2019 Agenda

• Author Signings & Meet and Greets
• Resume Review & Coaches Corner
• Health & Wellness Pavilion and Classroom
• Donation and Volunteer Opportunities
• Local and women-owned businesses
• Small Business & Tech Roundtables

Remember to print and cut out your badge before you arrive!

With printed badge in hand, you can proceed directly to the Exhibit Hall to pick up your badge holder and tote bag.

Take advantage of free one-on-one “speed coaching” sessions and/or get help perfecting your resume from 7:30 am – 5:00 pm (excluding keynote sessions). Learn more. To sign up, just join the standby line in the Career Pavilion.

Career Pavilion Mini-Workshops

12:40 PM – 1:00 PM The Art of Negotiation: Strategies to Help You Navigate Your Next Career Move

Studies continue to show that women still negotiate less than men and are less successful in their negotiations overall. Whether you’re pursuing a pay raise, promotion, or navigating a career transition, learning the art of negotiation will ensure you’re empowered to negotiate your financial and professional worth with confidence. Come to this session to hear three experienced negotiators share their tactics and strategies.

2:40 PM – 3:00 PM Returning to Work: Conquering Fear and Overcoming Setbacks to Restart your Career

Family needs and obligations can take priority over a career, creating unique challenges when you are ready to resume your career path after an absence. For many, it can steer us way off of our intended course. In this session, Anu Rao speaks candidly about challenges she faced returning to work and how she overcame them to become successful.

3:15 PM – 3:25 PM Interview your Best

How to achieve a work -appropriate look so the interviewer notices YOU – not your makeup! 

3:30 PM – 3:40 PM Makeup & Go

How to achieve a work-appropriate makeup look in 10 minutes so you can get out the door quickly. 

4:10 PM – 4:30 PM Impact and Influence from the Middle: A Mid-career Panel Discussion on Leadership, Career Progression, and Making a Difference

In between a first job and an executive title, mid-career women are often left to forge their own path. Making a big impact isn’t always easy without an executive title to back you up, and getting to the next level takes grit, patience, and often luck. But mid-career women are uniquely positioned to both empower the next generation and influence company leadership. This panel discussion will highlight four midcareer women who have influenced their companies in various ways with perspectives gathered from their experiences.

8:00 AM – 8:20 AM:  Get Organized

Speaker: Jane Stoller, business and life expert organizer
Studies show that decluttering and being organized can not only reduce stress, but provides peace of mind and improves your mood. In this session, organizing expert Jane Stoller will share her quick tips for bringing some order to the chaos. You’ll learn not only how to get organized, but strategies for staying organized so that you can lead a happier and healthier life. SPEAKER: Jane Stoller, business and life expert organizer

12:35 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.:   Eating Well Mediterranean Style

Speaker:  Lorena Asebedo Kaplen, RD, LD, registered dietician, HEB   
The Mediterranean diet is often touted as one of the healthiest diets in the world.  With a demonstrated decreased risk of heart disease, reduction of bad cholesterol and studied lowering of cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, it is a style of eating that is definitely worth exploring. This session will explore the key components, the flavor profiles involved and show how to create a delicious Mediterranean-inspired meal.

2:45 pm – 3:15 pm:  ENCORE: Eating Well Mediterranean Style

Speaker:  Lorena Asebedo Kaplen, RD, LD, registered dietician, HEB
The Mediterranean diet is often touted as one of the healthiest diets in the world.  With a demonstrated decreased risk of heart disease, reduction of bad cholesterol and studied lowering of cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, it is a style of eating that is definitely worth exploring. This session will explore the key components, the flavor profiles involved and show how to create a delicious Mediterranean-inspired meal.

3:15 pm – 3:45 pm: Better Skin from the Inside Out

Speaker: Dr. Rajani Katta, dermatologist
Research now proves what many of us have long recognized: what you eat impacts your skin. In this session, dermatologist and author Dr. Rajani Katta describes how the right foods and nutrients can fight the processes that lead to premature skin aging. You’ll learn how herbs, spices, power fats, probiotics, prebiotics, and antioxidant-rich foods all work to promote youthful, glowing skin.

4:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Mindfulness & Meditation

Speaker: Kristi Grosse, instructor, Yoga Pod Austin
We know that meditation creates a feeling of calm, but research shows a vast number of other benefits from improving immune function and boosting antibodies to increasing both our ability to be creative and our overall level of happiness.  Taking time out of our day to meditate is a goal for many, but is very often hard to attain. This session will show you the practical applications of meditation to your own busy lifestyle. Participants will be provided with strategies for how to live a more mindful life in both theory and practice, and will gain a new perspective on techniques to proactively incorporate meditation into our lives.

At the Luncheon Keynote session, refer to your printed badge for your table assignment.

Opening Keynote Lineup coming soon!

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session I: 10:00 – 11:00 am

Navigating life isn’t easy, but The Skimm founders, Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin make it a lot more fun. This fireside chat will deliver the Skimm’s trademark mix of real talk, humor, and inspirational messaging to take all of the daunting, cumbersome and frankly unsexy parts of being an adult, and break them down in the same way they break down a complicated news story every morning in our inbox. 

Join this session to learn how to navigate the noteworthy moments in your lives, not just your days. Attendees will leave armed with advice, information and hacks to help you make the most informed life and career decisions. 

Speakers: Danielle Weisberg & Carly Zakin, founders, The Skimm

LEADERSHIP: Designed for a seasoned or aspiring leader looking to climb the ladder and shatter the glass ceiling
Session I: 10:00 – 11:00 am

If you take on a leadership role, you are almost certain to face obstacles—maybe even opposition. But skillfully meeting these challenges can become defining moments in your journey to success. In this powerful session, influential leaders on the frontlines will share how they have succeeded in courageously driving change in the midst of big challenges. You will learn strategies for how to stand up for yourself; positively gain traction with others, including bosses; and ultimately break barriers—whatever the pushback and bumps you face along the way. Plan to walk away inspired by these powerhouse women—and ready to inspire others yourself.

Thought Leader: Alison Beard, co-host, Dear HBR and HBR Ideacast

Panelists:

⚬ Jessica Herrin, founder, Stella & Dot
⚬  Samantha “Sam” Rapoport, director, football development, NFL and former football player
⚬ Additional panelists to be announced!

CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Designed for the mid/senior level professional with significant experience looking for advice around professional skills and job advancement
Session I: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Ego-driven behaviors are the #1 source of drama in workplaces today, generating huge amounts of emotional waste. Some people thrive on the drama and toxicity; but for most of us, this is an unwanted distraction. How do we eliminate the big egos and frenzy from our organizations? Leadership expert Cy Wakeman will show you how to ditch the drama so you can be responsible for your own success and learn to love your job again.She will provide you with the tips and tools for cultivating accountability so you can help drive results and restore sanity to the workplace.

Speaker: Cy Wakeman, president and founder, Reality Based Leadership and best-selling author

EMERGING PROFESSIONALS: Designed for Millennials and newer professionals entering or re-entering the workforce
Session I: 10:00 – 11:00 am

Being an entrepreneur isn’t just about starting a business. It’s about being a pioneer and thought leader. And, your next innovative idea could lead to breakthroughs—maybe even change the world. So, what’s holding you back? Whether you are in startup mode or looking to generate that next big idea within your current organization, this session will help you explore the essential skills, characteristics and habits to help foster your inner entrepreneur. From corporate professionals to business owners, this interactive panel will share their firsthand experiences to help you with idea generation and scalability. They will also offer strategies to help you navigate the obstacles that have kept that audacious idea of yours from becoming a reality.

          Thought Leader: Carolyn Rodz, founder, Hello Alice

Panelists:
⚬ Julia Cheek, founder, EverlyWell
⚬ Jessica Herrin, founder, Stella & Dot

          Emcee: Shelley Gretlein, VP, global marketing, National Instruments

TRANSITIONS: Offering expertise for maneuvering career and life transitions
Session I: 10:00 – 11:00 am

Are you negotiating to the best of your ability? No matter what industry you are in, knowing how to negotiate is an essential skill for communicating your value and advancing your career. Whether you are negotiating on behalf of yourself or others, this session will cover how to prepare for a negotiation, present yourself effectively, and respond to pushback. A panel of experts will provide you with important talking points and insights to consider before your next business negotiation.

