2017 Agenda

• Author Signings & Meet and Greets
• Resume Review & Coaches Corner
• Health & Wellness Pavilion and Classroom
• QVC Product Search
• LinkedIn and Facebook Live Workshops
• Donation and Volunteer Opportunities
• Local and women-owned businesses
• Small Business & Social Media Roundtables
• Wine Tasting Networking Reception

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.

8:00 am – 8:20 am: Your Brain Health

Speaker: Carly Pollack, founder, Nutritional Wisdom
Vegan. Paleo. Low-carb. Dairy free. Diets come and go, and it’s hard to keep up with the latest trends and newest health fads. Carly Pollack, voted Austin’s best nutritionist three years in a row, will help bust the myths and misinformation while providing you with sound building blocks for your personal approach to nutrition. Get off the weekend binge eating/Monday morning diet roller-coaster and find out how to nourish your true self.

8:20 am: 1:1 Q&A with Carly Pollack

12:35 pm – 12:50 pm: Probiotics as Functional Foods

Speaker: Lorena Asebedo Kaplen, registered dietician, H-E-B
One of the hottest topics in nutrition science explores the benefits of including probiotics in your dietary eating pattern. Including probiotics in your food choices results in a healthy gut, which is linked to the prevention and treatment of many digestive health issues, but emerging science is finding that probiotics have an even bigger impact on our overall health. This session will focus on the possible health benefits and explore how to include probiotics in your diet with fermented foods and supplements for healthy digestion.

12:50 pm: 1:1 Q&A with Lorena Asebedo Kaplen

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm: ENCORE | Probiotics as Functional Foods

3:00 pm: 1:1 Q&A with Lorena Asebedo Kaplen

3:30 pm – 3:50 pm: Improve Your Memory, Concentration, and Mood

Speaker: Shonté Jovan Taylor, neuroscientist & mindset success catalyst
We have learned how to keep our bodies healthy and fit, but few of us know where to begin when it comes to taking care of our brains. Do you want to improve your memory, sharpen your thinking, increase your attention span, and boost your mental energy? Attend this session with neuroscientist Shonté Jovan Taylor to learn the current research on which foods and nutrients promote brain health and the top tips for maximizing your brain function to achieve optimal brain health.

3:50 pm: 1:1 Q&A with Shonté Jovan Taylor

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

Morning Keynote Lineup:

Terri Gruca, Emmy award-winning anchor & reporter
Janice Co, VP and head, marketing & strategy, Prudential Retirement
Melanie Foley, EVP, chief talent & enterprise services officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance
Mallika Chopra, founder & CEO, Intent.com, and author, Living with Intent
Marian Cabanillas, president, UnitedHealthcare Community & State’s South Texas health plan
Adam Grant, Wharton’s top-rated professor & best-selling author, Give and Take and Option B
Debbie McClure, senior director, global virtual sales & customer success
Anita Hill, civil & women’s rights pioneer

Mallika Chopra (signing in HomeAway booth #729, Tech Pavilion)
Adam Grant
Anita Hill
J Kelly Hoey

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
Ballroom F/G

Is there room for civility in today’s high-paced, heads-down, sound-bite, cut-to-the-chase world? The answer is a resounding yes. Civility brings financial, emotional and physical benefits. Join researcher and rudeness expert Dr. Christine Porath as she leads a discussion with a panel of senior executives on the costs and remedies for incivility. This panel will share how you can foster a more positive environment at work, tactical strategies to limit digital interruption in conversations and meetings and finally, when there is no other recourse, how to confront effectively, maintaining civility for yourself and those around you. Leave this session with an arsenal of tools to help you stay on the high road for work and life.

