highlights strategies to embed equity, honor culture, and center family voice—offering practical insights for building sustainable, inclusive systems where all families thrive.
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Keynote: Parents Leading Change: Stories that Shape Systems
Valerie Frost spotlights the growing national movement of parents influencing policy, driving change, and sustaining family support initiatives across the country.
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PARTNER IN IMPACT
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