2022 Agenda

Master of Ceremonies: Celeste Headlee, Host, Women Amplified podcast, award-winning Journalist & Author, Speaking of Race

Kizzmekia Corbett, Lead Scientist, COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Development, TIME Hero of the Year & Advocate for Diversity in STEM

All organizations have work that no one wants to do. This won’t change. What needs to change is the disproportionate number of women who are relied on to do this kind of “non-promotable” work. Women are 44% more likely to be asked by male managers to perform non-promotable tasks, and 50 percent more likely to say yes. This imbalance leaves women overcommitted and underutilized for the work they were actually hired to do. In this session, renowned professor and negotiation expert Linda Babcock, who a decade ago changed the negotiating landscape with her book, Ask for It, will walk you through the small, yet significant, changes you can make to your own workload so that you possess the decision-making skills to decide the work you say yes to She will also share how you can help your organization reassess how they assign and reward work to level the playing field for women.

Speaker:  Linda Babcock, Author, The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead End Work

As we age, it is almost inevitable that our professional abilities decline. If you are an overachiever, this decline can feel amplified because if you strive to be excellent at what you do, you may find this inevitable decline more terrifying, your successes increasingly unsatisfying and your relationships lacking. In this session, Professor Arthur Brooks will reveal how you can position yourself for the changes that come later in life and structure your life in a way that uncovers new strengths and leads to lasting happiness. Attendees will learn how effectiveness and well-being at all stages of life comes not from holding on to past achievements, but from cultivating new habits and a different understanding of success and fulfillment.

Speaker:  Arthur Brooks, Podcast Host, Columnist, Atlantic & Author, From Strength to Strength

Executive Spotlight:  Mary Campbell, President, vCommerce Ventures, Qurate Retail Group

Great leaders have always known that appreciating their employees helps retain top talent and inspire excellent performance. But, in the past two years, what is being required of leaders is much more than recognition. In this new world of work, leaders are being asked to truly understand their employees’ individual needs, mitigate burnout, make sure team members have equal access to opportunities, and create psychologically safe environments. Join this session to learn these critical new leadership skills that are hard to measure, but will be crucial for retaining your team.

Speaker:  Stacy Brown-Philpot, former CEO, TaskRabbit, Board Member, HP & Nordstrom

Healthy, constructive conflicts are an essential part of producing good work; yet many people don’t have the skills to disagree in a professional, productive way, especially in a hybrid setting. Add difficult co-workers into the mix, and these conflicts can escalate, distracting us and compromising our ability to make sound decisions. Dealing with conflict and navigating negative relationships can cause our creativity, productivity, and engagement to suffer. So, how can you manage these conflicts and tough conversations so they don’t affect your work? Amy Gallo has identified eight types of difficult coworkers and has developed proven strategies for dealing constructively with each one. She will share principles and the practical advice you need to navigate your toughest conversations and get back to doing good work – and building your interpersonal resilience in the process.

Speaker:  Amy Gallo, Author, Workplace Expert, HBR Podcast Host & Author, Getting Along

Host:  Joyce Russell, Helen & William O’Toole Dean, Villanova School of Business

Have you ever avoided a workplace conversation for fear of offending or creating tension on your team? As our country has become increasingly divisive, many conversations have become more difficult to navigate and as a result, work and family relationships, friendships and even Thanksgiving dinners have been ruined. But, Monica Guzman believes that by asking the right questions, we can regain lost connections with friends, family and colleagues across all political divides. In this session, she will share what questions to ask to overcome uncertainty so we can connect, understand, and learn from people whose worldviews are different from ours. You will learn the tools and insights to see people from where they are coming from by:

• Asking what you really want to know (even if you’re afraid to)
• Growing smarter from even the most tense interactions, and
• Crossing boundaries and finding common ground—with anyone.

Speaker:  Monica Guzman, Author, I Never Thought of It That Way

Executive Spotlight:  Funmi Williamson, SVP & Chief Customer Officer, PECO

Master of Ceremonies: Celeste Headlee, Host, Women Amplified podcast, award-winning Journalist & Author, Speaking of Race

Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize-winner & Cofounder, Malala Fund

When we become leaders, the title and position of power should give us the opportunity to create change. But, women are often expected to fit into an existing culture, rather than evolve it. And this experience is amplified for women of color as they confront microaggressions and workplace misconceptions that make the workplace even more unwelcoming. It’s the businesses that must evolve – and women can lead that transformation. We can make this impact by addressing toxic messaging (including the things we tell ourselves,) embracing our own cultural viewpoints and experiences, and fully realizing our own strengths. Join this session to learn how to make changes within our organizations to ensure they are genuinely inclusive to all.

Deepa Purushothaman, Cofounder, nFormation & Author, The First, The Few, The Only

Women have lost so much since the start of the pandemic, but one of the most prevalent has been the loss of control and power while we wait for a return to normalcy. Psychologist Amy Cuddy, whose world-renown TED talk has been watched by 62M+ people and subsequent book, Presence, was translated into 32 languages, has studied the techniques that make us feel more powerful and how critical this is to our overall well-being. In this talk, she will share how to rebuild our personal power as we navigate this long-term crisis. From how body-mind feedback plays a role in our willingness to accept new challenges and speak up for others to what you can do virtually vs in-person to communicate more effectively, join this talk to learn how to recover the most confident version of yourself and boost your own power.

Speaker:  Amy Cuddy, Social Psychologist, award-winning Harvard Lecturer & best-selling Author

For years, women have been diagnosed with “imposter syndrome” when they express feelings of inadequacy or a sense of not belonging. And while many organizations are trying to improve their cultures, it is easier in theory than in practice and the tendency to pathologize individuals over improving systems persists. It’s time to stop “fixing” women and start shifting our perspective on the systems that perpetuate self-doubt. Austin Channing Brown, author of the bestselling memoir I’m Still Here, will help you answer questions, such as:

• Is my performance lacking, or is the system not set up for my success?
• If my career progression or salary negotiations have stalled, can I improve? Or do I need to move on?
• How can I as a leader create an environment where imposter syndrome doesn’t exist?

This session will explore strategies to reframe feelings of inadequacy so that you can get back on your track to success.

Speaker:  Austin Channing Brown, New York Times bestselling Author, I’m Still Here & Media Producer