Thought Leader: Christine Porath, professor, McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University & author, Mastering Civility

Panelists: 
⚬ Celeste Headlee, award-winning journalist & author, We Need to Talk
⚬ Sara Hobson, director, US commercial, global virtual sales & customer success Americas team, Cisco
⚬ Nina Vaca, chairman & CEO, Pinnacle Group

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 – 11:00 am
Meeting Room 18

When women work to break the glass ceiling, they are more likely to rely on hard work and obtaining outside qualifications than engaging in networking, negotiation and office politics, which can often seem unnecessary and a waste of time.  But, recognizing the importance of these strategies can be the first step in advancing your career and a lack of willingness to engage can negatively impact your success.  Attendees will overcome this barrier to career advancement by learning the steps to developing these skills, enabling them the career success they desire and deserve.

Thought Leader: Michelle King, head, integrated strategy and partnerships for innovation, UN Women

Panelists:
⚬ Janice Co, VP and head, marketing & strategy, Prudential Retirement
⚬ Marissa Tarleton, CMO, RetailMeNot, Inc.
⚬ China Widener, national public sector strategy & operations leader and S&O diversity & inclusion leader, Deloitte Consulting, LLP

Emcee: Karen Morris, SVP, general counsel, P&C, USAA

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 – 11:00 am
Meeting Room 17

Failure and fear are a natural part of life. Although typically viewed as a negative, they can be harnessed to unleash innovation, growth and even lead
to success. rough setbacks and failure, we can learn invaluable skills like resiliency and risk taking to propel life in a positive direction. Using real-life experiences, this engaging discussion will help you discover how failure can work for you. Whether you are bouncing back from a job setback, trying to reinvigorate innovation in your company, struggling with a relationship, or facing the everyday obstacles that arise at work or home, attend this session to learn how to break free of the stigma and catapult growth for yourself both professionally and personally.

Thought Leader: Jess Lahey, author, The Gift of Failure

Panelists:
⚬ Kelly Hopping, senior director, integrated marketing, Rackspace
⚬ Sarah Robb O’Hagan, CEO, Flywheel Sports and author, Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat.
⚬ Lisa Stone, co-founder & former CEO, BlogHer Inc. & CMO, Ellevest

Emcee: Michelle Hare, marketing, State Farm

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

Whether you are just getting your foot in the door, negotiating your next promotion and raise or trying to get backing for your big entrepreneurial idea, the tech field is a tough place to be a woman. From a lack of visible mentors and role models to underrepresentation in startup communities and pontification about including more women in tech, without much action, the challenges that women face in the tech field are well-known. This panel of experts will share how they found their way in this field and the tangible strategies that can help you do the same.

Thought Leader: Heather Cabot, co-author, Geek Girl Rising: Inside the Sisterhood Shaking Up Tech    

Panelists:
⚬ Sara Brand, founding general partner, True Wealth Ventures
⚬ Rachel Cassidy, VP, global solutions & services, Rackspace
⚬ Lisa Pearson, CEO, Umbel

Emcee: Melanie Fish, manager, US public relations, HomeAway

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

In this increasingly visual age, images speak louder than words. Studies show that images also help people think. Visual note-taking such as doodling increases memory retention rates by nearly 30 percent, and opens creative pathways, strengthens focus, and inspires self-expression. Driven by these groundbreaking findings, entrepreneurs Nora Herting and Heather Willems founded ImageThink, and can help you visualize your ideas and transform your creative processes using simple drawing techniques that anyone can master. Do you have lots of ideas but feel immobilized and overwhelmed, and find yourself unable to turn those ideas into action? Attend this session and learn how to incorporate “Draw Your Big Idea” into your daily work life. This session will feature interactive drawing exercises tailored to help you brainstorm, refine, and execute ideas in the office, within your teams, and even at home. Learn how to beat creative block—for good—and turn your thoughts and dreams into reality!

Speaker: Heather Willems, co-founder, ImageThink, and co-author, Draw Your Big Idea

Emcee: Julie Watson, customer care manager, enterprise, Rackspace UK

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
Ballroom B/C

“Having it all” has become the subject of countless books, articles, debates, and social media commentary, with passions running high in all directions. Many now believe this to be gospel truth: Any woman who wants to advance in a challenging career has to make sacrifices. And with such a wide spectrum of priorities, workloads and resources for women, it is impossible to define “life balance” for all. But, what if there was a recipe for giving you more time in your day? Time management expert Laura Vanderkam will share seven time management strategies that may make a difference between just hanging on and possibly feeling like you are “having it all”.

