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You. How often as a woman have you put yourself first? Women are working harder burning out in ways never imagined. Self-care, health, and wellness are some of the most critical aspects of our lives and we are failing ourselves. However, we believe in empowerment and we believe in you.
This two-day virtual conference provides you the time and ability to focus inward, on your physical, mental, and emotional self. The programs and sessions are designed to bring positive awareness to help you understand the concepts and importance of self-care, mental health, wellness, nutrition, physical wellness, and relationships. Step away from monotonous zoom calls and allow yourself to embrace renowned motivational speakers, coaches, trainers, therapists, and psychologists who address issues like work-life integration, courageous challenges, the power of vulnerability, celebration of life while coping with guilt or loss, and the resources to renew and revive the life you deserve to live.
Check in often, more speakers to be added.
Jasmine Banks
Jasmine is a nonprofit executive director, licensed therapist, digital organizer and strategist. Jasmine’s strategic approach, in all of her organizing, is to center the most vulnerable communities impacted by structural oppression. She received her both BS in Psychology and Communications and her MA in Community Counseling from John Brown University in Arkansas.
In 2014, Jasmine was a TEDx Arkansas Speaker on “Authentic Digital Communications.” In addition to her role as Executive Director at UnKoch My Campus, Jasmine is a national speaker on radical self-care for people of color, a workshop facilitator for “Waking Up White” ally training, and a national workshop facilitator for “Cross Movement Collaboration.” She was on the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee for Sage Therapeutics, as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee for Blogher 2016. In 2018, Jasmine was a part of the Rockwood Strengthening Democracy cohort, the Higher Heights Black Women Civic Leader Fellowship 2020, and the 2021 Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellowship.
Jasmine is a mother of four, eternal fan of Beyoncé, and passionate supporter of her queer Black community. She has spoken with members of the media in many formats, from print (The New York Times Magazine), to podcasts, and a variety of outlets online, including The Nation, WSJ, Teen Vogue, and many more, on topics ranging from academic freedom to digital organizing, race, parenthood and more. She is the co-producer and content creator of the passion project she launched with her wife: Parenting Is Political Podcast.
Ceasar Fernando Barajas
Ceasar is an International Wellness Mentor & Advocate. This came to be as he still presently copes and manages his own diagnosed anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress, and found his calling as an educator and supporter to mental health awareness causes. As a trauma-sensitive Certified Yoga Instructor, Meditation Teacher, and Breathing Techniques Instructor, he specializes in mindful resiliency for trauma recovery and compassion fatigue, and has taught all over the world. He’s served as a guest panelist & speaker at Rutgers and Fordham Universities, numerous corporate events, podcasts, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia University, teaching Meditation/Mindfulness for their Teachers College Summer Principals Academy. As a 7-year U.S. Navy Veteran, he also works with the Veterans Yoga Project as an Ambassador and Master Teacher, with experience supporting recovery and resilience of Veterans, many of which experience post-traumatic stress, trauma-related challenges, and other mental health issues. He not only serves the Veteran community, but active duty armed forces members, their spouses, and community at large. Ceasar also provides group yoga, fitness & meditation classes, and personal coaching and advisement, both in person, and online, to an international community of individuals. And in his spare time, Ceasar is also an award-winning singer, dancer, actor, fight and dance choreographer, musical theater talent, and voiceover artist.
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D.
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and both a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He is one of only 168 psychologists in the world to have passed the Sleep Medical Speciality board without going to Medical School. Dr. Breus was recently named the Top Sleep Specialist in California by Reader’s Digest, and one of the 10 most influential people in sleep. Dr. Breus is on the clinical advisory board of The Dr. Oz Show and on the show (40 times).
Dr. Breus is the author of The Power of When, (September 2016) a #1 at Amazon for Time Management and Happiness, #28 overall) a bio-hacking guide book proving that there is a perfect time to do everything, based on your genetic biological chronotype. Dr. Breus gives the reader the exact perfect time to have sex, run, a mile, eat a cheeseburger, ask your boss for a raise and much more.
His second book The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep (Rodale Books; May 2011), discusses the science and relationship between quality sleep and metabolism. His first book, GOOD NIGHT: The Sleep Doctor’s 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health (Dutton/Penguin), an Amazon Top 100 Best Seller, is a do-it-yourself guide to better sleep.
Dr. Breus has supplied his expertise with both consulting and as a sleep educator (spokesperson) to brands such as Hastens Beds, Ebb Therapeutics (FDA approved insomnia treatment), Princess Cruise lines, Six Senses Hotel and Spa, Lighting Science Group, Advil PM, Breathe Rite, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Dong Energy (Denmark), Merck (Belsomra), iHome, and many more.
Dr. Breus lectures all over the world for organizations such as YPO (Young Presidents Organization) 20+ times in 2018-19, AT&T (10 times), on stage for Tony Robbins (Unleash the Power), hospitals, and medical centers, financial organizations, product companies and many more.
For over 14 years Dr. Breus served as the Sleep Expert for WebMD. Dr. Breus also writes The Insomnia Blog and can be found regularly on Psychology Today, and Sharecare.
Dr. Breus has been interviewed on CNN, Oprah, The View, Anderson Cooper, Rachel Ray, Fox and Friends, The Doctors, Joy Behar, The CBS Early Show, The Today Show, and Kelly and Michael.
He is an expert resource for most major publications doing more than 250 interviews per year (WSJ, NYT, Washington Post, and most popular magazines- list available upon request).
His topic of expertise is the science of sleep and Peak Performance. He has been interviewed about:
Dr. Breus has been in private practice for 22 years and recently relocated his practice to Los Angles.
Alexandra Carter
Alex is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School. She has spent the last eleven years helping thousands of people negotiate better, build relationships and reach their goals. In 2019, Alex was awarded the Columbia University Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, Columbia University’s highest teaching honor.
