USPS Publication Number 16300
T h i s C om mu n it y Ne w s p a p e r i s a p u bl i c a t ion of E s c a m b i a-S a nt a Ro s a B a r A s s o c i a t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 22, No. 8
V isit T he S ummation W eekly O nline : SummationWeekly.com
February 23, 2022
1 Section, 8 Pages
DE S IGNING YOUR C ARE E R EIGHTH ANNUAL WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE by Morgan Cole
T
he University of West Florida (UWF) Women in Leadership Conference has served as a beacon of inspiration to like-minded professionals throughout the Northwest Florida business community. Hosted annually by the UWF College of Business Executive Mentor Program, this one-day conference provides business professionals the opportunity to learn from and connect with some of the most prominent and successful women in leadership who have achieved both personal and professional success. The conference is designed to educate and empower professionals from all types of industries, nurturing a culture that supports both female entrepreneurs and those paving the way in historically male-dominated businesses. The UWF College of Business Executive Mentor Program is gearing up to host the eighth annual Women in Leadership Conference: Designing Your Career on March 11, 2022 from 9 am to 5 pm at the UWF Conference Center at 11000 University Parkway. This year marks the event’s highly-anticipated return following its unfortunate cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19. “Remarkably successful women, including CEOs and senior executives from across the state, will share their stories through inspiring speeches and panels dedicated to personal inspiration and practical application,” conference chair, marketing professor and founder of the UWF College of Business Executive Mentor Program, Dr. Sherry Harnett said. The 2022 conference line-up will feature more than 30 speakers in successful leadership
roles locally and from across the state. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Deborah German, vice president of health affairs and dean of the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine. In her address, Building the Life you Want, Achieving Career Success and Personal Happiness, she will discuss how professionals can achieve career success while also enjoying a happy personal life. “My goal for this conference is for people to walk away with new skills to drive their careers through thoughtful and effective leadership, learn how communication skills can be a pathway to career success, gain an understanding of the issues that women face in various career paths, understand the importance of aligning personal values with everyday leadership behaviors and strengthen their network of successful women, including UWF alumni and community leaders,” Hartnett explained. The conference will provide both seasoned and young professionals the opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills through networking opportunities and panel discussions on a variety of business ranging from workplace diversity and corporate mentoring to healthcare, community service and more. Mayela Rojas Sanchez, executive vice president and content creative officer at Media Vista Group, will serve as this year’s in-person conference emcee. Designed with female college students and young professionals in mind, attendees will gain
insight on how to proactively manage growth and development to prepare for various leadership roles and gain valuable insight on effective ways to leverage unique strengths to thrive in current and future leadership roles. Hartnett originally organized the conference in 2014 for students and mentors in the UWF College of Business Executive Mentor Program, which helps prepare students for successful careers in business upon graduation by integrating academics with real-world experience. The program partners both undergraduate and graduate level students with business executives throughout the community to establish connections, learn valuable skills and gain insight on career development. “As the Founding Director of the Executive Mentor Program, I was originally planning a Spring 2014 event featuring a guest speaker. My initial idea was to invite one successful female leader in Pensacola to speak, but it was a challenge for me to choose one to ask to speak because I have so many friends who are fantastic female leaders here in our market,” Hartnett explained. “So, instead of having just one speaker I thought I’d invite four women to speak on a panel. And then, I thought to myself; there are so many inspiring female leaders in our community—I could have speakers all day long! That’s what eventually turned my initial idea to host an event for our Executive Mentor Program participants into a full Women in Leadership Conference that was also open to the public.” Since first launched in 2014, the UWF Women in Leadership Conference has only continued to grow and evolve, drawing more than 400 attendees
each year and typically selling out within just hours of tickets going on sale. In order to accommodate the growing number of registrations, this year’s event will feature a newly-added virtual component. WEAR ABC 3 Morning Co-Anchor Laura Hussey will serve as the emcee for the virtual portion of the conference. “We expect a very large turnout for this year’s conference. Between in-person and virtual, we already have more than 500 registrations,” Harnett said. “I expect our in-person conference to sell out this year, just like it has every year in the past. Fortunately, even if our in-person conference sells out, people will still be able to attend our virtual conference.” The newly-added virtual conference component will include livestream access to
In-person Conference Registration Includes: • Access to all live keynote sessions and panels • Access to the mobile app to connect to speakers and fellow attendees • Catered lunch with roundtable discussions • Conference swag bag
Virtual Conference Registration Includes: • Live stream access to all keynote sessions and panels • Access to the mobile app to connect to speakers and fellow attendees • Live behind-the-scenes conversations with speakers and panelists b1
all keynote sessions, discussion panels and exclusive behind-the-scenes conversations with speakers and panelists. Attendees will also have access to a new mobile app to connect with the speakers and engage with fellow conference goers throughout the event, whether attending in-person or remotely. Registration is now open for the 2022 Women in Leadership Conference through March 7, or until sold out. In-person conference tickets are $100 each and $90 for UWF alumni, students and employees. Virtual tickets are $50 each and $45 for UWF alumni, students and employees. To register for the in-person or virtual conference, visit uwf. edu/wilc. Conference organizers have also put together a special package for companies, businesses and professional organizations interested in purchasing multiple tickets for a group of employees or members. The package is $1,000 and includes four in-person conference tickets, 30 virtual tickets and the option to add-on unlimited virtual tickets for $25 each. For more information or to purchase group tickets, email Charlene Holmes at cholmes@uwf.edu. “Women in leadership is a passion of mine and I look forward to this Conference every year,” Hartnett said. “I’m incredibly grateful this year for having so many of my Leadership Florida Cornerstone classmates from across the state agree to serve as speakers at the conference this year. They are absolutely amazing, and I know Pensacola will love them just as much as I do.” For tickets and complete details on the UWF Women in Leadership Conference, visit uwf.edu/wilc. ■
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