Simmons Leadership Conference Program - 2026 by inclusiveleadership

MARCH 17 SIMMONS LEADERSHIP C NFERENCE 2O26

WHERE LEADERS LEVEL UP.

2O26

Welcome to the 2026 Simmons Leadership Conference, one of the longest-running and most respected leadership gatherings in the world. Today, we bring together an extraordinary community of women and allies committed to strengthening their leadership, expanding their networks, and shaping a future where connection fuels progress.

Simmons University was founded on a revolutionary idea that women should be able to earn independent livelihoods and lead meaningful lives.

Nearly half a century ago, a visionary group of Simmons alumni created this conference to spotlight accomplished women whose stories would inspire others to step fully into their leadership potential.

Today, 47 years later, the conference is produced by the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership, which continues this legacy by equipping leaders with the tools, insights, and community they need to drive meaningful change. Our vision is simple: to help create workplaces where everyone can thrive.

This year’s theme The Connected Leader reflects a defining truth about leadership today. In a world of rapid change and increasing complexity, the leaders who make the greatest impact are those who build trust, foster collaboration, and connect people, ideas, and opportunities in powerful ways.

The leaders you will hear from today bring extraordinary insight and experience. Their stories will challenge you to think differently, lead with intention, and strengthen the connections that drive innovation and impact.

Today is also the beginning of something new.

The Simmons Leadership Conference now serves as the starting point for Thrive365, a year-long leadership journey designed to extend today’s inspiration into sustained learning, meaningful networking, and practical leadership development throughout the year.

We are deeply grateful to the sponsors and partners whose support makes this experience possible, and to the extraordinary community of leaders who gather here each year.

Thank you for being part of this moment and for being part of what comes next.

Kristen Palson

Executive Producer, Simmons Leadership Conference COO, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

DAY AT A GLANCE

9:00 am Welcome Remarks

Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva

9:15 am

10:00 am

10:15 am

The Reinvention Advantage: Leading Humans in an AI-Driven World

TRACK FEATURE

Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award

TRACK FEATURE

Misty Copeland Strength in Motion: Leading with Discipline, Courage, and Care

11:00 am Networking Break: Connect and Explore!

11:30 am Morning Concurrent Sessions

12:30 pm Lunch: Recharge and Reflect

Juliet Funt

1:30 pm

2:00 pm

Less Is the New More: How Reductive Leadership Unlocks Clarity, Capacity, and Command

TRACK FEATURE

Game Changers: What the Rise of Women’s Sports Teaches Us About Leadership and Business

3:00 pm Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

4:00 pm Networking Break: Connect and Explore!

Hoda Kotb

4:30 pm

The Connected Leader: Leading with Joy, Presence, and Purpose

5:30 pm Program Ends

“We envision a world where women aren’t just 50% of the world’s population, they are 50% of the world’s leaders.”

–

Susan MacKenty Brady CEO, Simmons University Institute for

Inclusive Leadership

#SLC47 MAINSTAGE SPEAKERS

HODA KOTB

New York Times Bestselling Author, Award-Winning Journalist, Founder & CEO of Joy 101 and former co-anchor of TODAY

AMINA BULMAN Chief Revenue Officer of Boston Legacy FC

MISTY COPELAND

Ballerina and Founder of The Misty Copeland Foundation

Professor of Practice, Simmons University & Former Director of Original Content, NESN

NADYA ZHEXEMBAYEVA

Founder and Chief Reinvention Officer, The Reinvention Academy

Vice President, Women’s Sports Programming & espnW

Area VP | US Commercial East Sales, Cisco

JUSTINE POURAVELIS

SUSIE PIOTRKOWSKI

RICK SACCHETTI

KIMBERLY B. DAVIS

Sr. Exec VP, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs at the National Hockey League, and President of the NHL Foundation

DR. LYNN PERRY WOOTEN President, Simmons University

JULIET FUNT

Founder and CEO of JFG

SUSAN MACKENTY BRADY

CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

JOYCE KULHAWIK

Emmy-award winning Broadcast

Journalist, CBS NEWS, GBH News

“The Culture Show,” President Boston Theater Critics Association

KRISTEN PALSON

COO, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership and Executive Producer, Simmons Leadership Conference