Thought Leader: Michelle Duguid, professor of management, Cornell University

Panelists:
⚬ Amy Gallo, author, HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict

⚬  Linda Raynier, career strategist 

⚬  Meg Murphy, CMO, IBM Systems

          Emcee: Lori Knowlton, Silicon Labs

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session I: 10:00 – 11:00 am

We know from history that nothing gets accomplished unless someone speaks up. But being the person to do that can be hard, especially when women are more frequently interrupted than men. In this session, communications expert Charmaine McClarie will provide real world examples from her own experience of speaking up, and will interview a panel of experts about some of today’s most effective communication strategies.  Plan to leave with the skills to use your voice with confidence and “get loud” so that nothing stands in your way.

Thought Leader: Charmaine McClarie, career maker, C-suite advisor, and keynote speaker

Panelists:
⚬  Veronica Rueckert, author, Outspoken
⚬  Dena Blizzard, comedian and founder, Ladies OUT LOUD
⚬  Christi Marrufo, Managing Director, Applied Materials

Emcee: Traci Uribe, USAA

TRANSITIONS: Offering expertise for maneuvering career and life transitions
Session I: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Even in 2019, we continue to grapple with the negative perception of women’s “niceness” in the business world. If women are nice, they are seen as weak and ineffective. But if they are tough, they are labeled a bitch. This is the perfect session for women trying to navigate the complexity of relationships at work while staying kind and respectful. This session will explore how women can reclaim “nice” and sidestep regressive stereotypes about what a strong leader looks like.  Sharing her time-tested strategies, Fran Hauser will prove that women don’t have to sacrifice their values or hide their authentic personalities to be successful. Together, we will explore how to:

• • Balance being empathetic and decisive
  • Ask for what you want without feeling badly
  • Become a boss who is not feared but respected
  • Lead with kindness, empathy, humanity and STRENGTH.

Speaker: Fran Hauser, media executive, startup investor, and author, The Myth of the Nice Girl

Emcee: Catherine Davie, VP, brand strategy, LegalZoom

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: Offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session I: 10:00 – 11:00 am

People tend to come up with their own perceptions about who you are, what you’re good at—and, quite likely, what you’re not good at. They “brand” you in their own minds, which means your brand is created by default, rather than by intentional design. Why let others define your reputation? Join this session to explore how to brand or rebrand yourself. Experts will share their personal experiences to help you reassess your brand –in person and online— so that your brand reflects who you are, not who others want you to be.

Thought Leader: Lida Citroën, reputation management and personal branding expert and author, Reputation 360: Creating Power through Personal Branding

Panelists:
⚬  Simidele Adeagbo, Olympian and marketing expert
⚬  Yai Vargas, branding, career and diversity strategist

CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Designed for the mid/senior level professional with significant experience looking for advice around professional skills and job advancement
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

No matter how successful you are, pivoting to a new career in the second half of life can present some uphill battles. With the reality of ageism and bias in the workplace, trying to rebrand yourself in a new field may feel overwhelming. Whether you want to change careers, find new purpose, have hit a mid-career stopping point or have opted out and now want to opt back in, you can find a new career that offers joy and impact. This panel of experts will share the skills you need to showcase, how to position yourself for success in your transition, and ways to connect with younger colleagues to find happiness in your encore career.

Panelists:
⚬  Linda Glass, career strategist
⚬ Susan Rietano Davey, career re-entry expert and founder, Prepare to Launch

Additional panelists to be announced!

LEADERSHIP: Designed for a seasoned or aspiring leader looking to climb the ladder and shatter the glass ceiling
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

We all have blind spots: hidden unconscious biases that can influence the culture of our organizations and the career trajectories of all its employees. But when we learn how to identify these blind spots, we have the power to make change. Sharing best practices and lessons learned from their first-hand experiences, diversity consultant Tiffany Jana and this panel of experts will examine what helps break down these biases, and what all of us can do right now to create systems in which all people can thrive. You will walk away with concrete strategies to tackle structural bias—both individually and organizationally.