Speaker: Laura Vanderkam, author, I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time

Emcee: Cheryl Reed, director, regional sales, United Airlines

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
Ballroom A

The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our relationships. Yet, when it comes to modern love, the expectations and social norms are quickly shifting beneath our feet. Over the past three decades, iconic couples’ therapist, erotic intelligence expert and best-selling author of Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, Esther Perel has been a penetrating observer of cultural patterns. In this session, she will explore desire, trust, honesty, accountability and the complicated (and contradictory) needs that are shaping relationships today. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of the intricacies of love and desire and what it takes to build thriving and resilient relationships.

Speaker: Esther Perel, author, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs

Emcee: Sabrina Brown, owner, Sabrina T. Brown Consulting & board member, TX Conference for Women

YOUNG WOMEN’S PROGRAM: Designed for high school junior and senior girls
Session I: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Meeting Room 19

Your social media is important and plays a big role in your personal life. But, how will future employers view your social media activity? More than 50% of employers use social media to screen hires and unfortunately, a single post can throw off your career track.  Millennial branding strategist Alex Wolf will walk you through how to separate your personal and professional social media and set boundaries to avoid conflicts, so you can enjoy your social without the risk.

Speaker: Alex Wolf, founder and CEO, Bossbabe Inc. and Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business”

Emcee: Carla Piñeyro Sublett, former CMO, Rackspace & board member, TX Conference for Women

Heather Cabot
Jessica Lahey
Esther Perel
Christine Porath
Laura Vanderkam
Heather Willems

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
Ballroom B/C

Becoming a leader in a boys’ club is a tough one. The structural issues around gender exclusion are real, but they don’t have to affect your ability to rise every day and act with clarity when you see the impediments. Women CAN influence the distribution of power to drive positive change. This intimate discussion will bring you up close and personal with Margaret McKenna—the first woman deputy White House counsel, the first president of Walmart Foundation, and the first woman president of Suffolk University. McKenna has forged the path of firsts and has also been a change agent in her different roles, from leading an effort to appoint more women and people of color to federal judgeships, to prioritizing hunger as the signature issue for the Walmart Foundation and driving governance change at Suffolk University. She has moved from government to the university life to the largest company in the world. How did she obtain these positions? How did she learn to navigate such different environments? What lessons did she learn about creating positive change? Led by friend and colleague Marian Heard, we will answer these questions, and you will leave with strategies to influence change.

Moderator: Marian Heard, president and CEO, Oxen Hill Partners and founding board member, MA Conference for Women

Speaker: Margaret McKenna, 1st woman Deputy White House Counsel, 1st president of Walmart Foundation and first woman president of Suffolk University

Emcee: Wendy Howell, chief of staff, technical services product management, 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
Ballroom D

CEOs, top executives, and other business leaders say they need creativity and real innovation to thrive in a competitive world. But according to former Wharton management professor Jennifer Mueller, many business leaders chronically reject creative solutions and often embrace the familiar, even as they profess commitment to innovation. Mueller’s research reveals that it’s not just CEOs, but many others often struggle to accept new and creative ideas even when desired. Mueller will address the tough questions these findings raise: Could people love but also hate creative ideas? Could the mindset we use to evaluate ideas turn this love or hate on or off—in an instant? Do experts struggle even more than novices with this bias? And even more startling, could the “best practices” that organizations employ to manage innovation activate this bias, and inadvertently, kill innovation? Mueller diagnoses this hidden innovation barrier, and will share her solutions, including:

• A four- step process (and a fifth lifeline) to self-disrupt your current mindset and recognize creative opportunity;
• An idea-pitching framework aimed at helping you overcome other peoples’ sticky preference for the status quo;
• Key organizational levers to disrupt the cultural beliefs holding your company back;
• Tips to more accurately recognize creative leaders who can lead organizations in productive new directions, and
• Strategies to generate ideas without harming your ability to make them count with the decision-makers.

