We're elated to see that the first-ever SAVC conference has sold out, with over 200 leaders from across the veteran services landscape expected to attend. We look forward to continuing the work that will begin at this conference and encourage you to sign up on our email list to stay abreast of future opportunities.

PROGRAM

For a pdf version of the agenda, click here.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM               Breakfast and Registration

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM             State of the American Veteran in California

• Welcome Nathan Graeser, Community Program Administrator, University of Southern California Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR)
• Carl Castro, Director, University of Southern California Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) | Colonel, US Army (Retired)

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM           Break

10:30 AM - 12:15 PM           Breakout Session #1

• Advancing Veteran Well-Being Through Policy (Policy Track)
• Cultivating Innovation to Strengthen Communities (Innovation Track)
• Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration (Collaboration Track)

12:15 PM - 2:15 PM             Lunch

2:15 PM - 3:45 PM               Breakout Session #2        

• Intervention to Prevention: Promoting Sustainable Veteran Health & Wellness (Policy)
• Transforming Veteran Outreach (Innovation)
• Harnessing Local Data to Drive Collaboration & Measure Impact (Collaboration)

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM               Break

4:00 PM - 5:45 PM               California Transition Assistance Program:
                                          Building Strong Communities Statewide

• Keith Boylan, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Services, California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVET)
• Nathan Graeser, Community Program Administrator, University of Southern California Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR)

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM              Reception in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion
Networking and Entertainment under the Space Shuttle Endeavour
Remarks Vito Imbasciani, Secretary, California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVET)

Friday, September 16, 2016

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM               Breakfast and Networking

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM              A Statewide Strategy

• Welcome Nathan Graeser, Community Program Administrator, University of Southern California Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR)
• Phillip Brozenick, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLC

9:45 AM - 10:00 AM Break

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM           Breakout Session #3

• Mission Accomplished, Now What? Transforming Post-Service Transitions (Policy)
• Optimizing Technology to Strengthen Veteran Relationships (Innovation)
• Tactical Teams: Building a Veterans Collaborative in Your Community (Collaboration)

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM             Lunch 

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM               Breakout Session #4

• Thank You for Your Service: Increasing Veteran Access and Utilization of Benefits & Disability Programs (Policy)
• Innovations on the Home Front: Managing VSO Burnout Behind the Scenes; and Embracing Labels to Bring Communities Together (Innovation)
• Collaborative Leadership: Successful Practices for Sharing Responsibility (Collaboration)

2:30 PM - 2:40 PM               Break

2:40 PM - 3:00 PM               Closing Plenary: Working Together to Advance the State of the American                                                      Veteran in CA

OVERVIEW

California is home to the nation’s largest population of veterans nationwide. With more than 325,000 veterans living in the state, and many more arriving in the next few years, California's communities need to rapidly and holistically increase their ability to serve them in their home communities.

The State of the American Veteran in California conference will develop the capacity of our communities to care for those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Despite recent increases in federal, state, and local funding for veteran services, veterans in California still face enormous challenges in areas of economic security, educational attainment, housing and behavioral health. The foundations of these problems lie in complex systems that cannot be addressed by a single agency or a single intervention alone. Instead, leaders across the state must work together to address the factors that cause the entrenched challenges veterans face. This calls for innovative, adaptive and collaborative responses. This conference will provide the opportunity to bring together local and national leaders in veteran service, to collaborate with peers, and to share insights and novel perspectives.

Participants will learn about the cutting-edge research conducted by the USC School of Social Work Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families. Encompassing more than 3,000 veteran surveys conducted in Los Angeles, Orange and San Francisco counties, we have a clear and comprehensive picture of the State of the American Veteran in California to guide us as we move forward together.

CONFERENCE TRACKS 

The State of the American Veteran in California conference will provide participants with the opportunity to engage with other leaders working to increase the well-being of our veterans, share ideas, and build new approaches to veteran service. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in one of three unique conference action tracks.

• Advancing Well-Being Through Policy: Promoting policy action is essential to solving key veteran issues at a sustainable scale. Work with policymakers and influencers to identify and prioritize the most impactful policy changes.
• Cultivating Innovation to Strengthen Communities: Innovative, community-based solutions are critical to solving problems and leading the way for government and others to follow. Learn about several pilot projects improving the LA veteran community.
• Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration: Explore how principles of collective impact have created successful collaboration across disparate agencies.

Stay tuned for more information about each track. Attendees are encouraged to choose a track as part of their registration.

SPONSORS

CONTACT US

cir@usc.edu

FAQs
Is my registration transferable?
Unfortunately, this event is invitation-only. If you are unable to attend and/or feel someone else should be extended an invitation based on his/her leadership role in the veteran sphere, please fill out this form.

What does the registration fee provide?
Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, the discounted $100 fee covers registration, meals, and cocktail reception the first night.

Is it refundable?
Yes. If you are no longer able to attend, we will refund your registration fee if you let us know before the Sep. 1 deadline.

Do you recommend a nearby hotel?
We have set aside a block of hotel rooms at the Luxe Hotel Downtown for a special rate of $289 per night (plus taxes). The Luxe Hotel is located at 1020 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90015, three miles from the California Science Center. For reservation information, please call (213) 748-1291or click: bit.ly/SAVCHotel16 

What is my access code?
This conference is invitation-only and each person has been issued a one-time access code. Your email address is your access code. If you still have issues registering, please contact cir@usc.edu.

Can I change tracks if I decide I'd rather be in a different one?
Yes. As we develop each of the tracks and send out more information on them, you may find a different one fits you better than the one you registered under. Contact cir@usc.edu by Sep. 1 to update your preference.

Who can I contact if I have more questions?
Feel free to email us at cir@usc.edu and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.