Nonprofit professionals from across the state will descend upon LSU Shreveport’s campus for the Statewide Conference For Louisiana’s Nonprofits in September. 

The Sept. 20 conference, which will offer professional development for nonprofit operators, is co-hosted by LSUS’s Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research and the Louisiana Alliance for Nonprofits. 

Participants will engage in a full day of trainings from nationally-recognized speakers who will address the most pressing issues facing nonprofits. 

Conference topics include fundraising, employee and volunteer retention, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), nonprofit resilience, and sustainability among other topics. 

The conference keynote speaker is Maya Enista Smith, an award-winning, innovative leader who’s building global movements in service of communities. 

“Maya Enista Smith is a well-known speaker in the nonprofit sector, and we are grateful she will be sharing her expertise of building nonprofits and spreading kindness throughout our communities,” said Dr. Heather Carpenter, executive director of LSUS’s INAR. 

Enista Smith served as the first executive director of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, where she engaged a diverse array of partners across sectors to conduct innovative research, built authentic youth-focused programming, and led effective campaigns that fostered kindness and advanced the conversation around mental health. 

With nearly 20 years of experience in youth empowerment, civic engagement, and community development, Enista Smith previously served as the CEO and COO of Mobilize.org.  

In addition to her work with the Born This Way Foundation, Enista Smith is a proud member of the Presidential Leadership Scholars Class of 2022. She is a recent honoree at the Anthem Awards for the Nonprofit Leader of the Year and serves on the Bullying Prevention Advisory Committee (BPAC).    

“We are so excited about this great partnership between the Louisiana Alliance for Nonprofits and LSUS’s INAR to co-host this second statewide nonprofit conference,” said Jill Roshto, executive director of Louisiana Alliance for Nonprofits. “It has been many years since a statewide nonprofit conference has been held in the northern part of the state.”