Thought Leader: Tiffany Jana, author, Overcoming Bias and Erasing Institutional Bias

Panelists: 
⚬  Jennifer Brown, author, How to Be an Inclusive Leader
⚬  Michelle Duguid, Professor of Management, Cornell University

          Emcee: Cisco

CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Designed for the mid/senior level professional with significant experience looking for advice around professional skills and job advancement
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

When men use their power to advocate for women and support the creation of an equitable organization, everyone wins. But, getting your male colleague or boss to work with you to actively remove the barriers to your success and be your “ally” can be tough.  Join workplace gender expert Brad Johnson and a panel of experts on this topic as they break down how to help both men and women overcome any reluctance to allyship and identify the actions they can take to support your career.

Thought Leader: W. Brad Johnson, professor of psychology, U.S. Naval Academy, faculty associate, Johns Hopkins University and co-author, Athena Rising

Panelists:
⚬  Michael Chamberlain, VP, global events & men advocating real change, Catalyst
⚬  Cisco

CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Designed for the mid/senior level professional with significant experience looking for advice around professional skills and job advancement
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Diversity in the workplace has been proven to benefit people and organizations. But managing and communicating effectively across diverse teams can present some challenges. So, how do you harness the unique strengths of diverse team members who—especially due to generational differences—bring different styles and values to the workplace? In this session, Lindsay Pollak, a leading researcher on generations in the workforce, and a panel of experts will share their insights into these different generations. Attend to learn clear strategies for communicating and team-building that will help you turn generational diversity into business success.

Panelists:

• Katherine Phillips, professor, Columbia Business School
• Julie O’Brien, SVP, marketing, Nutanix

          Additional panelists will be announced soon!

EMERGING PROFESSIONALS: Designed for Millennials and newer professionals entering or re-entering the workforce
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Worry. Fear. Doubt. They can stifle a dream, hinder a relationship or bring your career to a halt. But while we often think fear is a challenge to overcome, what if it could be an ally on the path to unlocking our full potential? Author, speaker and artist Amber Rae urges us to “choose wonder” as we embrace discomfort. In this session, she will share a unique approach for understanding the hidden meaning in our emotions by dialoguing with them. She will help guide you to reframe your relationship with anxiety, fear, stress, imposter syndrome and envy. You will leave with strategies to be the best YOU at home and work.

Speaker: Amber Rae, author, Choose Wonder Over Worry

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Effective communication is about more than just words and phrases. It’s a projection of your competence and even your potential as a leader. Great communicators can voice their vision confidently, move plans and projects forward, and present their ideas across all levels of an organization. Join this workshop for actionable steps to develop your own communication style. Learn about speaking with clarity and confidence so that your ideas are heard, your value is clear, and your opinions are remembered.

Speaker: Charmaine McClarie, career maker, C-suite advisor, and keynote speaker

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

What do we want from our money? Some of us look for independence and security, while others desire more choices and a better way of life. But all of us want to experience less stress around money. So, now that women have more money—and power—than ever before, how can we start making our money work for us? In this session, Today Show financial editor and bestselling author Jean Chatzky will share what she’s learned about living a financially robust life. She will also present her three-part plan for understanding your life in relationship to your finances. Expect to walk away armed with tactical solutions for getting paid what you deserve, making your money last, leaving a legacy—and, most importantly, feeling joyful while doing it.

Speaker: Jean Chatzky, author, Women with Money: The Judgement-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve

          Emcee: Michele Herron, SVP, strategy, marketing and SMB solutions,                                CyberSource & Authorize.Net

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: Offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Are you thorough, efficient and conscientious about every detail of life both at home and work? Do you set high goals and work hard to achieve them? Welcome to the Type A Club! You have many positive traits that are great for impressing the boss. But, as you probably know, they can also impede your personal happiness and sense of self-worth. The good news is there are many tricks and tips that can help us perfectionists find more contentment, even amid imperfection. Join this session to learn strategies for building resilience when times get tough so you can be happier without having to do everything right.