Alex believes that negotiation is for everyone. She is a world-renowned negotiation trainer for groups and individuals from all over the world—including the United Nations, Fortune 100 companies, the U.S. government, foreign governments, not-for-profit organizations, universities and private law firms. Through the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School, Alex and her students provide free conflict resolution services and training to many people and organizations who otherwise would not be able to afford it.
Prior to joining the Columbia faculty, Alex was associated with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. She also worked at Goldman Sachs in the Principal Investment Area. She spent a year in Taipei, Taiwan as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar.
Alex received her Juris Doctor degree in 2003 from Columbia Law School, where she earned James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone academic honors. She won the Jane Marks Murphy Prize for her mediation work and the Lawrence S. Greenbaum Prize for oral advocacy. She graduated cum laude from Georgetown University, where she won the Lena Landegger community service award.
Her first book, Ask for More: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything, was published May 5th by Simon & Schuster and became an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller — the first negotiation book solo-authored by a woman to make that list.
Alex lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with her husband Greg and their daughter Caroline. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and practicing yoga.
Dr. Shirley Davis
Dr. Shirley Davis is an accomplished corporate executive, global workforce expert, a certified leadership coach, and a master of reinvention. She has consulted, coached, and presented to leaders at all levels, including Boards of Directors and C-Suite executives. She has also worked in more than 30 countries around the world across all industries business sectors. She delivers high energy, high content, and high impact solutions that enable organizations to build more inclusive, equitable, and world class cultures where ALL talent can thrive.
Dr. Davis is also President and CEO of SDS Global Enterprises, Inc., a strategic development solutions firm that specializes in HR strategy development, talent acquisition management, culture transformation, diversity , equity, and inclusion, implicit bias, leadership effectiveness, and personal and professional reinvention. She has over 30 years of business, leadership, and human resources expertise and has worked at several Fortune 100 and Fortune 50 companies, and at the world’s largest HR membership association in various senior and executive leadership roles.
She holds a Bachelor’s in Pre-Law; a Master’s in HR Management; and a Ph.D. in Business and Organizational Leadership. She is certified as a Senior HR Professional through the Human Resources Certification Institute and The Society for Human Resource Management (SPHR and SHRM-SCP respectively). Additionally, she is a Certified Speaking Professional earned through the National Speaker’s Association, and a Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation.
She has been featured and quoted on NBC’s The Today Show, CNN.com. in the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Fox Television, Black Enterprise Magazine, The Washington Post, HR Magazine, and Inclusion Magazine, and has been honored with numerous awards. She is the best-selling author of two books: “Reinvent Yourself in Every Area of Your Life,” and The Seat: How to Get Invited to the Table When You’re Over-performing but Undervalued.” She is also a popular author for four LinkedIn Learning leadership and DEI courses.
She is a former Miss District of Columbia, Mrs. Oklahoma, Ms. Virginia, and in 2000 won the national title of Ms. American United States. Dr. Davis is active in her local community, sits on several boards, and resides in the Tampa Bay area.
Kara Goldin
Kara Goldin is the Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., best known for its award-winning Hint® water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. She has received numerous accolades, including being named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Northern California, one of InStyle’s 2019 Badass 50, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, WWD Beauty Inc.’s Feel Good Force and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs. The Huffington Post listed her as one of six disruptors in business, alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.
Previously, Kara was VP of Shopping and Ecommerce at America Online where she helped lead the growth of its shopping and ecommerce business to over a
She is an active speaker and writer and, in 2017, she launched The Kara Goldin Show, a podcast where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs and disruptors across various industries. Kara’s first book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters, published by Harper Leadership, was released October 2020 and is now a WSJ and Amazon Best Seller. Kara lives in the Bay Area with her family.
Kim Hagenbuch
Kim Hagenbuch is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at Sodexo’s Central MNT Office. Kim has experience growing outpatient nutrition programs in both adults and pediatrics. She currently manages Sodexo’s national outpatient offers including telenutrition, MNT Compliance programs, and the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Program. One of the areas she values in her current position is the ability to collaborate with fellow Registered Dietitians. Kim graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Master’s in Nutrition through Sodexo’s coordinated degree program.
Alethia M. Jackson
Dr. Stuart L. Lustig came to Cigna in 2011 and is the Senior Medical Director for Behavioral Health. He engages with clients, provider groups, and other stakeholders about Cigna’s behavioral health care business. He also manages a team that manages escalated grievances of importance to Cigna clients. A board certified child psychiatrist, he previously served as Lead Medical Director for Child and Adolescent Care for Cigna’s Behavioral Health. Members of Dr. Lustig’s team received Cigna’s prestigious Quarterly Champion Award for disseminating health services research via peer reviewed journal publications and presentations at conferences.
Dr. Lustig previously served as Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. For two decades, Dr. Lustig has worked with numerous human rights organizations and, due to numerous published articles in professional journals, is a nationally recognized expert on psychological trauma among refugees and political asylum seekers. He has provided consultations to numerous school systems in the San Francisco and Boston areas. He is the editor of the textbook, Advocacy Strategies for Health and Mental Health Professionals: From Patients to Policies. Dr. Lustig received his Doctorate of Medicine from Rush Medical College and completed his psychiatric training at Stanford and Harvard hospitals. He also has a Master in Public Health from the University of Illinois School of Public Health.
Stuart Lustig
Alethia is a highly experienced Government Relations and Public Affairs executive with 20 years of success with careers at Walgreen Co., America’s Health Insurance Plans, and National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Throughout her career, Alethia has been recognized for her ability to develop high-impact strategies, structures, and partnerships that have shaped public policy, elevated brand identity, and advanced corporate and industry policy objectives.
As Vice President, Federal Government Relations and Head of Advocacy at Walgreens, Alethia is driving efforts to further progress the company’s vision, purpose, and strategic policy objectives to expand patient access to pharmacy services, advance the role of pharmacy within the healthcare system, and support retail growth and value creation. Alethia oversees the lobbying, political engagement and grassroots functions. Additionally, she chairs a cross-functional COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force developing and employing strategies to ensure the equitable distribution and administration of the vaccine.
