Welcome!
Every three years, Legal Services Corporation (LSC) grantees and partners across ten Midwestern states come together for the Midwest Capstone Disaster Convening. This unique gathering strengthens relationships across the region and builds the collective capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
In 2025, the conference will be held November 4-5 at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel. While the event is invitation-only, its impact reaches far beyond the conference rooms. The conversations, strategies, and partnerships built here shape how communities across the Midwest will recover more effectively in the years to come.
Why this conference matters
The Midwest is no stranger to natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and extreme heat increasingly disrupt lives and strain community resources. For those already facing barriers to justice, disasters can push them into deeper crisis. The Capstone Conference provides a space for legal aid programs, emergency managers, nonprofit leaders, and community partners to step back from the urgency of response and look forward together.
Over two days, participants will:
- Share lessons learned from recent disasters in the region
- Strengthen coordination across state lines and sectors
- Explore innovative approaches to organizational readiness and long-term recovery
- Identify opportunities to integrate legal services more effectively into emergency management frameworks
Looking ahead
While this is a closed conference for current grantees and partners in the Midwest, we know that our collective strength comes from sharing and learning together. We’ll be posting highlights and reflections from the event here, so check back soon to be part of the conversation!
Agenda
Monday, November 3rd
4:30pm – 6:30pm:
Registration, Meet & Greet
- LSC Disaster Team
Tuesday, November 4th
7:30am – 9:00am:
Breakfast and Registration
9:00am – 9:45am:
Welcome and Introductions
- LSC Disaster Team
9:45am – 10:45am:
Relationship Building Between Programs
Strong collaboration is essential for disaster preparedness and response, both within states and across state lines. The session will highlight strategies for creating and sustaining in-state partnerships while also cultivating cross-state and national connections that expand resources and knowledge-sharing.
By strengthening these relationships, programs will be better positioned to coordinate during crises, reduce duplication of effort, and identify innovative solutions.
- Dori Rapaport, Justice North
- Anne Hoefgen, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota
- Josh Gaul, Iowa Legal Services
- Shirley Peng, Legal Aid of Nebraska
10:45am – 11:15am:
Networking and Coffee Break
11:15am – 11:30am:
Reintroducing Heartland Disaster Help and User Testing
Heartland Disaster Help (HDH) is now a nationwide platform for disaster preparedness and recovery. The convening will reintroduce HDH’s expanded features, including property-level risk data for floods, wildfires, extreme heat, wind, and poor air quality across every state and U.S. territory.
Participants will engage in user testing to ensure the site is intuitive, accessible, and responsive to community needs. Insights gathered will guide future improvements, positioning HDH to become an even stronger tool for legal aid providers and the communities they serve before, during, and after disasters.
- Dayo Kadree, Program Officer, LSC
11:30am – 12:30pm:
Expanded Access to Communities Through the Community Justice Worker Project
The Community Justice Worker (CJW) Project is creating new pathways to justice by embedding trained community members directly within underserved neighborhoods. By acting as trusted liaisons, CJWs expand the reach of legal aid, build local partnerships, and connect individuals to the resources they need during both everyday challenges and times of crisis. With the right training and support, CJWs can help overcome barriers of trust, geography, and awareness, ensuring more people access timely legal assistance.
- Shrushti Kothari, Disaster Grants Program Counsel, LSC
- Dee Velasco, CJW, DNA-People’s Legal Services
- Hayden Ramsey, CJW, Montana Legal Services Association
- Jenna McArthur, CJW, Anishinabe Legal Services
- Izzy Williamson, Disaster CJW Project Manager, Project 60
12:30pm – 1:30pm:
Lunch Break
1:30pm – 4:30pm:
Rapid Response Team Tabletop Exercise
The Rapid Response Team Tabletop Exercise will provide hands-on training that highlights the urgency of building coordinated, cross-program disaster readiness. With fewer federally declared major disasters in recent years and decreased funding opportunities, it is increasingly important for legal aid providers and partners to collaborate, define their roles, and respond together.
- Jason Susalla, Managing Attorney – Disaster Relief Team, Bay Area Legal Services
- Dayo Kadree, Program Officer, LSC
4:30pm – 4:45pm:
Announcements and Updates
5:00pm – 6:30pm:
Networking and Refreshments
Wednesday, November 5th
7:30am – 9:00am:
Breakfast
9:00am – 9:45am:
Leveraging Technology in Legal Aid
Technology plays an increasingly central role in how legal aid organizations expand access to services and respond to emerging community needs. The session will focus on practical ways to integrate innovative tools that improve efficiency, strengthen communication, and extend the reach of disaster and legal aid programs.
- David Bonebrake, Deputy Director, LSC
10:00am – 11:00am:
Building Cultural Competency and Strengthening Engagement with Tribal Nations
Deepening cultural competency and strengthening engagement with Tribal Nations is essential to ensuring equitable disaster preparedness and response. The session will highlight the unique histories, legal frameworks, and sovereignty of Tribal Nations, while exploring approaches to build trust and foster collaboration.
- Alison Paul, Executive Director, Montana Legal Services Association
- Stephanie Hudson, Executive Director, Oklahoma Indian Legal Services
- Brian Candelaria, Staff Attorney, Oklahoma Indian Legal Services
11:15am – 11:30am:
Travel to OKC Memorial
11:45am – 12:15pm:
Private Guided Tour of the Memorial
12:30pm – 1:30pm:
Lunch Break and First Person: Stories of Hope
1:45pm – 2:45pm:
Faith-Based Outreach, Relationship Management and Disaster Partnerships
Faith-based organizations play a unique and powerful role in disaster preparedness, response, and long-term recovery. In many regions, they are one of the only trusted resources available, making their involvement critical for reaching underserved communities. This session will explore strategies for building and sustaining strong relationships with faith-based partners in your service area and community organizations.
- Christa Figgins, Director of Mission Advancement, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
- Rev. Mary Gaudreau Hughes, Crisis Care Ministries
- MaryLynn Lufkin, Catholic Charities
- Maryn Olson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
3:00pm – 4:15pm:
Looking Forward: Collaboration Between Legal Service Organizations and Disaster Response Partners
Stronger collaboration between legal service organizations and disaster response partners is critical to meeting the complex needs of communities during and after disasters. This session will examine strategies for working hand-in-hand with national and local partners — including organizations like the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Team Rubicon — to coordinate services and maximize impact.
- Kristine Hansen, Program Counsel, LSC
- Meghan Foley, Salvation Army
- Heather Carbajal, American Red Cross
- Jen Nieder, Team Rubicon
4:15pm – 5:30pm:
Self-Guided Exploration of the Oklahoma City Memorial
6:30pm – 8:30pm:
Reception Dinner