Speaker: Jennifer Mueller, associate professor, University of San Diego & author, Creative Change: Why We Resist It… How We Can Embrace It 

Emcee:  Sunny Lopez, lubricants supply chain manager, Phillips 66

EMERGING PROFESSIONALS: Designed for Millennials and newer professionals entering or re-entering the workforce
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Meeting Room 17

No matter how skilled you are, how experienced, how many years you’ve been in business, or how much you love what you do, if you do not have a commanding presence on every platform and can successfully communicate your story, you will continue to be under-recognized and labor to attract recognition. For women who have taken a non-linear career path or have taken a pause and now want to re-enter, this can be even more challenging. The ability to speak and communicate with confidence and charisma is critical and will eliminate these obstacles allowing you to take your career or business to the next level. Attend this session to learn from some of the best brand marketing agents about how to position yourself for your future.

Thought Leader: Ruth Sherman, public speaking consultant & author, Speakrets: The 30 Best, Most Effective, Most Overlooked Marketing and Personal Branding Essentials

Panelists:
⚬ Shama Hyder, CEO of The Marketing Zen Group & author, Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age
⚬ Lisa Skeete Tatum, founder & CEO, Landit
⚬ Alex Wolf, founder and CEO, Bossbabe Inc. and Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business”

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                                                                           
Ballroom F/G

Gender exclusion is still prominent in today’s work environments putting women in a challenging position – for obvious reasons around the lack of equity– but also for those trying to exist in a corporate landscape as they climb the ladder and try to make a name for themselves. The competition is fierce wherever you are, and whether you like it or not, you are part of it. How do you stand out without alienating others? How do you get taken seriously in a male-dominated room? Join this team of leaders to uncover key lessons learned and new insights on how to make strides towards equity and partnership. Attendees will learn how to:

• Handle manterrupting, bropriating and talkblocking;
• Understand when to lead, when to follow and when to move on;
• Assert your presence using strong verbal skills and body language;
• Overcome bias and internal fears that prevent you from stepping up; and
• Ways you can pay it forward.

Thought Leader: Janet Crawford, founder & CEO, Cascadance

Panelists:
⚬ Julie Lythcott-Haims, author, How to Raise an Adult and Real American
⚬ Carol Rohl, executive director, scientific information management,
Merck
⚬ Lisa Stone, co-founder & former CEO, BlogHer Inc. & CMO, Ellevest

Emcee: Colette Pierce Burnette, EdD, president & CEO, Huston-Tillotson University

TRANSITIONS: Offering expertise for maneuvering career and life transitions
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm                                                                                          Ballroom A

In every challenging situation, personal or professional, individuals face the pressure to play it safe and conform to the accepted norms. But doing so comes with heavy costs: passions stifled, talents ignored, and opportunities squelched. The bolder choice is to embrace what expert Sarah Robb O’Hagan calls “Extreme You”—to confidently bring all that is distinctive and relevant about yourself to everything you do. Through dramatic successes and epic fails, O’Hagan studied how extraordinary people in sports, entertainment and business set and achieve extremely personal goals and will share how you too can find success.

Speaker: Sarah Robb O’Hagan, CEO, Flywheel Sports & author, Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat.

Emcee: Pam LeBlanc, writer, Austin American-Statesman

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                                                                                          Ballroom E

Women are burned out and overwhelmed, working to balance personal and professional lives in the hopes of finding happiness.  Often this drive to do more does not lead to happiness, instead causing exhaustion, anxiety, guilt, fear, social comparison, inauthenticity and physical illness. Join positive psychology professor Emily Esfahani Smith to find out why and learn ways to create a life with meaning and joy while increasing your energy and decreasing your stress. Panelists will share best practices to help you create your most meaningful life, avoid burnout and reap the benefits of increased health, happiness and satisfaction.