Prior to joining Walgreens, Alethia served as Vice President of Federal Affairs with America’s Health Insurance and Assistant Counsel for Health Policy for National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Alethia has been honored as a Top Lobbyist by The Hill four consecutive years (2017-2020) and earned the 2016 Corporate Citizenship Award by the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. She is also a frequent invited speaker on health care policy and women leadership issues.
Alethia is passionate about empowering young women and girls though leadership development and is an active member of the Board of Directors for Running Start, a nonpartisan nonprofit that trains young women to run for public office. Alethia has also devoted herself to providing governance and financial leadership to community organizations and nonprofits. She is currently on the Board of Trustees for Arena Stage Theater and on the Corporate Advocacy Board for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
Alethia holds a JD degree from Syracuse University School of Law and a BA degree from State University of New York at Albany. She is a member of New York State and Washington DC bar associations.
Cordialis Msora-Kasago
Cordialis Msora-Kasago, M.A, R.D.N is a Regional Nutrition Manager for Sodexo Healthcare where she works directly with dietitians and helps improve quality of care and outcomes for patients and communities across the western United States.
Active in dietetics at local, national and international levels, Msora-Kasago is a regular presenter at workshops and conferences. She strongly believes that in order to improve health equity, dietitians must be at the forefront of the food and nutrition messages that the public hears and consequently shares evidence-informed nutrition guidance while serving as a National Media Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. In this capacity, Cordialis has authored numerous health related articles and provided expert opinion on a wide variety of food and nutrition topics for media outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, Food and Nutrition Magazine and The Huffington Post.
To promote diversity within the nutrition field, Cordialis mentors young professionals from underrepresented groups and serves on the Advisory Council of Diversify Dietetics, a 501( c) organization aimed at decreasing health disparities by increasing the diversity of nutrition professionals.
When away from work, Cordialis enjoys cooking and sharing information about foods from the African diaspora.
Desiree Neal
Dr. Hemalee Patel has a 360-degree, integrative approach to her practice. Dr. Patel is a board-certified practicing physician in Internal Medicine at One Medical and on staff at California Pacific Medical Center and Stanford University Hospital & Clinics, as a Board member for Stanford Physician Wellness Committee and where she was previously a Clinical Instructor and Hospitalist. She is also a Physician, Crossover Health-Facebook HQ Menlo Park. Dr. Patel speaks frequently on lifestyle medicine and population health topics to empower and educate individuals using the latest advances in health and wellness so they can prevent and control the development of chronic diseases and achieve balanced lifestyles. She also champions for healthy lifestyle approaches to optimize energy levels and productivity, as well as discussing provider burnout, resilience and well-being.
Her method to delivering care begins with getting to know her patients, which includes their values, lifestyle, and concerns. As a result, Dr. Patel is able to incorporate evidence-based medicine along with tailored education and motivation strategies that optimize patients’ nutrition, fitness, sleep, and mindfulness in order to improve and resolve health conditions, and strives to have her patients feel heard and supported, which is in line with her desire to care for the whole person rather than simply treating symptoms. While she believes that we each have the power to control our own health using simple lifestyle modifications that can lead to optimal wellness, her goal is to help patients realize their ability to make positive, healthy changes, and help guide them through this transformation to achieve successful results.
Dr. Patel is a member of the AMA and has served on the board of the National Consortium of Integrative Medicine. She is currently based in San Francisco, California and has a BA in Economics and English from UC Berkeley with an emphasis in Nutritional Sciences, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and earned her medical degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine before completing her residency at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. She is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and certified in Ayurvedic medicine level 1 and 2.
Dr. Hemalee Patel
As the Executive Chef for Centerplate, Desiree Neal oversees the culinary operation for all 500,000 square feet of meeting and event space at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. She and her team are responsible for feeding groups as intimate as five people and as grand as 30,000. Having worked her way through the ranks, it’s a job that Chef Desiree doesn’t take for granted and enjoys every day.
In the second half of 2020, Chef Desiree helped open the new 285,000 square foot Virginia Beach Sports Center with menu development, menu costing and identifying equipment needs to run the culinary operation. The facility is adjacent to the convention center and hosts multiple sporting events for thousands of athletes coming to Virginia Beach for indoor track, basketball, volleyball, and a number of other sports.
A native of Seattle, Washington, Desiree Neal found her calling in the kitchen when her father introduced her to cooking so that she could help with the responsibilities at home. She later received her first cookbook and began sharpening her skills from there. By age 15, she was ready to tackle larger meals and successfully prepared Thanksgiving dinner for her family. To this very day, she enjoys the challenges that come with feeding the masses.
Chef Desiree began her culinary career during high school working as a dietary aide in a nursing home kitchen. After graduation, she worked in catering, as a restaurant line cook, and as a breakfast chef at the Holiday Inn Executive Center. During the 2006 holiday season, she applied to the Virginia Beach Convention Center as a part time meat carver where she’s now stayed for over fifteen years.
At the Convention Center, Chef Desiree has worked as a prep cook, garde manger chef, production chef, and executive sous chef. In 2011, she won the National Tourism Week Hospitality Employee award. Her hard work and dedication to the team was recognized when she was named Executive Chef of the Convention Center in April 2017.
Chef Desiree’s favorite part of her job with Centerplate has been travelling to work events at other Centerplate venues. The most memorable moment of her career so far was cooking for President Barack Obama at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration. She listened to the president give his first speech and then helped to cut and serve the cake. It was an experience she’ll never forget.
Chef Desiree is constantly inspired by the variety of guests that visit the Convention Center. She enjoys learning new recipes and creating custom menus for special events. She considers every day at work to be a new adventure and always makes sure to let her staff know how much she appreciates their hard work.