#SLC47 FEATURED BREAKOUT SPEAKERS

SUSAN MACKENTY BRADY

CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

KIP HOLLISTER

Founder & CEO - The Hollister Group; Mental Fitness Executive Coach

STUART D. KLIMAN

Founder & Partner Emeritus, Vantage Partners; Head of Business Development, PrescriberPoint; Chief Strategy Officer, Breez AI

GREG MORLEY

Senior Business and Human Resources Leader

KERRY SEITZ

Vice President, Women’s Leadership, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

MARY SHAPIRO

Professor of Practice, School of Business, Simmons University

LESLIE C. SMITH

66th Inspector General, Vice President of the Association of the United States Army, Visiting Professor - Georgia Southern, Board Director

ANDRÉS TAPIA

Bold Transformation Strategist

READY TO THRIVE IN 2O26?

Scan the QR code & participate in the Thrive research survey.

PROGRAM DETAILS

9:00

am Welcome Remarks

Joyce Kulhawik and Kristen Palson open SLC47 by setting the tone for a day grounded in connection, courage, and possibility. Together, they invite participants to be fully present, engage deeply, and step into a shared leadership experience designed to inspire action not just insight.

President Lynn Perry Wooten shares reflections on the power of connection, institutional courage, and the responsibility of leadership in this moment. Her remarks anchor the day in Simmons’ enduring commitment to advancing inclusive leadership and reinforce the collective impact possible when leaders choose to stay connected to purpose, to one another, and to the future we are shaping.

These opening moments mark the beginning of the Thrive365 journey, framing the conference as both a powerful moment in time and the launch of a year-long commitment to learning, growth, and Connected Leadership.

9:15 am Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva

The

Reinvention Advantage: Leading Humans in an AI-Driven World

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, roles, and decision-making, the real question for leaders isn’t what AI can do it’s how we choose to lead alongside it.

In this bold and thought-provoking keynote, Nadya Zhexembayeva introduces reinvention as a core leadership advantage in an AI-driven world. Drawing on decades of research and real-world work with global organizations, Nadya explores why resilience is no longer about bouncing back but about continually rethinking how we operate, connect, and create value.

This session challenges leaders to confront outdated assumptions, loosen their grip on legacy systems, and build reinvention into everyday leadership practice. AI becomes the accelerant but human clarity, ethical judgment, and connection remain the differentiators. Leaders will leave with a renewed understanding of how to lead people through uncertainty with confidence, curiosity, and purpose.

As part of the Thrive365 experience, this keynote invites leaders into an ongoing cycle of learning, experimentation, and adaptation reinforcing that reinvention is not a one-time response to change, but a mindset for sustained impact.

10:00 am TRACK FEATURE

Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award

The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership is proud to present the 2026 Visionary Leader Award to Kimberly B. Davis, Senior Executive Vice President of the National Hockey League.

A transformative leader in sports and business, Kimberly Davis has helped shape the NHL’s long-term strategy while advancing inclusion, innovation, and community impact across one of the world’s most visible sports organizations. Her leadership exemplifies the power of connection bringing together people, purpose, and performance at scale.

10:15 am TRACK FEATURE

Misty Copeland Strength in Motion: Leading with Discipline, Courage, and Care

Extraordinary leadership is built through discipline, resilience, and the courage to remain connected even when the pressure is high.

In this powerful keynote, Misty Copeland shares her journey as a groundbreaking artist, athlete, and advocate, and the daily practices that have sustained her through challenge, visibility, and change. From cultivating mental and physical strength to navigating moments of isolation and belonging, Misty shares what it takes to stay grounded, focused, and connected to purpose over time.

11:00 am Networking Break: Connect and Explore

Optional Networking Activity for Group A.

Take this opportunity to expand your network and dive deeper into the conference experience!

11:30 am Morning Concurrent Sessions

Explore the concurrent session details on pages 14-15.

12:30 pm Lunch: Recharge and Reflect

Take a well-deserved 60-min break and enjoy a delicious lunch while connecting with fellow attendees.

1:30 pm Juliet Funt

Less Is the New More: How Reductive Leadership Unlocks Clarity, Capacity, and Command

Stop treating work like a pie eating contest! Most leaders, in their ambition to achieve more, pile on projects, goals, and initiatives that overwhelm themselves and their teams. This excess derails the very progress they seek. Professional success isn’t about sheer quantity of effort, but we have lost sight of this truth.

