Keynote Speaker

PNACAC is excited to welcome Mark Yaconelli as this year's conference keynote speaker. 

Keynote Theme: Listening in the Dark

How do we live through fear and uncertainty? How do we embody care and compassion when we feel so overwhelmed? How do we help younger generations find purpose in an age of cascading traumas and ongoing crisis? In this story-based presentation, Mark Yaconelli will remind us of the simple, accessible practices that can draw forth hope within our communities, workspaces, friendships, and families.

Mark Yaconelli is a speaker, community-builder, and author of Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us as well as five previous books. As founder and director of The Hearth nonprofit, Yaconelli has worked with The Ford Family Foundation, Compassion International, The Greenbelt Arts Festival, The Eli Lilly Foundation, The American Burn Association, Augsburg University, The Mexican-American Cultural Center of Austin, University of Toronto, among other organizations. Interviews and profiles of Mark’s work have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC Radio, and ABC World News Tonight. He and his wife have three grown children and live in Ashland, Oregon.

Conference Session Workshop: The Healing Power of Story

There is a depth to story that we rarely take time to ponder, let alone to tell and hear. Story is how we transform pain. Story is how we make something useful out of the absurd. Sharing stories is how we make a home within ourselves and one another. In this inspiring and interactive workshop, Mark Yaconelli will show how personal stories can heal our relationships, our world, and ourselves.

Plenary Speaker

Plenary Topic: What have the last five years taught us about the next five?

Jon Boeckenstedt, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Oregon State University, will take us on a journey through the past and into the future of college enrollment.

Jon has over 35 years of experience in Higher Education, including supervisory responsibility for Admissions, Financial Aid, Graduate Recruitment, Registrar, New Student Orientation, Career Services, Higher Education Opportunity Programs, Community Outreach and Academic Support. He is data-driven, with interests in data visualization, business intelligence, and strategy in higher education. Jon is a frequent contributor to the national discourse on the state of college admissions and financial aid. He writes frequently on two blogs and contributes often to national media outlets.

At Oregon State University Jon is responsible for setting and fulfilling OSU’s enrollment goals. He oversees the offices of admissions, financial aid, the registrar, and scholarships as well as degree partnership programs and precollege programs.

Closing Speaker

Dr. Robin Beavers is the Vice President of Community and Social Impact, Portland Timbers. She is a community engagement and outreach specialist dedicated to developing and managing programs that promote the wellness, equity, and inclusion of all people in our society. For over 20 years she has worked and volunteered within the nonprofit sector, including youth & family services, higher education, mental health, and sports industries.