2020 Agenda

The virtual Exhibit Hall will be available to attendees from 10/1/2020 until 10/9/2020, and portions will be available through March 2021.

• Career Pavilion
• Community & Education Pavilion
• Health & Wellness Pavilion
• Technology Pavilion
• Women-Owned Business Marketplace
• Conference Bookstore

Celeste Headlee, Master of Ceremonies, communication and human nature expert, Award-winning journalist & author

Target Storytellers Presentation

Issa Rae, producer, actress, and writer
in conversation with Laysha Ward, executive VP and chief external engagement officer for Target

Michelle Kim, founder and CEO, Awaken

There is no question inclusive leadership is an imperative for the modern workplace. Yet, despite good intentions, many people remain feeling unprepared to engage in important — and at times uncomfortable — conversations and actionable steps that will lead to true equity for all. What truly inclusive leaders have figured out is that it’s not about the trainings or checking any box, but about taking the time to get to know the people on your team so you can incorporate their life experience into your leadership practice. Join DEI thought leader Michelle Kim as she shares her very personal stories of discrimination and how she turned those experiences into a pursuit of universal equity. This session is not for the half-hearted, but for the leaders who are tired of the racism and exclusion and ready to do the hard work to humanize their team to see the real results.

Session Host: Tamara Fields, managing director, Austin, Accenture & TX CFW board member

Sponsor Spotlight: Kim Majerus, leader, US Education, Amazon

James Clear, NYT bestselling author, Atomic Habits, which has sold more than 1m copies

As daily life has shifted in unprecedented ways, so have our habits – both good and bad. Many people struggle when they try to drop bad habits and develop good ones—simply because they lack the right system. No matter your goals, this session will offer a proven framework for making improvements every day. Led by James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habits, you will explore practical strategies for how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. Learn how to:

• Make time for new habits (even when life is this crazy);
• Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
• Design your environment to make success easier; and
• Get back on track when you fall off course.

This session will offer a fresh perspective on how to make progress now and arm you with the tools and strategies you need to get 1% better every day.

Session Host: Jane Gasdaska, change management lead, Phillips 66 & TX Conference board member

Priya Parker, author, The Art of Gathering

This year has rocked our vision of what a gathering should look like, and what is even possible. But it is also an opportunity to re-evaluate the quality of our past gatherings and re-envision future ones. Expert facilitator, Priya Parker, has spent 15 years helping leaders and communities navigate complicated conversations about community and identity. In this session, she will reveal how our past gatherings relied too much on routine and conventions instead of distinctiveness and people. Looking forward, Parker will show what works, what doesn’t, and explain how simple changes can invigorate any group experience. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker will share how to find a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, in person or remotely, for work and for play.

Session Moderator: Alicia Menendez, award-winning journalist and author, The Likeability Trap

Session Host: Amanda Hodges, SVP, North America marketing, Dell Technologies & TX Conference board member

M. Tamra Chandler, Americas people advisory services leader & principal, Ernst & Young & author, Feedback

For many of us, providing “feedback” is one of the toughest parts of being a leader. We want to motivate our team to improve, learn new skills and strive for success, but often employees receive the feedback with resentment and self-doubt. Understanding how others experience us provides valuable opportunities for us to learn and grow in any work environment, including a virtual one. This session will help you learn how to take the sting out of providing feedback and reclaim it as a motivating, empowering experience. You will gain insight into how to minimize the negative physical and emotional responses that can erode trust and shut down communication. You will learn how to give and receive effective, focused and fair feedback so you can put these ideas into action.

Session Host: Brenda Brinson, general manager, talent management, Phillips66

Reshma Saujani, CEO, Girls Who Code and author, international bestseller, Brave, Not Perfect

In these crazy times when we’re all trying to keep our heads above water, imagine what it would feel like to finally embrace imperfection. To not worry about pleasing everyone all the time and to feel courageous enough to step outside your comfort zone or risk rejection to seize exciting new opportunities. In this session, Girls Who Code founder and CEO, Reshma Saujani, will share inspiring insights into how to end women’s love affair with perfection and rewire ourselves for bravery. She’ll share why perfectionism sets us on a path that may feel safe in the moment, but bravery is what will lead us to the path we’re authentically meant to follow to live our biggest, boldest and most joyful life.

Session Host: Stacy Erb, director, community education initiatives, Apple

Amber Rae, global voice for personal growth and author, Choose Wonder Over Worry

Worry. Fear. Doubt. This is a scary time for many and these feelings can stifle a dream, hinder a relationship, or bring your life and career to a halt. While we often think fear is a challenge to overcome, what if instead it’s an ally on the path to unlocking your full potential? Author, speaker, and artist Amber Rae urges us to “choose wonder” in times of discomfort, and shares a unique approach for understanding the hidden meaning in our emotions by dialoguing with them. This session will guide you to reframe your relationship with anxiety, fear, stress, imposter syndrome, and envy. You will leave with strategies for both life and work, so that you can be the best YOU now.