Thought Leader: Mary Laura Philpott, author, I Miss You When I Blink

Panelists:
⚬  Emilie Aries, nationally recognized writer, author and founder, Bossed Up
⚬  Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University
⚬  Kathryn Sanders, managing director and resources lead, SW, Acccenture

          Emcee: Amber Armstrong, CMO, IBM Internet of Things (IoT)

Keynote Luncheon Lineup coming soon!

Tiffany Aliche
Lisa Bodell
Lauren Smith Brody
Courtney Carver
KJ Dell’Antonia
Anne Grady
Martie Haselton
Jessica Honegger
Rajani Katta
Nathalie Molina Niño
Hana Schank
Liz Wallace

CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Designed for the mid/senior level professional with significant experience looking for advice around professional skills and job advancement
Session III: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

When men use their power to advocate for women and support the creation of an equitable organization, everyone wins. But, getting your male colleague or boss to work with you to actively remove the barriers to your success and be your “ally” can be tough.  Join workplace gender expert Brad Johnson and a panel of experts on this topic as they break down how to help both men and women overcome any reluctance to allyship and identify the actions they can take to support your career.

Thought Leader: W. Brad Johnson, professor of psychology, U.S. Naval Academy, faculty associate, Johns Hopkins University and co-author, Athena Rising

Panelists:
⚬  Michael Chamberlain, VP, global events & men advocating real change, Catalyst
⚬  Liberty Mutual

CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Designed for the mid/senior level professional with significant experience looking for advice around professional skills and job advancement
Session III: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Ego-driven behaviors are the #1 source of drama in workplaces today, generating huge amounts of emotional waste. Some people thrive on the drama and toxicity; but for most of us, this is an unwanted distraction. How do we eliminate the big egos and frenzy from our organizations? Leadership expert Cy Wakeman will show you how to ditch the drama so you can be responsible for your own success and learn to love your job again.She will provide you with the tips and tools for cultivating accountability so you can help drive results and restore sanity to the workplace.

Speaker: Cy Wakeman, president and founder, Reality Based Leadership and best-selling author

LEADERSHIP: Designed for a seasoned or aspiring leader looking to climb the ladder and shatter the glass ceiling
Session III: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

We all have blind spots: hidden unconscious biases that can influence the culture of our organizations and the career trajectories of all its employees. But when we learn how to identify these blind spots, we have the power to make change. Sharing best practices and lessons learned from their first-hand experiences, diversity consultant Tiffany Jana and this panel of experts will examine what helps break down these biases, and what all of us can do right now to create systems in which all people can thrive. You will walk away with concrete strategies to tackle structural bias—both individually and organizationally.

Thought Leader: Tiffany Jana, author, Overcoming Bias and Erasing Institutional Bias

Panelists: 
⚬  Jennifer Brown, author, How to Be an Inclusive Leader

⚬  LaFawn Davis, VP Inclusion, Indeed

          Emcee: GLG

EMERGING PROFESSIONALS: Designed for Millennials and newer professionals entering or re-entering the workforce
Session III: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Worry. Fear. Doubt. They can stifle a dream, hinder a relationship or bring your career to a halt. But while we often think fear is a challenge to overcome, what if it could be an ally on the path to unlocking our full potential? Author, speaker and artist Amber Rae urges us to “choose wonder” as we embrace discomfort. In this session, she will share a unique approach for understanding the hidden meaning in our emotions by dialoguing with them. She will help guide you to reframe your relationship with anxiety, fear, stress, imposter syndrome and envy. You will leave with strategies to be the best YOU at home and work.