Thought Leader: Emily Esfahani Smith, author, The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life that Matters

Panelists:
⚬ Mallika Chopra, founder & CEO, Intent.com, and author, Living with Intent
⚬ Denise Press, VP, national account lead, Mastercard
⚬ Lisa Sugar, founder and president, PopSugar and author, Power Your Happy: Work Hard, Play Nice & Build Your Dream Life                                     

Emcee: Michelle Cooper, senior director & GFP operations leader, Applied Materials

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                                                                                          Meeting Room 18

Even though women are 50% of the workforce, they only represent 18% of the highest-level leaders. Responsibilities at work and home often leave women without the bandwidth to succeed and wondering if their career and personal goals are unachievable. Tiffany Dufu, one of Fast Company’s “League of Extraordinary Women” and once the poster child for doing it all, will offer a new perspective on why the women’s leadership movement has stalled and how we can stop that trend. She will share actionable advice on how we can reevaluate our priorities, embrace imperfection and expect less of ourselves and more of others so that we can focus on the goals we truly care about. Attendees will walk away with practical tips to help us flourish at work and develop deeper, more meaningful relationships at home.

Speaker: Tiffany Dufu, CLO, Levo & author, Drop the Ball

Emcee: Carol McGarah, CEO, Blackridge & board member, TX Conference for Women

YOUNG WOMEN’S PROGRAM: Designed for high school junior and senior girls
Session II: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm                                                                                          Meeting Room 19

“Follow your gut” is advice easy to give, but harder to follow. How do you know when following your intuition will lead you to happiness and success? In the session, super stars in their industries will share with you the reasons why fostering your passions, seeking purpose in your chosen interest and taking the road less traveled is often the most rewarding, despite (and because of) the hiccups and failures you may encounter on the way.

Thought Leader: Marion Jones, former track and field world champion

Panelists:
⚬ Robyn Moreno, editorial director, Latina Media Ventures
⚬ Lilly Rockwell, business reporter, Austin American-Statesman
⚬ Sarah Thomas, first female official, NFL

Emcee: Alejandrina Guzman, student body president, The University of Texas at Austin

Tiffany Dufu
Shama Hyder
Marion Jones
Julie Lythcott-Haims
Robyn Moreno
Jennifer Mueller
Sheryl O’Loughlin
Ruth Sherman
Emily Esfahani Smith

Keynote Luncheon Lineup:

Terri Gruca, Emmy award-winning anchor & reporter
Johnita Jones, midstream Americas engineering manager, ExxonMobil, board president, TX Conference for Women
First Lady Cecilia Abbott
Holly Windham, executive vice president, CLO, and general counsel, Rackspace
A conversation with Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook & author, Lean In and Option B, moderated by Adam Grant, Wharton’s top-rated professor & best-selling author, Give and Take and Option B
Bobbi Dangerfield, SVP, global business services, Dell & board member, TX Conference for Women
Viola Davis, award-winning stage, television and film actor

Mallika Chopra (signing in HomeAway booth #729, Tech Pavilion)
Amy Cooper Hakim
Jeffery Tobias Halter
Julie Lythcott-Haims
Esther Perel

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
Ballroom A

The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our relationships. Yet, when it comes to modern love, the expectations and social norms are quickly shifting beneath our feet. Over the past three decades, iconic couples’ therapist, erotic intelligence expert and best-selling author of Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, Esther Perel has been a penetrating observer of cultural patterns. In this session, she will explore desire, trust, honesty, accountability and the complicated (and contradictory) needs that are shaping relationships today. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of the intricacies of love and desire and what it takes to build thriving and resilient relationships.