In June of 2019, Chef Desiree obtained her Associates of Applied Science in Advanced Culinary Arts from Stratford University. She serves as the guest Chef at Wave Church’s Thanksgiving Extravaganza yearly, where she prepares a holiday dish to serve to the guests when they pick up their Thanksgiving baskets. She also works with the Foodbank of Southeastern Hampton Roads to donate food to Saint Mary’s Church in Norfolk.
Jacalyn Prete
Jacalyn Prete, Certified Anusara® yoga teacher trainer, 500 ERYT, shares a deep passion for the wisdom teachings of yoga and therapeutics with her students in NYC, Japan, China, Italy, Germany and Belgium. Jackie brings 30years of teaching experience to her position as Co-founder and former Certification Director of the Anusara School of Hatha Yoga. A Certified Yoga Health Coach, Jackie shares the teachings of Ayurveda with students all over the world in her signature teleconference course, The Body Evolves. Her certifications include being: Certified White Lotus Yoga Vinyasa yoga teacher 1995; Licensed Massage Therapist Swedish Institute NYC 1996; Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher 2001; Certified Om Yoga Teacher 2002. She is grateful to have studied with many great teachers including Cate Stillman, John Friend, Bill Mahoney, Tom Meyers, Desiree Rumbaugh, Ellen Saltonstall, Douglas Keller, Paul Muller-Ortega.
Afaf Qasem
Afaf Qasem received her bachelor’s degree in dietetics and master’s degree in Food and Nutrition Sciences and completed her dietetic internship with The Florida State University. In 2014, Afaf began working for Sodexo at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare as a clinical dietitian for a year and a half before switching to her role as the Community Wellness Dietitian where she created programs and initiatives related to nutrition and health promotion for TMH colleagues and community. Afaf is currently the Director of Quality of Life Services for both Food and Nutrition and Environmental Services departments at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. In her role, she manages initiatives that improve the quality of life of patients, colleagues at TMH, and the community. Afaf is also on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion council at TMH and the one of Sodexo’s INclusion Ambassadors for her district.
Afaf is pursuing her Doctorate in Public Health from the Florida A & M University. She is also involved in professional organizations and was the past president for the Panhandle Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is currently the State Policy Representative for the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition, Afaf is a board member of organizations that help spread the importance of health and wellness in the Tallahassee Community. Afaf is also the recipient of the 2019 Young Dietitian of the Year award. She is passionate about reducing social determinant of health-related barriers in vulnerable populations, holistic approaches to chronic disease prevention and management, cultural competence, and mentorship.
Dr. Michelle Robin
Susan Stith is responsible for shaping and steering Cigna’s enterprise-wide diversity, equity, inclusion, philanthropic, and community outreach programs. In her role, Susan leads Cigna’s efforts to create diversity and inclusion programs to recruit, retain and develop talent. In addition, she manages the company’s national partnerships with nonprofits, and directs Cigna’s civic affairs function including community programming, funding, and employee volunteerism.
Susan also oversees the Cigna Connects Corporate Responsibility platform, and is executive director of the Cigna Foundation. This includes leading the company’s Healthier Kids For Our Future® initiative, Cigna’s five-year,
In the face of unprecedented challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic, systemic racism and widespread social unrest in 2020, Susan helped bring to life two important programs demonstrating Cigna’s continued commitment to health equity and equality. This includes Building Equity & Equality – a five-year initiative to expand, accelerate and measure Cigna’s support for diversity, inclusion, equality and equity for communities of color – and the Brave of Heart Fund, in partnership with New York Life and the New York Life Foundation, honoring families of frontline healthcare workers who lose their lives from COVID-19.
Susan has a long-standing career in diversity, cultural competence, and inclusion that spans several industries including pharmacy benefit manager, and the energy sector. Prior to joining Cigna, Susan worked at Express Scripts, where she led the diversity, inclusion, and civic affairs teams. In this role she created the Experience Diversity Summit, an annual event that continues to expand, and features nationally-renowned storytellers to help people see, hear and feel diversity in powerful, new ways.
Susan has been honored by numerous national publications and organization such as Diversity Woman Magazine’s Elite 100, Black Enterprise’s Top Executives in Corporate Diversity, Diversity Plus magazine’s Top 25 Women Impacting Diversity, Diversity Woman’s Top 50 Diversity Champions, and Savoy.
Susan is passionate about a number of causes including children, health care and disability awareness. She serves on several boards in the non-profit sector such as the Greater St. Louis United Way, HOME WORKS!, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, the Executive Committee for the United Way of Greater St. Louis, and National Council advisory member for Washington University in St. Louis’ Brown School and Institute for Public Health. She also volunteers with Starkloff Disability Institute.
Susan earned a bachelor’s degree at University of Missouri-Columbia, and a master’s degree from University of Phoenix.
Dr. Sheila Robinson
Dr. Sheila Robinson is the founder, Publisher and CEO of Diversity Woman Media a multi-faceted company that helps customers drive and deliver business results through diversity, inclusion, and talent development initiatives.
She is the author of two books: Lead by Example: An Insider’s Look at How to Successfully Lead in Corporate America and Entrepreneurship (2014) and Your Tool Kit for Success: The Professional Woman’s Guide for Advancing to the C-Suite (2017)
Fifteen years ago Dr. Robinson left her rising corporate career where she rose from working on the factory floor to the corporate office, ultimately directing marketing communications for a 917.11₨ billion division of the global chemical giant, Dupont. Her experiences, including the obstacles she faced as an African-American businesswoman in the South, led her to want to help other women on their career journeys
Today a leader in Diversity and Inclusion, inspiring speaker on talent innovation, author on leadership and a celebrated publisher, Dr. Robinson combines her first-hand experience climbing the corporate ladder with the highest academic degrees, best practices from her leading magazine, and a deep passion for empowering all women to reach their leadership destinies.
Inspiring, impactful and actionable, Dr. Sheila Robinson is moving the world toward gender parity and inclusivity one woman and one company at a time.