Speaker: Amber Rae, author, Choose Wonder Over Worry

Emcee: Megan Haddock, CEO C&S Health Plan, OK, UnitedHealthcare

TRANSITIONS: Offering expertise for maneuvering career and life transitions
Session III: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Even in 2019, we continue to grapple with the negative perception of women’s “niceness” in the business world. If women are nice, they are seen as weak and ineffective. But if they are tough, they are labeled a bitch. This is the perfect session for women trying to navigate the complexity of relationships at work while staying kind and respectful. This session will explore how women can reclaim “nice” and sidestep regressive stereotypes about what a strong leader looks like.  Sharing her time-tested strategies, Fran Hauser will prove that women don’t have to sacrifice their values or hide their authentic personalities to be successful. Together, we will explore how to:

• • Balance being empathetic and decisive
  • Ask for what you want without feeling badly
  • Become a boss who is not feared but respected
  • Lead with kindness, empathy, humanity and STRENGTH.

Speaker: Fran Hauser, media executive, startup investor, and author, The Myth of the Nice Girl

          Emcee: Catherine Davie, VP, brand strategy, LegalZoom

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session III: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

We all want to work with people who are polite, considerate and kind. But it’s possible to be too nice: failing to disagree when it’s important to do so, or holding back from surfacing new ideas and innovations. Healthy, constructive conflicts are an essential part of producing good work; yet many people don’t have the skills to disagree in a professional, productive way. In this session, Amy Gallo combines management research and practical insights to provide straightforward advice on how to navigate difficult conversations so you can develop collaborative resolutions and be more effective at work.  Attendees will learn how to:

• • Recognize whether you and others tend to seek or avoid conflict
  • Assess your options for addressing a disagreement and knowing when to walk away
  • Manage your emotions
  • Prepare for and engage in difficult conversations.

Speaker: Amy Gallo, author, HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict

Emcee: Laysha Ward, EVP and chief external engagement officer, Target

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session III: 3:00 – 4:00 pm

What do we want from our money? Some of us look for independence and security, while others desire more choices and a better way of life. But all of us want to experience less stress around money. So, now that women have more money—and power—than ever before, how can we start making our money work for us? In this session, Today Show financial editor and bestselling author Jean Chatzky will share what she’s learned about living a financially robust life. She will also present her three-part plan for understanding your life in relationship to your finances. Expect to walk away armed with tactical solutions for getting paid what you deserve, making your money last, leaving a legacy—and, most importantly, feeling joyful while doing it.

Speaker: Jean Chatzky, author, Women with Money: The Judgement-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT offering advice to help you enhance your life, grow and create more positive personal experiences outside of the workplace
Session III: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm 

Developing a strong network of mentors and advocates is critical to career success. These meaningful relationships will serve you throughout your career and can help you be a  valuable connection for others. A lot of hard work, networking and mentors helped FOX’s NFL reporter Laura Okmin break through the barriers in a male-dominated field and ultimately cover the biggest names on the biggest stages. Now, she’s paying it forward by helping to train, mentor and prepare the next generation of women with her new GALvanize program. Laura will help you understand who you need to meet, how to meet them and how to form lasting relationships (even if you’re an introvert!) Whether you are looking for success in a mentor-mentee program or growing your career by building meaningful relationships, she will share the best practices for creating the most successful two-sided relationship to ensure it is a win-win.

Speaker: Laura Okmin, Emmy award-winning sports reporter and founder, GALvanize

Corporate board seats are scarce and competition is fierce. In this session, Jill Griffin, who is passionate about ending gender inequity in boardrooms, will equip you with the action steps that will help find and win you the ideal seat. She will share the proven ways to build your board brand, why a corporate board seat is professional “gold” and simple steps to research the board that’s right for you. Leave this session with an actionably strategy for positioning yourself for a new board seat.

Speaker: Jill Griffin, author, Earn Your Seat on a Corporate Board

As a business owner, sales is your oxygen –  you must sell your vision, passion, and solutions to investors and prospects in order to succeed. And while some may think of it as an art, there is an absolute science behind the sale. In this session, Rana Salman will share her best practices for communicating with prospects to lead to a sale. Attendees will learn how to find prospects using tools like LinkedIn, capturing their attention to land that sales appointment/call and preparing and conducting a relevant sales conversation that progresses the sale.

Speaker: Rana Salman, Ph.D., CEO, Salman Consulting

Speaker: Rana Salman, Ph.D.