Speaker: Esther Perel, author, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs

Emcee: Norine Yukon, former CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas & board member, TX Conference for Women

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
Meeting Room 18

By engaging men in advocating for more equal workplaces, we’re creating better leaders, stronger businesses, more fulfilling lives for both women and men as well as establishing a business imperative required at all levels from all managers. The stats are staggering, in terms of where women stand in the workplace even after all this time, and will need an all hands-on deck approach to make the changes necessary for equality. Yet, while progress is slow, it is critical to understand that advancements are being made and this forward movement is not being solely spearheaded by women. This session will bring together top female and male executives to share their firsthand experiences and contributions for achieving gender equity within their organizations. Together we will:

• Identify methods in which women can form closer ties and partner with male counterparts to work together more effectively;
• Illustrate tangible strategies in the workplace for the handling of personnel management, hiring and promotions so all employees are on an equal playing field; and
• Demonstrate practical steps in which you can build a business case internally to engage men as advocates to impact positive change and equity within your organization.

Thought Leader: Jeffery Tobias Halter, gender strategist and president, YWomen

Panelists:
⚬ Janet Crawford, founder & CEO, Cascadance
⚬ Mary Stork, president, financial planning & advice, USAA
⚬ Marian Cabanillas, President, Community & State’s South Texas Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare

Emcee: Dawn Frazier-Bohnert, SVP, chief diversity & inclusion, 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
Ballroom F/G

Your work day is filled with them—people who frustrate, impede, maneuver, undermine, plot, connive, and whine. This session will detail specific techniques for handling all of them, with easy-to-follow scenarios for every situation. Taking into account the modern issues that play into our work, including technology, generation gaps, and language barriers, researcher Amy Cooper Hakim and a panel of executives who have expertly handled many of these situations, will guide you through the 10 kinds of culprits, from tyrants and bullies (regular and cyber) to the pushy and presumptuous to connivers and camouflagers; and offers helpful strategies and phrases for diffusing workplace tensions and effectively resolving conflicts.

Thought Leader: Amy Cooper Hakim, author, Working with Difficult People: Handling the Ten Types of Problem People Without Losing Your Mind 

Panelists:
⚬ Jane Gasdaska, GM, US product supply & distribution, Phillips 66
⚬ Amanda Gill, VP, North America Oracle Talent Advisory, Oracle
⚬ Tracy Quon, asset manager, Appalachian Basin, US onshore, Statoil

Emcee: Myrna Estrada, VP & regional general manager, Safeco Insurance

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
Ballroom B/C

If you think of networking as schmoozing at cocktail parties or scrolling through LinkedIn for new contacts to add, think again. In the social media age, you need a modern roadmap for creating and cultivating meaningful connections to stand out from the crowd and achieve any of your goals, no matter how big or small. In this session, networking expert J. Kelly Hoey will share her approach to mastering this timeworn skill in a world where everyone is posting, liking, and friending fast and furiously, but many are failing to leverage their connections successfully. Hoey will provide Innovative strategies for forming strong relationships—the genuine, mutually beneficial, long-lasting kind—using the social tools at your disposal and show attendees how to:

• Determine the most effective ways to connect with others so you don’t clutter your calendar with dead-end coffee dates and informational interviews
• Synchronize face-to-face networking efforts with your digital outreach
• Turn “closed door” conversations into strong personal relationships and business opportunities
• Harness the power of your network to accomplish any ambition, from landing your dream job or a coveted account or client to successfully crowdfunding a new business venture.

Speaker: J. Kelly Hoey, author, Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World

Emcee: Tamara Fields, managing director, Accenture

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

Mallika Chopra, the daughter of spirituality guru Deepak Chopra, has been steeped in questions of purpose, fulfillment, and enlightenment for her entire life. As she looked to answer these questions, she struggled with the challenges of guilt and finding balance and serenity as her to-list multiplied by the second. Her tipping point led her to authoring Living with Intent, which is a chronicle of her search to find more meaning, joy and balance in life. In this session, Mallika Chopra will share her personal journey – successes and failures) and provide a practical road map for how we can all move from thought to action to overcome. Attendees will leave both inspired and armed with solid tools to make positive changes for living a life of intent.