Julie K. Silver, MD is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Silver has held numerous leadership positions and is a former start-up company founder. She was named the Top Innovator in Medicine in 2012 by The Boston Globe, and the same year her start-up company was listed by Bloomberg/Businessweek as one of the most promising social enterprise companies.
Dr. Silver’s research and clinical work has focused on improving gaps in the delivery of healthcare services. She has published many scientific reports and is well-known for her ground-breaking work on “impairment-driven cancer rehabilitation” which was initially published in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians–a high impact factor oncology journal that is published by the American Cancer Society. Impairment-driven cancer rehabilitation was subsequently incorporated into the American Cancer Society’s Facts & Figures. Dr. Silver co-founded the Cancer Rehabilitation Group for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine—a research focused interdisciplinary professional society. She has been a subject matter expert in cancer rehabilitation and prehabilitation for the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American College of Sports Medicine and World Health Organization. Dr. Silver also developed a best practices model for cancer rehabilitation care that hundreds of U.S. hospitals adopted.
In 2020, Dr. Silver received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for her cross-cutting work on workforce and patient care disparities with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Silver has published many studies and reports in high-impact journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The BMJ, and multiple JAMA Network journals. Her work cuts across all specialties, and she has published reports in many specialty journals including PM&R, American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Dermatology, Pediatrics, Neurology, Anesthesia and Analgesia, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, and The Journal of Infectious Diseases. As a nationally recognized expert, Dr. Silver has been invited to give keynotes and workshops at the American Psychiatric Association, American Association for Clinical Endocrinologists, American Academy of Neurology, Infectious Disease Society of America, American College of Cardiology, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and numerous other medical societies. Dr. Silver has also been an integral part of the development of the Spaulding Research Institute.
Dr. Silver has also authored/edited many books, including the Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation which is now in its 4th edition and Easy EMG which is going into its 3rd edition. She has led numerous high impact national strategic initiatives such as the Her Time Is Now Campaign, Be Ethical Campaign, Need Her Science Campaign, and the Walls Do Talk Challenge. She directs the Harvard Medical School CME accredited course titled Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare—that has trained thousands of physicians and other healthcare leaders throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Dr. Silver’s work has been featured in many media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The London Times and NPR. She has also appeared on numerous TV shows including the CBS Early Show, The Today Show, Fox News, and ABC News.
Julie K. Silver, MD
Julie K. Silver, MD is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Silver has held numerous leadership positions and is a former start-up company founder. She was named the Top Innovator in Medicine in 2012 by The Boston Globe, and the same year her start-up company was listed by Bloomberg/Businessweek as one of the most promising social enterprise companies.
Dr. Silver’s research and clinical work has focused on improving gaps in the delivery of healthcare services. She has published many scientific reports and is well-known for her ground-breaking work on “impairment-driven cancer rehabilitation” which was initially published in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians–a high impact factor oncology journal that is published by the American Cancer Society. Impairment-driven cancer rehabilitation was subsequently incorporated into the American Cancer Society’s Facts & Figures. Dr. Silver co-founded the Cancer Rehabilitation Group for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine—a research focused interdisciplinary professional society. She has been a subject matter expert in cancer rehabilitation and prehabilitation for the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American College of Sports Medicine and World Health Organization. Dr. Silver also developed a best practices model for cancer rehabilitation care that hundreds of U.S. hospitals adopted.
In 2020, Dr. Silver received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for her cross-cutting work on workforce and patient care disparities with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Silver has published many studies and reports in high-impact journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The BMJ, and multiple JAMA Network journals. Her work cuts across all specialties, and she has published reports in many specialty journals including PM&R, American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Dermatology, Pediatrics, Neurology, Anesthesia and Analgesia, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, and The Journal of Infectious Diseases. As a nationally recognized expert, Dr. Silver has been invited to give keynotes and workshops at the American Psychiatric Association, American Association for Clinical Endocrinologists, American Academy of Neurology, Infectious Disease Society of America, American College of Cardiology, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and numerous other medical societies. Dr. Silver has also been an integral part of the development of the Spaulding Research Institute.
Dr. Silver has also authored/edited many books, including the Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation which is now in its 4th edition and Easy EMG which is going into its 3rd edition. She has led numerous high impact national strategic initiatives such as the Her Time Is Now Campaign, Be Ethical Campaign, Need Her Science Campaign, and the Walls Do Talk Challenge. She directs the Harvard Medical School CME accredited course titled Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare—that has trained thousands of physicians and other healthcare leaders throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Dr. Silver’s work has been featured in many media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The London Times and NPR. She has also appeared on numerous TV shows including the CBS Early Show, The Today Show, Fox News, and ABC News.
Susan Stith
Dr. Michelle Robin believes “you cannot heal the body without healing the heart” – such as the history you can’t let go of; that broken relationship; frustration and anger; or the emotions that hold you captive from discovering the best version of yourself. As a chiropractor, author, teacher, holistic healer, podcast host, unshakable optimist, international speaker, and founder of Your Wellness Connection, Small Changes Big Shifts®, and Big Shifts Foundation®, Dr. Robin has left an impression on thousands of lives by helping them find a way to live a vibrant, happy, and healthy life. For 30 years, she has guided people to create small changes that ultimately shift their habits and their life.
Janet Taylor MD, MPH
Dr. Janet Taylor is a Community Psychiatrist in Sarasota, Florida working with individuals who are criminal justice involved and have mental illness. She also has a private practice. The practice of Community Mental Health is extremely rewarding to Dr. Taylor, because “being on the frontline with individuals and their families battling the emotional and economic impact of Mental Illness is where I can make a difference”. She attended the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky for Undergraduate and Medical School. An internship in Internal Medicine at the Miriam Hospital-Brown University followed. Her psychiatric residency was completed at New York Medical College -Westchester Medical Center. She received a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion/Disease Prevention from Columbia University. She was a recipient of the 2008 Woman in Medicine Award (National Medical Association- Council of Women’s Concerns).
