Volunteer Fairfax Speaker Requests
Volunteer Fairfax is committed to building capacity in the community. As part of this commitment, members of Volunteer Fairfax’s diverse staff are available to come speak to organizations, schools, community groups and corporations on a variety of topics.
Previous topics have included volunteerism, the importance of cultural relativity, how to plan for and prepare for an emergency situation, volunteer management, volunteerism and employability, board development, project scoping and many more.
To request a speaker, download the Speaker Request Form and complete all the fields. Then fax the form to 703-246-4662 or email to training@volunteerfairfax.org. A staff member will contact you as soon as possible.
Selected Speaker Biographies:
Jeanne Sanders, Executive Director
Jeanne Sanders has served as the executive director of Volunteer Fairfax since the fall of 2004. Jeanne’s career includes time with local human service agencies and national associations, but always dedicating herself to volunteerism. Before coming to Volunteer Fairfax, Jeanne was the Director of Programs for the American Association of State Service Commissions (ASC). In this position, she worked to advance service and volunteerism by establishing and training a national peer network of Governor-appointed volunteer commissioners. Additionally, she led a team of experts in creating a pilot volunteer leadership program.
Prior to this national work, Jeanne was Director of Family Matters, a program of the Points of Light Foundation, and Director of Volunteer Services for the Association of Retarded Citizens of Montgomery County, MD (ARC). While at the ARC, Jeanne developed a signature AmeriCorps program for adults with developmental disabilities.
Jeanne started her career as the founding director of the Volunteer Center of Plano, Texas, more than 23 years ago. She feels very blessed to return to her roots in Volunteer Centers, which provides her the opportunity to impact whole communities.
Jeanne’s educational background includes a focus on organizational management, special education, training, curriculum development, special event management and parks and recreation management. Her personal philosophy “communities are strengthened by citizens supporting citizens” guides her professional and personal life.
Emily Swenson, Deputy Director
Emily Swenson, a native of the Northern Virginia area, is the Deputy Director for Volunteer Fairfax. As the Deputy Director Emily has a wide range of responsibilities from client and project management including business development, framing of key approaches, high-quality client delivery to administration of information technology, reporting, facilities, and directing human capital. Emily works closely with the Executive Director and the Board to chart Volunteer Fairfax’s future growth and strategic response to an ever-increasing demand for the organization’s services.
Her now twelve year career began at the center as an intern. Emily’s early work at Volunteer Fairfax included managing the Volunteers for Change program and the development of the Businesslink corporate volunteer program. She continues to guide staff in providing opportunities for individuals and groups to engage in service; most recently this has included the development of Give Together a family volunteer day.
Emily continues to stay involved in the community and enjoyed serving as a past president of the Northern Virginia Association for Volunteer Administration. Having trained extensively with the Points of Light Foundation/Hands on Network and Prudential Youth Leadership Institute curriculums, she saw a need to create a condensed version of this material and thus created the Volunteer Management Boot camp.
She holds a degree in Public Administration from James Madison University. In her personal time she enjoys engaging her children in volunteering in their community.
Emily Davis, Director of Development
Emily Davis is the Director of Development for Volunteer Fairfax. In addition to leading Volunteer Fairfax’s fundraising campaigns, she supports corporate social responsibility initiatives, and convenes the Corporate Relations Roundtable of Northern Virginia. An advocate of networked communications, Emily has been the leading force in Volunteer Fairfax’s adoption of social media.
Emily is an avid trainer and has presented for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC, Leadership Fairfax, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, the Northern Virginia Events Network, and the Junior League of Northern Virginia. She recently served on the Points of Light Institute/HandsOn Network national committee which rewrote volunteer management curriculum used by Volunteer Centers across the country. A five year veteran of Volunteer Fairfax, Emily has managed several signature events and BusinessLink projects over the years. Prior to working for Volunteer Fairfax, she served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.
Emily has a degree in Forensic and Investigative Sciences from West Virginia University. A dedicated volunteer from an early age, Emily’s enthusiasm and commitment to a career in the nonprofit sector grew out of leadership positions within Alpha Phi Omega, a collegiate service organization. Emily has held a variety of service and leadership positions in the community including: serving on the Board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC and the Northern Virginia Association of Volunteer Administrators and is currently co-managing a local Youth Group with her husband.
Pheobe Bicknell, Agency Relations and Referrals Coordinator
Pheobe Bicknell is Volunteer Fairfax’s Agency Relations & Referrals Coordinator. She is working to expand and strengthen Volunteer Fairfax's Membership, BoardLink and Training programs.
Originally from North Carolina, Pheobe attended Appalachian State University where she received a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in International and Comparative Politics. After graduating, she moved to Washington, DC to work on the Hill. Realizing that her passion fell outside of politics, Pheobe left the halls of Congress to pursue a Masters at Trinity College Dublin in International Peace Studies and Development. While in Ireland Pheobe interned with Volunteering Ireland and researched the impact volunteering has on communities’ social capital. Pheobe has coordinated training and orientation programs in both Ireland and the United States. In the Spring of 2012 Pheobe presented a workshop "Put A Ring On It" at YNPN-DC's Annual Conference. Pheobe is also currently serving as one of e-Volunteerism's Research to Practice Advisory Panel Members. She is looking forward to continuing to grow and strengthen Volunteer Fairfax's role as a capacity building organization in the community.
Pheobe is an avid champion of volunteering and the positive impact volunteerism has on communities. She currently is volunteering as a teacher of English, study skills and exam preparation and provides editing and proofreading assistance to budding journalists around the world. Pheobe also serves as the Vice President for the Northern Virginia Association of Volunteer Administrators.
Matt Lyttle, Emergency Response Program Manager
Matthew Lyttle is the Emergency Response Program Manager for Volunteer Fairfax, the lead agency in Fairfax County for processing spontaneous volunteers in the event of a disaster.
In this role Matthew represents Volunteer Fairfax at local and regional emergency management committees, outreach and training opportunities, and manages the Volunteer Reception Center in times of emergency. Prior to joining Volunteer Fairfax, Matthew was a US Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, where he worked with the Ministry of Health on health disparities and emergency preparedness.
Originally from New Jersey, Matthew attended Hobart College in Geneva, NY where he received a B.A. in Religious Studies with a minor in Public Service. Matthew completed the Emergency Management Institute’s Professional Development Series Certificate in January of 2010. In the fall of 2010 he will begin a Master of Science in Engineering Management with a concentration in Crisis, Emergency, and Risk Management at George Washington University.