Speaker: Mallika Chopra, founder and CEO, Intent.com, author, Living with Intent: My Somewhat Messy Journey to Purpose, Peace and Joy 

Emcee: Marisela Rylander, global director, talent acquisition, HomeAway

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

Making a decision to “push the boundaries”, whether it is starting your own company, taking an innovative approach, making a job transition or joining a startup can be overwhelming.  If you have dreamed of making a change, but not sure you are ready for the gamble, this panel of innovative women can help you navigate your fears and assess the risks involved. Learn the best practices of these seasoned entrepreneurs & executives, so that you are prepared to push the limits and armed to achieve success.  Sharing their personal stories, attendees will learn how to:

• Establish a climate that embraces smart risk and invites sustainable growth;
• Identify and eliminate barriers to progressive thinking; and
• Gain confidence to push the limits.

Thought Leader: Karen Cahn, founder & CEO, iFundWomen

Panelists:
⚬ Nellie Borrero, senior global inclusion & diversity managing director, Accenture
⚬ Carolyn Muise, VP, chief customer office, analytics & intelligence, Dell
⚬ Claire Vo, senior director, product, Optimizely

Emcee: Ruth Hughs, commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission

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
Meeting Room 17

Julie Lythcott-Haims’ provocative manifesto, How to Raise an Adult, drew worldwide acclaim for outlining the harms of helicopter parenting and offering her strategy for raising preteens and teens to self-sufficient young adulthood.  Come hear Julie in person talk about her philosophy as to why over-parenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to over-helping, Lythcott-Haims will share practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success. This session is relevant to parents of toddlers as well as of twentysomethings—and of special value to parents of teens—or anyone interested in ensuring that the next generation can take charge of their own lives with competence and confidence.

Speaker: Julie Lythcott-Haims, author, How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success

Emcee: Alison D. Frey, intellectual property lawyer, Dickinson Wright, PLLC

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
Meeting Room 19

Establishing financial security and maintaining your lifestyle through retirement is something we know is important, but may not always prioritize in our day-to-day decision making. However you choose to spend your money, behavioral inhibitors further exacerbate any financial gaps in our retirement plans. Join this panel of experts to bring these challenges and behaviors to light and learn how to get back on track to reaching your long-term financial goals. The panelists will address:

•  What financial challenges are unique to women?
•  How can these challenges and behaviors hinder your ability to meet your long-term financial goals?
•  What decisions and actions can you take to start addressing these unique challenges in an appropriate and savvy way?

Thought Leader: Carmen Rita Wong, co-creator & host, CNBC’s On the Money, and CEO, Malecon Productions

Panelists:
⚬ Taylor Bradford, owner & editor, TaylorBradford.com & host, Boss Girl Creative
⚬ Di B. Gazdar, financial professional
⚬ Dwan Perrin, founder, MommaDJane

We have all heard about that Kickstarter campaign that reached its goal within the hour. Or that GoFundMe campaign whose idea seemed brilliant, but failed to meet its goal. What are the strategies that will make your crowdfunding campaign viable for success? Before you start, meet Kristal Johnson, who just finished a campaign and will share how to maximize this opportunity while minimizing the risk to your business idea.

Speaker: Kristal Johnson, founder, Fundjoy, LLC

How do you turn your concept or idea into a business or brand that is ready to command market share? In this roundtable discussion, learn from POP Austin founder, Lana Carlson, who brought to life her concept of an international art show and find out how she came up with a business plan, what it takes to compete, how to successfully manage your growth and how she created what she hopes is a lasting business.

Speaker: Lana Carlson, head curator & co-founder, POP Austin International Art Show

You’ve learned how to identify prospects, make a great presentation and sell your product. But, in order to close the deal, you need to communicate effectively and your prospect’s communication style may be different from your own.  Sales mentor Stephanie Chung will share her research on how to communicate effectively (both verbally and non-verbally) with people based on their communication style. Starting by identifying your own style, she will share how to quickly spot others’ style and how to adjust the conversation so that your buyer is encouraged and your prospects for success are maximized.

Speaker: Stephanie Chung, founder, Stephanie Chung & Associates

A poorly timed tweet, a mis-worded caption, or an inappropriate hashtag can lead to a cringeworthy moment online with real-world ramifications. Even the most conscientious person can have one. Publicist and communications expert Rachel Green dissects real social gaffes and responses so that, should the unintended happen to you, you’ll know the steps to make changes and move on.