Her medical experience is also international. While living in Vancouver, British Columbia, she practiced Community Psychiatry at Greater Vancouver Mental Health. During that time, Dr. Taylor developed an interest in Life Coaching and became a Certified Professional Coach through the Coaches Training Institute.
She is a frequently invited speaker on the subjects of Minority Health, Self-Care, Stress Management, Parenting and Work-Life Balance. She is a frequent contributor to CBS “This Morning,” and NBC “The Today Show” and ABC “Good Morning America” on issues of motherhood, parenting and mental health. Dr. Taylor is also regularly featured on CNN, MSNBC and was on ABC.com’s regular webcast’, “Mom’s Get Real”. She had a column in Family Circle Magazine is titled, “Ask Dr. Janet”. Dr. Taylor has also been featured on three television shows, Celebrity Crime Files- TV-One, Discovery Health/Own- “Facing Trauma” and a syndicated talk show, “The Jeremy Kyle Show”. Dr. Taylor is a frequent speaker on the impact of Racial Trauma and Racism, Antiracism and Conscious Allyship. Her book The Courageous Classroom: Creating a Culture for Students to Learn and Thrive will be released in July,2021 and is available for preorder on amazon.com
Erin Tselenchuk
As Co-Founder & Co-CEO for RISEQUITY, Inc., an organization that transforms and creates an equitable future for companies’ diverse talent through innovative solutions, Erin is a seasoned facilitator who oversees the workshops, equity forums, mentoring and advanced programs that empower participants to lead with confidence and impact a company’s revenue.
Most recently, Erin served as the Vice President of Marketing and Events for Watermark, having produced over 75 annual programs and working with leaders such as Tina Tchen, John Chambers, and more. While focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for everyone in the workplace, she provides support for anyone who identifies as a woman, their allies, and the companies working to create a more equitable workplace. With a passion for innovative, experiential experiences and strategies, both cross-function and cross-industry, she has worked in fintech, education (on- and offline), legal, hospitality and app development, previously consulting for IBM, TechCrunch, Wildfire by Google, Capital One, Visual.ly (now Rock Content) and Galvanize. Erin also has a history of social activism, including local grassroots educational movements to larger global humanitarian aid engagements through Project Hope and Rotary International. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a B.A. in Communications and study of Anthropology.
Reena Vokoun
Reena Vokoun, Founder and CEO of Passion Fit, is a writer, TEDx speaker, media spokesperson and certified health and wellness expert. She graduated with a BBA in Marketing and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MS in Advertising and Communications from Boston University. She spent years in marketing, sales and business development for Google, Yahoo, Reebok, CNET, GE and Grokker.
Today, Reena serves companies, nonprofits, universities, schools and the media through Passion Fit products, services and content on fitness, nutrition, mindfulness and work-life balance. The mission of her company is to empower women to flourish both personally and professionally through wellness.
She’s featured regularly as a TV health contributor on Fox KTVU news and NBC California Live, speaks to companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, is a newspaper health columnist and writes for Thrive Global, Shape, Working Mother and her own blog She’s also writing and publishing her first non-fiction book, which will be coming out in 2021.
In addition, Reena is on the Entrepreneurship Advisory Alumni Board for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a Women in Management Facilitator for Stanford University.
Finally, Reena is a wife, mom and first-generation-born Indian-American and lives in California with her family.
Mary-Frances Winters
Mary-Frances Winters, founder and CEO of The Winters Group, Inc., a global organization development and diversity and inclusion consulting firm with over 37 years of experience, truly believes that diversity and inclusion work is her “passion and calling.” Dubbed a thought leader in the field, for the past three decades she has impacted over hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals with her thought-provoking message, and her approach to diversity and inclusion. Ms. Winters is a master strategist with experience in strategic planning, change management, diversity, organization development, training and facilitation, systems thinking and qualitative and quantitative research methods. She has extensive experience in working with senior leadership teams to drive organizational change.
Among her many awards and distinctions, she was named a diversity pioneer by Profiles in Diversity Journal in August 2007 and received the Winds of Change award from the Forum on Workplace Inclusion in 2016. Ms. Winters was also featured in Forbes’ June 2016 publication, which honored some of the
DC Metro area’s most powerful women. In November 2019, she was named by Forbes as one of 10 trailblazers in diversity and inclusion. She has served as a torch bearer for the Olympics and has previously been recognized as an Athena Award winner from the Chamber of Commerce for her contributions to women and the community.
Ms. Winters is the author of six books: Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit (September 2020), Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging Across Differences (July 2020), We Can’t Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics (2017), Only Wet Babies Like Change: Workplace Wisdom for Baby Boomers, Inclusion Starts With “I” and CEO’s Who Get It: Diversity Leadership from the Heart and Soul. Ms. Winters also authored a chapter in the book Diversity at Work: The Practice of Inclusion (2013) and numerous articles.
Melissa Wojcik
What moves you? Breath. Movement. Connection. For the Love of Yoga. My Name is Melissa – my close friends call me Mo. I have plenty of other nicknames and titles (Stay at Home Mom, Caterer, Production Manager) to go along with my 40+ years of life experience and now I get to add to this: Yoga Teacher. I have completed 200 hrs of official yoga training and have 9+ years of yoga practice. To be honest, it has been amazing.
I started my yoga journey right after I had my daughter. I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and yoga was an activity that brought us closer together. I would practice poses with her cooing on her blanket by my mat and as I moved, I could calm my mind and just focus on bonding and breathing. During the Savasana at the end, we would rest together and cuddle. I could be present to give her the love she so very deserved and at the same time, I was able to get the peace of mind that I was craving. As time flew by, she grew up and as a family, we began to move around. We relocated from Southern California to Northern California, then eventually to New Jersey. I brought my yoga practice with me everywhere I moved to help me and my family through the various stresses of moving. Yoga studios would provide me with almost an instant community as I learned my way around town.
