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40 Years of Philanthropy: Celebrating our MPN Community

Friday, September 29, 2023, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Maryland Philanthropy Network’s annual meeting is a networking event and symposium hosted to bring members and the broader philanthropic community together to build relationships, be inspired by sector leaders, and learn more about the vibrant activities of our network.

This year we are reuniting for our first in-person meeting since 2019 and to celebrate our 40th anniversary! We invite members and partners to join us and our keynote speaker Susan Taylor Batten, president and chief executive officer of ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities, at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture.

ABFE's Responsive Philanthropy in the Black Community (RPBC) trainings were instrumental in MPN’s board naming the strategic goal of promoting racial equity and inclusion in member grantmaking practice in our 2015-2020 strategic plan. MPN continues to build on that work with our recently released Strategic Frame that continues to elevate our vision of a courageous philanthropic community leading transformative and innovative work that results in an equitable and just Maryland.

We are excited to have Susan with us and we hope this celebration will leave you with a deeper and renewed sense of connection to our community of funders, the team at MPN, and your work.

Our annual meeting is open to members of Maryland Philanthropy Network and invited guests. Please register by September 15, 2023.

Agenda

9:00 AM –10:00 AM Breakfast & Networking
10:00 AM – 10:55 AM Welcome & Annual Meeting: Our Past, Our Present, Our Future
10:55 AM – 11:30 AM Keynote Address with Q&A
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Celebratory Lunch & Networking
12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Museum Open for Visiting

Tickets

$75 per person

We are offering a 10% discount for reservations of entire tables (8 seats). You have the option to reserve a table to sit together or not! Contact Charlotte to process this request.

Speaker

SusanTaylorBattenHeadshot1.jpg

Susan Taylor Batten is president and chief executive officer of ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities. ABFE (established in 1971 as the Association of Black Foundation Executives) is a membership-based philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. Since joining ABFE in 2009, Batten has led the organization’s philanthropic advising and programming on responsive philanthropy in Black communities for foundation leaders, donors and aligned partners.

Batten came to ABFE after more than 25 years of leadership experience in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining ABFE, Batten served as senior associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a grantmaking institution focused on child welfare. In this role, she served as staff in the Community Change Initiatives Unit and coordinated a portfolio on equity, diversity and inclusion. In the public sector, Batten worked as a senior analyst for the U.S. Department of Agriculture where she directed research and evaluation on food assistance programs; she also served in the Government of the District of Columbia as an analyst on initiatives supporting children, youth and families.

Batten currently serves on the boards of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, The Caribbean Philanthropy Alliance, Giving Gap, and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO). She is also an adjunct lecturer at the Valdry Center for Philanthropy at Southern University. She received her master’s degree in social work from Howard University and her bachelor’s degree in English and political science from Fisk University.

Venue

This year’s event will be hosted at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, located at 830 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202. In addition to our gathering space, attendees will have access to the museum's exhibits.

Parking

Validated parking is available for $9 across the street in the PMI Garage at 815 E. Pratt Street. Please bring your ticket to the museum’s main entrance to have it validated.

Free on-street parking and metered parking is also available.