Speaker: Liz Feezor, writer & creative strategist

A well-designed brand can change a business – increasing your sales and your subsequent bottom line. But, this well-planned brand can also profoundly transform other aspects beyond your sales. Brand strategist Valentina Gomez Bravo will share how your brand is your guide to understanding your key business objectives and enables you to make decisions that align with those goals. She will show how it can help you streamline your messages, identify your audience and unify your messaging so your brand is not just known to your customers, but is ingrained in every business decision you make.

Speaker: Valentina Gomez Bravo, brand strategist 

Have you ever felt that you’ve left money on the table in your business? Is your business ‘busy’ but there isn’t much left in the bank account to show for it? Join Leslie Hassler of Your Biz Rules to learn how to price your goods or services and capture more revenue with the inbound clients you already have. This session will help you Identify the cues in your business that will tell you when your pricing needs to change and once you establish you new price point, how to encourage purchasing.

Speaker: Leslie Hassler, Small Business Growth Strategist

Technology has given marketers more tools to reach customers than ever before. But mastering the basics are just as important as ever, especially if you are on a tight budget. How are today’s marketing leaders balancing medium, cost, and message? Serial entrepreneur Terry Mitchell will share her top marketing strategies to get the most bang for your buck.

Speaker: Terry Mitchell, serial entrepreneur and founder, The Austin Socialite

Building relationships through networking is crucial to growing your business.  But, what if your networking efforts are not producing the desired results? Join this session to learn how to establish real connections, which avenues are best for reaching your desired audience, successful follow up strategies to turn your contacts into business and how to use technology to stay connected.

Speaker: Toni Harris Taylor, founder, Drastic Steps Marketing

It’s crucial to make a memorable first impression because let’s face it:  you only get one first impression! Attend this roundtable and learn how to make a compelling 15-second elevator pitch to maximize your connections with potential clients, mentors, friends and business associates. Brand messaging coach Karie Price will share her tips for crafting an elevator pitch for your personal brand that will help you stand out from the rest.

Speaker: Karie Price, Brand Messaging Coach

How do you turn your idea into a business or brand that is ready to success? In this roundtable discussion, Margie Becker, who brought to life her concept of an online community that connects consumers with women-owned businesses, will share how she came up with a business plan, what it takes to compete, how to successfully manage your growth/failures and how she created what she hopes is a lasting entity that supports women-owned businesses.

Speaker: Margie Becker, founder, Pay Her Forward

You have a great idea for a book, but what’s the next step? If you are looking to get published, you have more choices than ever before. Should you seek a literary agent or a traditional publisher, employ an agency to publish your book, or self-publish? Natalia Sylvester, who recently published her second novel, will share her tips and strategies for getting you (and your book idea) where you want to go!

Speaker: Natalia Sylvester, author, Chasing the Sun and Everyone Knows You Go Home

Experiential marketing, also referred to as “engagement marketing” has the ability to take your marketing strategy to a whole new level. But, who should be using it? And how? Double A Labs founder and experiential marketing guru Amber Allen will share her insights into how to use these tools to benefit your small business. Attendees will learn how to entice their audiences to more closely engage with your company and what types of branding materials can help get the job done.

Speaker: Amber Allen, founder, Double A Labs

You may already know that Instagram is important for your business, but may be unsure why or how to create great visual content that resonates with your audience.  In this session, Instagram guru Alexis Davis will share the ins and outs of Instagram, how to better engage with your followers, and how to use the major features Instagram has to offer, such as stories and IGTV. Attendees will also learn about the tools creatives and marketers use to simplify their planning process, how to work with influencers, and how to take advantage of the best user-generated content. Come prepared with your Instagram account up and ready to go!

Speaker: Alexis Davis, founder, The Content Plug

Building a strong brand on social media means not just producing memorable content, but also connecting with your audience.  With more than 20 years of experience with creative direction and brand management, Joanna Holden will share her strategies for building an online brand that lasts. She will share how to create a brand that connects with people, inspires an audience and converts your customers.