When I step on a yoga mat, I feel steady and grounded; yet I still feel free like I have wings and can fly. I sense myself getting stronger and lighter. I see things with a little more clarity and focus. I let vulnerability in through difficult poses and find strength in my own power. At the end of the practice, I am invincible. If I can endure life’s contradictions in 1 hour, imagine what I can handle in the next 23 hours of the day.
I get to feel empowered. I get the joy of my mind feeling clear to be creative. I love putting together a fun yoga class, planning a get-together with friends, gardening and painting. Most of the art on my website was made by yours truly. I am starting this website because I believe that empowered people, empower people. I want to use yoga and meditation as a way to show people how to connect to their own inner strength to help them out along their individual journeys.
I do all of this because I believe that if you find something good in the world, share it. It spreads the love around and makes the world a better and richer place. It’s breath. It’s movement. It’s connection. It’s For the Love of Yoga.
Sign up for 1:1 coaching sessions here. We ask that you sign up for one 1:1 session with only one coach, but feel free to attend as many of the group sessions as you would like.
Bindu Garapaty Psy.D.
As a true believer in the human potential, Bindu Garapaty has found the intersection of happiness, human behavior, and leadership. With a doctorate degree in clinical psychology and an entrepreneurial spirit, Dr. Garapaty is the co-founder and CEO of The Happy Leader, LLC. She infuses evidence-based practices and lessons learned from her leadership roles in health care, corporate, academia, for-profit and non-profit organizations, to empower leaders to find their intersection of happiness, meaning, and impact. Dr. Garapaty’s presentations and trainings have included both national and international forums in areas of leadership, diversity and inclusion, education, and women’s health. Her approach highlights the importance of understanding cultural paradigms and building emotional resilience. She uses experiential learning strategies and insights to empower leaders to enhance critical thinking, increase effective communication, and build powerful networks. Since 1999, Dr. Garapaty has been committed to supporting and empowering women with engagement in a variety of non-profit board capacities as was the recipient of ‘Emerging Executive of the Year’ award from Watermark and recognized as a “Woman of Influence” SVBJ. Currently, she serves on the Emerging Executive Advisory Committee of Watermark, the HR symposium, Humans for AI. She is a WIM facilitator at the GSB and serves as the VP of Talent, Inclusion, and Equity at Impossible Foods. Building catalytic connections, giving back, and creating new experiences are a few things that contribute to Dr. Garapaty’ s happiness quotient.
Natalie Garay, M.A.
Natalie Garay is a Master Certified Pilates Educator and Master Certified Flower Essence Therapist who specializes in physical and emotional post-baby rehabilitation and wellness. After spending two months on bedrest with her twin daughters and delivering via c-section surgery, her body was completely atrophied. 19 months later, she delivered her third daughter via c-section. When she was introduced to Pilates, it was a life saver. As a solo mom raising 3 babies, she needed all the physical and mental strength she could get. In her 17 years of coaching, Natalie has facilitated virtual and in-person workshops, 6-week rehabilitation programs, private instruction, and downloadable virtual programs teaching women about the importance of mental and physical rehabilitation after having children, no matter how long ago it was. Natalie is also the Founder and CEO of {ther • happy}, a product company that creates therapeutic mists using organic essential oils, Flower Essences, and a touch of humor. She’s written for publications such as ModernMom.com, Living Lavishly Magazine, Huffingtonpost.com, Conscious Magazine, POPSUGAR.com, and HauteMomlife.com. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from University of California at Santa Barbara. She resides in Pismo Beach, CA with her 3 bright and beautiful teenage daughters and their feisty pup, Luna. www.nataliegaray.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliegaray
Jessica LaMarre
As a working mom, Jessica LaMarre was no stranger to stress and putting herself last, at the expense of her health and wellness. Educated as an engineer but transformed by the miracle of her son, she now shares the life lessons she developed to empower working women and moms globally. Featured in ForbesWomen, UpJourney, Thrive Global, EllevateNetwork, and Medium Jessica shares her transformational journey from a stressed, overworked, overwhelmed, guilt-ridden mom to becoming an empowered, successful, and joyfully-fulfilled mother and wife. On this journey Jessica learned it’s not just in the doing but in the undoing that we reconnect to the power within ourselves. Jessica shares these teaching in her writings, coaching, speeches, and workshops leading women worldwide to their own transformational journeys of the same and beyond. Jessica received her degree in electrical engineering and has spent thirteen plus years in Technology in Corporate America. She’s earned certificates in coaching, workshop facilitation, intuitive development, and more. These coupled with extensive knowledge in mindfulness, meditation, and emotional intelligence allow her to meld her ‘engineering brain’ and ‘holistic approaches’ to guide high achievers to access personal and professional success from the inside out. Jessica brings her energy, passion, and knowledge to empower women to love themselves first! Jessica lives with her husband and three kids in Tempe, AZ.
Stelli Munnis
Stelli Munnis, PhD, is the founder and executive director of Red Sulphur, a nonprofit that provides transformational education to help individuals become fully-empowered, whole human beings. The seed for Red Sulphur was planted after Stelli began a personal quest to better understand herself — a time when she was searching for the deeper meaning of her experiences. As a coach and counselor, Stelli works intuitively with her clients to help them release mental and emotional blockages that can stand in the way of self-realization. The process of working with Stelli can be profoundly transformative and deeply healing. Stelli founded Red Sulphur after spending over 20 years in corporate sales, marketing, and executive leadership positions. She helped scale two startups (one as co-founder) and fueled growth at SunPower Corporation, a global leader in solar, where she co-founded “TIDE,” the Team for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. Stelli is a member of several women’s leadership organizations, including The CLUB Silicon Valley, How Women Lead, and SecondAct Women. She holds a BA in economics from the University of Florida, and a PhD in Transpersonal Psychology from Sophia University in Palo Alto, CA.
