by Kelsey Dean 2025 Summit Manager
When I said yes to filling the 2025 Annual Conference minute by minute chair or lectern chair role, I had no idea what I was saying yes to. Like many of our D25 members, I said yes because I like to help. I like to be involved. This was not a role I had ever filled before, so I thought it would be new and fun to figure it out. I quickly learned that saying yes to that role meant I was saying yes to an even bigger role. You see, here in D25, we set you up for success by having you learn about planning an event of this nature first, by being the second in charge of the event before you are the one running the show. Helping run the 2025 Annual Conference meant running the 2025 Summit, and I had to have a theme and an announcement skit ready for the conference Saturday night dinner. Luckily, I have been attending conference for a few years, so I had seen this in action before.
I knew I wanted to play off the district’s 2025-2026 theme of “Becoming One,” and I knew Summit is “for D25 by D25”. My ideas started taking shape, and I made use of this little tool you might have heard of called ChatGPT to make my thoughts come to life. The theme of Summit 2025 was born: Rising as One. We will help each other learn new skills, focus on leadership, and rise as one. If you are interested in helping make this Summit happen, please let me know! It’s always more fun to be involved behind the scenes!