Session Host: Bobbi Dangerfield, board director, TX Conference for Women

Celeste Headlee, Master of Ceremonies, communication and human nature expert, Award-winning journalist & author

Ellen Bennett, chef and founder & CEO, Hedley & Bennett (Get her carne or seta asada taco recipe here!)

Trey Boynton, global lead, inclusion & collaboration strategy & alignment, Cisco to introduce:

Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X, With the Fire on High, and Clap When You Land

Carla Piñeyro Sublett, CMO, NI & board president, TX Conf for Women

Melanie Foley, EVP, chief talent & enterprise services officer, Liberty Mutual to introduce Melinda Gates, co-founder, Gates Foundation and CEO, Pivotal Ventures in conversation with Pat Mitchell

Gina Chavez Award-winning Latinx Pop Artist

Nataly Kogan, author, Happier Now

Emotional health and happiness are more than nice-to-have feelings. They are essential skills, that can make you a more effective leader who is better able to lead your team to be their best and improve productivity, creativity, communication, and performance. And the good news is that emotional health can be improved and cultivated, even in challenging times. In this practical workshop, nationally recognized emotional health expert, Nataly Kogan, shares the mindset shifts and skills that can help you boost your well-being and emotional health skills so that you and your team will thrive. Using the science-backed Happier Method™, you will learn strategies to manage stress, develop a culture of gratitude, and build trust so that everyone feels more uplifted, resilient, motivated, and connected, even when working remotely.

Session Host: Tiffany Reiner, VP, director, state operations, Liberty Mutual

Sponsor Spotlight: Deborah Woollard, VP, people & communities, Cisco

Wade Davis, feminist, educator and former NFL player

We are at a significant turning point in challenging systemic inequality and being a “good person” in this battle is clearly not enough anymore. How do you become a change-maker in your organization and help to permanently remove the barriers faced by marginalized communities?  Drawing on his firsthand experiences defusing and redirecting hate, former NFL player Wade Davis will share his personal story and real-world solutions to combat various systems of oppression. This session will enable you to become an action-oriented ally rather than someone who just checks the D&I box, and will also help you dispel fear and mistrust, as we work together to create workplaces that work for everyone.

Session Host: China Widener, principal, strategy and analytics leader, technology sector & diversity and inclusion lead, Deloitte Consulting

Sponsor Spotlight: Jamila Cowan-Wideman, director, global employment empowerment, Dell

Valorie Burton, author, It’s About Time

For many years, it’s felt like we’ve been racing the clock every day – and still not getting everything done. At least, that’s how we felt at the beginning of 2020. Enter a global pandemic and now we aren’t even racing anymore. Instead, the hectic pace of our new lives is threatening to overwhelm us. We may even worry that there’s no time for some of our most important goals and dreams in this new normal. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In Valorie Burton’s national bestseller, Successful Women Think Differently, she showed that successful women think differently, make decisions differently, set goals differently, and bounce back from failure and adversity differently. Now, she has written a new book about helping women climb out of “time poverty” and create a meaningful life, lived at a more natural pace with a more reasonable load of activities. You will leave this session equipped with the practical tools you need to re-allocate your time to reflect the values and experiences that matter to you most.

Session Host: Katy Crist, director, marketing and communications, Tokyo Electron

Join Texas Conference for Women board members for live, small-group discussions to power your personal and professional growth. These 45-minute discussions will take place from 3:15 to 4:00pm CST and then from 4:00 to 4:45pm CST in the Cisco Networking Lounge via video conference/ WebEx.

Designed to encourage effective dialogue, participation is limited to 50 attendees and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Sign up starts at 12:35 pm CDT in the Cisco Networking Lounge.

3:15 – 4:00pm CST

• Networking Remotely – Carol McGarah, CEO of Blackridge & TX Conference board member
• How to Grow your Career in Tech – Amanda Hodges, SVP, North America marketing, Dell Technologies & TX Conference board member
• Leading Through Change – Tamara Fields, managing director, Austin, Accenture & TX Conference board member
• Serving Your Community – Sabrina Brown, Owner of Sabrina T. Brown Consulting & TX Conference board member

4:15 – 5:00pm CST

• Job Search Strategies – Carla Piñeyro Sublett, CMO, NI & board president, TX Conf for Women
• Accelerating Your Career Growth – Lisa McLin, Global Vice President and Channel Chief Rackspace & TX Conference board member
• Negotiating Virtually – Jane Gasdaska, change management lead, Phillips 66 & TX Conference board member
• Leading as an Ally – Bobbi Dangerfield, board director, TX Conference for Women