Guisselle Nuñez
Guiselle Nuñez — Speaker, Author, Personal Branding Evangelist — takes her audience from revelation to results. For over a decade, she mastered her craft by teaching personal branding and marketing to private and public sector audiences. Author of the book “Take Charge of Your Brand,” her seasoned, marketing and personal branding skills have helped thousands of professionals, with a large number being women, learn how to communicate their value, and advocate for themselves by building a strong personal brand. Additionally she serves as Associate Vice President, Strategic Marketing Communications for San Francisco State University and is seasoned in building strategic marketing, communications, and public affairs strategies for higher education, non-profit and private sector industries. www.guissellenunez.com | www.linkedin.com/in/guissellenunez
Monica Phillips
Monica Phillips is the president and founder of Spark Plug Labs. Her mission is to create space where everyone is seen, heard, and valued, where everyone belongs, and where everyone is paid and promoted equitably. With that in mind, she founded the Legal Academy on Equity and Inclusion. Monica coaches high potential leaders and teams and delivers powerful keynotes and workshops on leadership, team culture, business development, wellness, innovation, and heart-based leadership. In 2019 she was named a Silicon Valley Business Journal Woman of Influence. She is a Career Coach with the Association of Corporate Counsel, a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach with the Co-Active Training Institute, and a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. She is trained in Positive Intelligence and is a RYT-500 certified yoga teacher and integrates mindfulness and yoga philosophy throughout all of her work. https://www.sparkpluglabs.co/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillipsmonica/
Joie Seldon
A leadership coach specializing in Emotional Intelligence, Joie Seldon is passionate about helping women harness the gift of their emotions as a powerful tool for success. Drawing on her background as an actor, acting teacher, somatic psychologist, entrepreneur, and innovator in emotion education, she has helped thousands of executives and professionals navigate the complexities of being human at work. She has presented to worldwide audiences, facilitates her online course Emotions at Work, and is the author of “EMOTIONS: An Owner’s Manual.” joieseldon.com
Christie Smirl
Christie Smirl (Kalavati Devi, AyuD, NP, MS, E-RYT 500, YACEP) believes that every human is capable of multidimensional healing. As a Doctorate of Ayurveda, Nurse Practitioner, Master of Science, Reiki Master, professor and yoga teacher trainer with over 30 years of healing experience, Christie blends Eastern and Western arts and sciences to empower others to reach their highest potentials in body, mind and soul. https://www.HealthierVibrations.com
Reena Vokoun
Reena Vokoun, Founder and CEO of Passion Fit, is a writer, TEDx speaker, media spokesperson and certified health and wellness expert. She graduated with a BBA in Marketing and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MS in Advertising and Communications from Boston University. She spent years in marketing, sales and business development for Google, Yahoo, Reebok, CNET, GE and Grokker.
Today, Reena serves companies, nonprofits, universities, schools and the media through Passion Fit products, services and content on fitness, nutrition, mindfulness and work-life balance. The mission of her company is to empower women to flourish both personally and professionally through wellness.
She’s featured regularly as a TV health contributor on Fox KTVU news and NBC California Live, speaks to companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, is a newspaper health columnist and writes for Thrive Global, Shape, Working Mother and her own blog She’s also writing and publishing her first non-fiction book, which will be coming out in 2021.
In addition, Reena is on the Entrepreneurship Advisory Alumni Board for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a Women in Management Facilitator for Stanford University.
Finally, Reena is a wife, mom and first-generation-born Indian-American and lives in California with her family.
Jackie Belser-Welch, CPCC-CPM
Jackie Welch is President of Tiro Life Coaching, LLC (Time Is Running Out) specializing in Talent Development in the following areas: Soft Skills, (Collaboration, Leadership) Organizational Workshops, Staff Assessment Tools (Predictive Index) for Hiring Onboarding Succession Planning. In addition, she is also a Certified Coach, Facilitator and Trainer receiving her credentials from CTI (Coaches Training Institute) Jackie is a member of the ICF (International Coaching Federation) and has also completed her required studies in Learning & Development in the area of Instructional Design and Delivery. Jackie’s diverse Leadership background, 28 years of corporate experience with Xerox Corporation allows her to transfer knowledge and teachable moments as an extended business partner, Workshop Facilitator, Trainer and Guest Speaker. In addition, she has recently been recognized in the 2020 Class of Silicon Valley’s 100 Most Influential Women sponsored by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Very humbled and honored to receive this award. However, for those that know her, this award comes as no surprise based on her commitment to Service and the many organizations she supports including Valley Water District, Thermo-Fisher, Silicon Valley Council for Non-profits, Ohlone College Leadership Academy, Girl Scouts etc. and most recently the National Day of Mentoring Monday. As a longtime resident of Fremont, Jackie is also a Community Leader being recognized for her service as one of the recipients of the 2018 Community SHERO award given by Assemblyman Kansen Chu. Jackie is a Board Member for Non-profit (BACH) Bay Area Community Health, Graduate of Leadership Fremont, sponsored by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, Certified Small Business Owner (MWBE) and faculty member for the National Training Organization AMA. (American Management Association) Active member in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Rho Delta Omega Chapter, ABWA Pathfinder Chapter, and The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce. Her message allows others to move forward, being more intentional each day and to Live Life with Purpose. Remember, in order to GROW personally and professionally, sometimes that requires CHANGE! Coach Jackie can be reached at www.tirolifecoaching.com
Leisel Whitlock
Leisel Whitlock Petersen is an adventurous failure, artist, dreamer, farming enthusiast, passionate cookie lover, and non-profit professional with more than 17 years of fundraising, volunteer management, program administration, and audience engagement experience. Currently, she is the California Regional Director for Girls Leadership. A national educational non-profit that teaches girls to exercise the power of their voice through programs grounded in social-emotional learning. Whitlock has an undergraduate degree in Fine Art from Georgia State University and a Masters in Arts Policy and Administrations from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was an Alameda County Arts Commissioner for eight years and currently sits on the board of the Foundation for the Arts in Alameda County. Leisel is the editor of the fourth coming periodical InSitu and the anthology Cocktails for Breakfast. Leisel lives in California with her husband, two sons, and a dog named Jackie Chiles.
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