Speaker: Joanna Holden, brand strategist

Most of us know LinkedIn as an employment service, but what if you knew how to maximize it to be so much more?  LinkedIn can be used to manage your professional identity and engage with your network, but did you also know it could be used to establish your brand, sell a service, meet your next employer or even client?  Yai Vargas, founder & CEO of The Latinista and known as The LinkedIn Ninja, can help you translate your creative, dynamic or strategic personality into actual business results. Come learn how she has built a powerful network and the one strategy she recommends to secure success on this platform.

Speaker: Yai Vargas, branding, career and diversity strategist

Social video is becoming an essential, non-negotiable tool for us to connect with our audiences and customers as creatives, bloggers, and businesses. In this session, Hot Dog Marketing CEO Jessica Scanlon will teach you how social video can help your brand, blog or business (no matter the size of your budget!), which platforms are right for you, and the tools and strategies needed to create effective video.

Speaker: Jessica Scanlon, managing director, Top Dog Marketing

Whether you are just getting your foot in the door, negotiating your next promotion and raise or trying to secure a leadership position, the tech field is a tough place to be a woman. With a lack of visible mentors and role models, how do you navigate your career? This roundtable will be led by Mary Champagne, who has fought these battles during her career and can share her lessons learned and the tangible strategies that can help you do the same.

Speaker: Mary Champagne, senior procurement manager, Tokyo Electron America

You tweet, blog and post as part of your strategy to raise awareness of your brand. Sometimes the response is immediate and sometimes you might hear crickets chirping as you wait for someone to notice your latest post. Branding expert Vannessa Wade will share how to improve these responses. Attend this session to learn how to CONNECT to your audience, CONVERT and monetize your brand and CORRECT so you can better target your audience.   

Speaker: Vannessa Wade, CEO, Connect the Dots PR

Thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, consumers are looking to fellow consumers more and more to inform their purchasing decisions. Savvy brands can now connect more directly and organically with their customers through thoughtful influencer marketing. Come learn about this growing technique, including affiliate, social, and peer-to-peer marketing, and how you can get influencers to help your products take off.

Speaker: Kennetta Piper, digital marketer and brand strategist

Telling your story via video online is intimidating for many, but with 8 billion views every day, social video is becoming an essential, non-negotiable tool for us to connect with our audiences and customers as creatives, bloggers, and businesses. In this session, movie director and producer Sara Hirsh Bordo will provide the tools and strategies needed to create effective video and teach you how social video can help your brand, blog or business (no matter the size of your budget!).

Speaker: Sara Hirsh Bordo, founder, director & producer, Women Rising

Millennial women are changing the workplace and redefining what it means to be powerful. But, to become successful in the workplace, there are often biases that must be overcome. From lazy and entitled to self-obsessed and difficult, we’ve all heard these inaccurate stereotypes about millennials and know all too well how they can affect your career trajectory. Join this session to learn how to redefine any misconceptions you are facing as a millennial in the workplace and get the respect you deserve from your colleagues and superiors.

Speaker: Elsa Dithmer, senior manager, Planview

You’ve crafted a cause that we all want to believe in, but how do you get the word out? Meet Laura Donnelly, who saw a need for positive media representations of Latina women for young girls. When she couldn’t find it, she created it herself.  Using social media platforms, traditional media strategies and fundraising techniques, she grew support and found the funding for Latinitas, a digital magazine for young Latinas. Come learn her tips and strategies so you can create your own movement!

Speaker: Laura Donnelly, founder & CEO, Latinitas

Instagram has become the app of choice for many looking to promote their business, blog or passion. Find out how to use this image-based social network to connect and engage personally and professionally. Whether you work for a corporation, small business or a non-profit, you will leave inspired with ideas on how to propel your work forward. Be sure to bring your smartphone and be ready to dive in!

Speaker: Shauna Glenn, founder, Shauna Glenn Design

Leslie Hassler
Natalia Sylvester

The end of Conference Day is just the beginning! Connect with us on your favorite network: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or join our email list to receive updates, original articles and news about year-round events – including exclusive speaker interviews and live Q&As.