05/14/2026
Last Wednesday EIV hosted our inaugural Leadership Summit — bringing together program directors, managers, and supervisors from across the Commonwealth to expand and share leadership tools and insights, deepen collaboration, and reaffirm our commitment to leading strong programs across Virginia's maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting system.
Participants completed the Insight Inventory Assessment ahead of the event and spent the morning exploring their results with presenters from the VCU Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute (GEHLI). At lunch Andrea Long, Chief Program and Strategy Officer of The Up Center in Norfolk, VA, reflected on her personal leadership journey and inspired participants to reflect on the paths they’ve individually taken and how that shows up in the present. The day culminated with dynamic speakers leading highly targeted and interactive workshops responsive to feedback we’ve heard from the field – and throughout it all the energy, passion, and dedication was undeniable. Reflecting on the day, EIV Executive Director Laurel Aparicio remarked, “Your leadership creates the change that families can truly feel. Thank you for continuing to show up with passion, vulnerability, and a deep commitment to getting it right for families, communities, and your teams."
Special thank you to our presenters Nancy Calkins (GEHLI), Brooke Garcia (Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge), Danielle Kennedy (Kadima Leadership), Andrea Long (The Up Center), Karen Meister (GEHLI), Dwayne Whitehead (GEHLI), Heather Williamson (GEHLI), and Elise Woodworth (Woodworth Enterprises, LLC), and to our Workforce Training and Events Manager, ShaCoria Shelton, for making it such a fantastic event!
https://www.earlyimpactva.org/summit
