Previous Conferences

For eight consecutive years, NDBN has brought together individuals and organizations involved in addressing diaper need, an often hidden consequence of poverty.

Throughout the annual event, sessions and speakers offer a high level of strategic thinking about the complexities of poverty in the U.S., and how providing diapers and other basic needs creates new opportunities to help low income populations overcome barriers and achieve more.

The U.S Conference on Poverty and Basic Needs, previously Diaper Banks in American Conference, is an essential professional development opportunity that provides training to leaders with a variety of skill levels and experience, with focus on program capacity building, nonprofit leadership and community empowerment.

 

  • Advanced HR Topics: Performance Management
  • Advocacy – How to Get Involved and Affect Change
  • Build a Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy
  • Building a More Inclusive Organization and Board of Directors
  • Collect Data and Document Outcomes to Enhance Grants and Social Media
  • Coming Together and Aligning our Message as a National Force
  • Disaster Response Programs and Preparation
  • Fundraising Basics: from Diapers to Dollars
  • Growing Your Mission
  • How to Complete an Economic Impact Study
  • Insurance for Nonprofits – Don’t Put Your Mission At Risk!
  • Inventory Management – New Software for Diaper Banks
  • Making Partnerships Work For You
  • Mobile Diaper Banks: Reach New Populations and Respond to Disaster
  • Mobilizing Gen Z to Advance Your Mission
  • Maximizing Warehouse Systems for Efficiency
  • Period Product Distribution Through School Partnerships
  • Planning for Staff is Planning for Mission: Succession Planning for Everyone
  • Self-Care for Diaper Bank Leaders
  • Social Justice, Equity and Inclusiveness
  • Warehousing: Diaper Bank Planning and Lessons Learned
  • What’s Equity Got to do with it?
  • Working with Sports Teams and Professional Athletes

 

2022 Keynote Speakers

Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN,RN

Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, has worked in global health and development on issues ranging from improving access to essential medicines to humanitarian relief in conflict settings. Dr. Sommer’s particular areas of expertise include conducting participatory research with adolescents, understanding and promoting healthy transitions to adulthood, the intersection of public health and education, gender and sexual health, and the implementation and evaluation of adolescent-focused interventions. Her doctoral research explored girls’ experiences of menstruation, puberty and schooling in Tanzania, and the ways in which the onset of puberty might be disrupting girls’ academic performance and healthy transition to adulthood. 

Meghan Davis

Meghan Davis (she/her) joined the Thinx team as CEO on May 23rd, 2022.

Meghan brings 20 years of experience leading winning health care and beauty businesses.  She has proven success in navigating complex business dynamics in multiple categories and countries to deliver meaningful products and solutions for consumers and customers.

Under Meghan’s leadership, J&J Consumer Health Portugal delivered strong sales, market share gains and profitability in years of significant disruption due to the COVID pandemic impact.  As Marketing Director for J&J Consumer Northern Europe, Meghan accelerated the Beauty business by launching more than 20 new products in under four years and reset the Baby Toiletries portfolio strategy to reclaim market share amidst intense competitive pressure from new entrants.

Elle Duncan

Television sports veteran Elle Duncan joined ESPN as an anchor for SportsCenter, the network’s signature news and information program in May of 2016. In March of 2021, she moved to the 6 p.m. show with Kevin Negandhi.

In addition to her work on SportsCenter, Duncan has been a co-host of the weekly ESPN podcast First Take, Her Take with Kimberley A. Martin and Charly Arnolt since June of 2021 and she is among a rotating group of panelists on ESPN’s afternoon program Around the Horn. She also has appeared as a panelist on Highly Questionable.

2021 Keynote Speaker – Reverend Todd Sheridan Yeary, Ph.D.

Dr. S. Todd Yeary serves as the senior pastor of the Douglas Memorial Community Church, a Covenant Congregation, and is an adjunct professor in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore.  Additionally, Dr. Yeary serves as the chief executive officer of DMCC’s two community development corporations – Douglas Memorial Community Church Village and Camp Farthest Out.  Formerly, Dr. Yeary served as a collateral duty senior EEO Counselor during his tenure as an air traffic control specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration. 

2020 Keynote Speaker – Myra Jones Taylor

Myra Jones-Taylor, National Fellow, is the Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE, the national leader on infant-toddler policy and program development. There, she leads the development and implementation of the organization’s policy agenda, priorities and strategies; oversees the policy center, which includes federal and state policy and advocacy; and serves as the principal spokesperson for the organization on public policy matters with policymakers, the media, funders and partner organizations. She oversaw the creation of the first of its kind State of Babies Yearbook and the Think Babies campaign. 

2019 Keynote Speaker – Jay Schatz

Jay Schatz tells stories. Stories you want to hear. Stories that earned him Emmy Awards during a 32-year career as a reporter and anchor, and stories that entertain, like those created as executive producer of lifestyle programming for HGTV and DIY networks.

Jay brings the art of storytelling to nonprofit organizations, helping them craft and share their stories in the competitive world of “Fast Pitch.”

2018 Keynote Speakers

Bill Bolling

Bill Bolling served as executive director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank since founding the organization in 1979 until June 2015. Over the span of 36 years, he led the Food Bank’s distribution of more than half a billion pounds of food and grocery products through a network of more than 600 local and regional partner nonprofit organizations that feed the hungry across 29 Georgia counties. As a charter member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks, Bill was instrumental in the start-up of food banks across the country.

Terence Lester

Terence Lester is a speaker, community activist, author, and thought leader in the realm of systemic poverty. He’s known for nationwide campaigns that bring awareness to issues surrounding poverty, race, and the fight for equality. His awareness campaigns have been featured on MLK50, TVONE, Creative Mornings, USA Today, NBC, AJC, Black Enterprise, Rolling Out, Upworthy, and have been viewed by over 10 million people globally. In 2018, Terence led the March Against Poverty as he walked from Atlanta to Memphis (386 miles). He finished the march and spoke at the historic Lorraine Motel for the 50th Anniversary of MLK’s assassination.