Click Here to Register for the 2nd Annual Grant Expectations Conference

Presenters

THE HONORABLE KRIS WARNER, WV SECRETARY OF STATE

OPENING KEYNOTE AND SPECIAL GUEST

Patricia Porter

President & CEO, Patricia McDade, Inc.

Patricia Porter brings more than three decades of experience across grant development, post-award administration, compliance, financial management, and organizational risk, spanning federal, state, and local government, nonprofit, higher education, and community-based organizations. Her approach emphasizes the entire grant lifecycle — from organizational readiness and proposal development through implementation, monitoring, financial stewardship, and audit preparation.

Joshua Britt

Chief Operations Officer, Compass Grant Management Solutions

Joshua serves as Chief Operations Officer for Compass Grant Management Solutions and as Accounting Strategist and Grant Accountant for Compass Financial Services. He attended West Virginia University and graduated from Tallahassee State University with a degree in Political Science. He has worked on federal contracts with the U.S. Army ROTC and with numerous nonprofits, municipalities, and state agencies. Over his career he has written and managed millions in grants and contracts, developed grant management systems, and established financial processes, standard operating procedures, and internal-control frameworks that promote transparency, compliance, and sustainable operations.

Bethany Hornbeck

President & CEO, Apis Creative

A business communications specialist since 1995, Bethany Hornbeck is the founder, president, and CEO of Apis Creative, where she serves as strategist, project manager, content developer, editor, curriculum designer, and workshop facilitator. A graduate of West Virginia University with a BA in secondary education, she began her career at Alula (formerly The Continuous Learning Group), a management consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients, and later led the technical writing team at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, earning multiple public affairs awards and serving on the board of the National Association of Government Communicators. She has served the West Virginia Health Sciences and Technology Academy and the Morgantown Area Partnership's Government Affairs Committee.

Stephanie Smith

BE Brave Group

Stephanie Smith leads the conference's leadership session, focused on helping professionals manage organizational change, strengthen communication, develop resilient teams, and lead effectively during periods of uncertainty and increased responsibility.

Tom Smith III

Cybersecurity Expert

Tom is an experienced IT and cybersecurity professional specializing in cyber operations and cyber defense. He holds multiple industry-recognized certifications, CISSP, CISM, CDPSE, PMP, and ITIL,  reflecting expertise across information security, privacy, risk management, technology governance, and project management. Throughout his career he has strengthened information systems, developed and implemented technology and security policies, identified and managed organizational risk, and ensured that technology infrastructure supports both operational and security needs.                              

  Three Days. Three Levels of Readiness.

Day 1 —   Grant Ready

Building   the Foundation for Successful Grant Funding

Opening Keynote The Honorable Kris Warner 

A statewide perspective on organizational readiness, economic opportunity, leadership, and positioning West Virginia communities for the future.

Grant Ready or Grant Risky? Patricia Porter

Participants evaluate whether their organizations are truly prepared to pursue and administer grant funding, examining governance, financial systems, internal controls, organizational capacity, and strategic planning.

AI as a Tool for Grant Preparation Bethany Hornbeck

Practical applications of artificial intelligence throughout the grant lifecycle — research, planning, proposal development, budgeting, and workflow efficiencies.

The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Bethany Hornbeck & Joshua Britt

Responsible use of AI, including confidentiality, data privacy, intellectual property, organizational responsibility, and maintaining appropriate human oversight.

Leading Through Change Stephanie Smith

Leadership strategies for managing stress, building resilient teams, improving communication, and successfully leading organizations through periods of change.

Day 1 Outcome: Participants will evaluate organizational readiness and understand how technology, leadership, financial capacity, governance, and strategic planning contribute to successful grant management.

Day 2 —   Compliance Ready

Building   Systems That Meet Federal Grant Requirements

SAM.gov Registration Workshop Half-Day Hands-On Lab · Patricia Porter and Bethany Hornbeck

Participants work through the federal registration process step by step: Entity Registration · Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) · Entity Validation · Registration Maintenance · Common Errors · Troubleshooting · Subrecipient Verification. The lab is designed to remove one of the earliest barriers organizations encounter when seeking federal funding.

Subrecipient Monitoring: Both Sides of the Award Patricia Porter and Joshua Britt

This session approaches subrecipient monitoring from the perspectives of both the pass-through entity and the subrecipient: roles and responsibilities, risk assessments, subaward agreements, monitoring requirements, documentation standards, corrective actions, record retention, and practical best practices.

Day 2 Outcome: Participants will strengthen federal registration practices and understand the responsibilities and accountability required of both pass-through entities and subrecipients.

Day 3 —   Audit Ready

Preparing   Organizations for Monitoring, Oversight, and Audit Success

Cybersecurity for Grant Recipients Two-Hour Session · Tom Smith III

Cybersecurity is increasingly a matter of organizational governance and grant compliance: cybersecurity governance, required policies, data protection, employee responsibilities, incident response, risk management, and documentation.

Audit-Proof Your Organization Five-Hour Intensive · Joshua Britt and Patricia Porter

A comprehensive examination of audit preparedness from both the grant recipient's and the auditor's perspectives: Internal Controls · Grant Documentation · Procurement · Allowable Costs · Payroll Documentation · Time and Effort Reporting · Financial Management · Monitoring Preparation · Common Audit Findings · Corrective Action Plans · Building an Audit-Ready Organization.

Day 3 Outcome: Participants will strengthen internal controls, improve grant documentation, reduce compliance risk, and better prepare their organizations for monitoring and audit.