We’re excited to announce that nonprofit leader and advocate Vu Le will be the keynote speaker at our 46th Annual Convention & Expo: Essential: Then, Now and Always taking place virtually from October 19 through October 21. Le will kick off the morning session on Tuesday, October 19 with a keynote address about the nonprofit sector and the work that you do followed by some Q&A with attendees.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders will also deliver special greetings to attendees during the three-day event. Other special guests and presentations will be announced soon.
Early-bird registration for the event will open the week of Monday, August 23. For now, please save the date October 19 through October 21 and plan to join us at Essential: Then, Now and Always. Expanded bios of our three speakers are below.
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Vu Le, Keynote Speaker
Vu Le’s own bio describes him as a “writer, speaker, vegan, Pisces, and the former Executive Director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by developing leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities.” We’ve included the rest of the bio below that he shares on his website, NonprofitAF.com.
“Vu’s passion to make the world better, combined with a low score on the Law School Admission Test, drove him into the field of nonprofit work, where he learned that we should take the work seriously, but not ourselves. There’s tons of humor in the nonprofit world, and someone needs to document it. He is going to do that, with the hope that one day, a TV producer will see how cool and interesting our field is and make a show about nonprofit work, featuring attractive actors attending strategic planning meetings and filing 990 tax forms.
“Known for his no-BS approach, irreverent sense of humor, and love of unicorns, Vu has been featured in dozens, if not hundreds, of his own blog posts at NonprofitAF.com.”
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Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Special Guest
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is the chief law enforcement officer for Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Massachusetts. She is the first woman ever elected as District Attorney in Suffolk County and the first woman of color ever elected District Attorney in Massachusetts.
Since taking office in 2019, Rollins has implemented humane and data-supported policies that no longer criminalize mental health issues, substance use disorders, food and housing insecurities, and immigration status, instead focusing her limited resources on the most violent and serious crimes and keeping Suffolk County safe. Among some of her larger initiatives and policy implementations are her first in nation Discharge Integrity Team to help investigate officer involved shootings and allegations of excessive force.
An attorney for over 20 years, Rollins previously worked as a federal prosecutor at the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston. She also served as General Counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and as Chief Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Port Authority. Rollins was a Governor Deval Patrick appointee to the Judicial Nominating Commission and a past president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association.
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Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, Welcome Remarks
Marylou Sudders serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, overseeing 12 agencies and MassHealth, with a combined budget of $24 billion and 22,000 public employees delivering essential services that touch the lives of 1 in 4 state residents.
Since joining Governor Baker’s cabinet in January 2015, Sudders has advanced strategic policy priorities, including: restructuring MassHealth into a population-based health coverage system, reforming the child welfare system, addressing the opioid epidemic, integrating physical and behavioral health care, and strengthening community-based services.
Sudders has held leadership roles across the public and private sectors, including serving as the Massachusetts Commissioner of Mental Health, a non-profit CEO, and associate professor and program chair at Boston College School of Social Work, a top ten nationally-ranked program. Sudders holds a bachelor’s degree with honors and a master’s degree in social work from Boston University, and honorary doctorates from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and Bridgewater State University. She is the recipient of many civic, social work, and professional honors.
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