Speaker: Rachel Green, CEO, A Brand Called U

Culture may trump strategy, but intentionally creating your company’s culture takes strategic thinking and planning. It’s worth the effort, too; how we get things done drives performance, innovation, retention, and ultimately profits. 360Partners CEO Barbara Cavness walks participants through how to determine and define your company culture, why it matters, and steps you can take immediately to start establishing yours.

Speaker: Barbara Cavness, CEO, 360Partners Consulting

Snapchat reaches more than 40 percent of 18-to-34-years-olds in the U.S. on a daily basis, so there is no doubt that to be a savvy social media marketer, you need to be using this tool. But how do you promote yourself or your business on this disappearing media app? Join this roundtable to get familiar with this platform, explore marketing and branding stories from organizations utilizing this tool, and learn how this quirky app can be used to show your brand’s personality. Participants will walk away with simple-to-use, creative ways to use Snapchat to brand their business, product, and organization.

Speaker: Alice Chase, creator, Thrill of the Chases

With eight 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, VideoPop founder Andrea Corson 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: Andrea Corson, founder, VideoPop & La Label Junkie

You love blogging about your passion and have built a following. Your blog has started to build traffic, attract new readers and is receiving increasing attention. So, how do you take the next step to monetize your content and create an actual business? This roundtable will explore your options from sponsored content and affiliate programs to advertising sales so that you can make the transition without losing your readers’ trust.

Speaker: Jamie Dorobek, founder, C.R.A.F.T.

Social media is the primary hub for many PR efforts as both the content you post and the content others post on social can generate media coverage for your brand or business. How do you take it one step further and inspire the traditional media to cover your story? Emmy-award winner Gaby Natale will share her suggestions for getting the attention of overworked and overwhelmed media professionals. Whether you are in the for-profit world trying to maximize exposure, an entrepreneur trying to secure press or spearheading a cause in the non-profit arena, attendees will learn specific do’s and don’ts and explore how new mediums in the digital space are changing the way media is covered and how you can be heard.

Speaker: Gaby Natale, host, Emmy Award-winning syndicated TV show SuperLatina and co-founder and president, AGANARmedia

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 are corporate, small business, or a nonprofit, 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: Connie Gomez, creator, Momma of Dos & cofounder, Houston Latina Bloggers

Websites capture interest with content that is informative, challenging, amusing, and provocative without taking it too far—a tough ask in this competitive space. This session will walk you through the process of creating website content that meets your business goals AND attracts customers. From determining your unique value proposition and ideal customer personas to mapping out a site structure, this session will help you determine what content needs to be created to create customer engagement and action.

Speaker: Lindsey Tyner, owner & founder, Alt Creative

Studies have shown that approximately 80 percent of job seekers turn to social media to search for a new job. Whether you are looking for top talent or searching for a job, you’ll want to leverage social media. Join this roundtable with personal branding expert Maddie Highsmith to discuss the latest trends for finding your next job or attracting the right talent through digital technology. By using social and mobile strategies, you will learn how to broaden your reach to attract more job offerings or find a greater talent pool if you are a hiring manager.

Speaker:  Maddie Highsmith, enterprise account executive, Oracle

Social media offers unprecedented opportunities to define and build your brand. But each social channel is unique, and a cookie-cutter approach just won’t cut it. How can you create consistency across multiple platforms and leverage different channels to support your message? Lisa Pearson, CEO of Umbel, which specializes in increasing customer engagement, will share which channels are ideal for your message and how to target the right audiences.

Speaker: Lisa Pearson, CEO, Umbel

Jamie Dorobek
J. Kelly Hoey
Gaby Natale

The end of Conference Day is just the beginning! Connect with us on your favorite network: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or join our email list to receive updates, original articles and news about year-round events – including free monthly teleclasses. Also, don’t forget to download the TexasWomen App to connect with fellow attendees and speakers!