In this high-impact session, Juliet Funt introduces the Reductive Mindset: a transformative and tactical approach that challenges everything you think you know about leadership effectiveness. With humor, sharp insight, and real-world examples, she reveals how strategically eliminating what doesn’t matter unlocks your clarity, restores your capacity, and directly elevates team performance and energy.

As part of the Thrive365 experience, you’ll walk away with practical tools to uncover your own over planning habits and apply reductive strategies that free both you and your team from overload. This isn’t about productivity hacks. It’s a focused framework for trimming the excess so you can create space for what truly drives results.

2:00 pm TRACK FEATURE

Game Changers: What the Rise of Women’s Sports Teaches Us About Leadership and Business

Women’s sports are experiencing a historic surge in visibility, valuation, and investment rapidly outpacing expectations and reshaping the global sports landscape. At the same time, leaders across both business and sports are navigating complex pressures: building high-performing cultures, earning trust with fans and stakeholders, and translating vision into sustained growth.

In this dynamic mainstage conversation, senior leaders from media, technology, professional sports, and investment come together to explore what the rapid rise of women’s sports reveals about the future of leadership and business.

Panelists will share insights from inside some of the fastest-moving areas of the sports economy from league expansion and media rights to sponsorship, fan engagement, and emerging investment models. Together, they will examine how connected leadership aligning people, purpose, and opportunity is driving innovation, accelerating growth, and unlocking new markets.

More than a conversation about sports, this session offers a powerful case study in modern leadership: how bold ideas, strategic investment, and inclusive leadership can transform industries and create lasting impact.

3:00 pm Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

Explore the concurrent session details on pages 14-15.

4:00 pm Networking Break: Connect and Explore

Optional Networking Activity for Group B.

Take this opportunity to expand your network and dive deeper into the conference experience!

4:30 pm Hoda Kotb

The Connected Leader: Leading with Joy, Presence, and Purpose

Leadership doesn’t live in one moment or one milestone it’s built day by day, through the relationships we nurture, the choices we make, and the way we show up for ourselves and others.

In this uplifting and deeply resonant session, Hoda Kotb brings her signature warmth, authenticity, and insight to the idea of the Connected Leader. Drawing from a career spent listening closely, asking meaningful questions, and finding light even in uncertain moments, Hoda explores how joy, presence, and purpose are not distractions from leadership they are essential to it.

This conversation invites you to reconnect with what fuels you as a leader, reflect on how you build trust and belonging, and explore small, intentional practices that help you sustain energy and impact over time. As the opening chapter of the Thrive365 journey, this session sets the tone for the year ahead reminding you that leadership isn’t a one-day event, but a daily practice grounded in connection, purpose, and presence.

5:30 pm Program Ends

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

HYBRID America

Ballroom

In-person

Essex Center

All the Difference: Turning Difference into Trust, Performance, and Value

In today’s organizations, difference is everywhere. It shows up in how people think, communicate, make decisions, move at speed, and respond under pressure. In AI-accelerated, high-stakes environments, leaders feel the weight of that complexity every day. When difference is avoided or mishandled, the cost is real. Ideas stay unspoken. Decisions slow down. Trust erodes quietly. Performance suffers long before conflict ever becomes visible.

But difference is not the problem. It is the raw material for better decisions, stronger collaboration, and sustained results. In this signature session, bestselling author Susan MacKenty Brady, relationship management expert Stuart Kliman, and U.S. Army General (retired) Leslie C. Smith share a practical leadership playbook for tapping into difference to create value.

Drawing on research, real-world leadership stories, and insights from their forthcoming book All the Difference (HBR Press, Summer 2026), they introduce six Target Actions leaders can use to navigate tension, disagreement, and uncertainty with greater clarity and confidence.

What High-Performing Teams Do Differently

High-performing teams are not the result of luck or chemistry they are intentionally designed and actively led.

In this practical breakout session, Mary Shapiro explores the core conditions that drive strong team performance, even in fast-paced and high-pressure environments. Leaders will examine how trust, clarity, accountability, and connection shape team dynamics and how small leadership shifts can dramatically improve collaboration and results.

Designed for leaders who want tools they can use immediately, this session offers actionable insights to help teams perform better together and sustain success over time. #SLC47

11:30 am & 3:00 pm

AM & PM

In-person

Essex North

RALLY Your Resilience: Leadership Strategies for What Comes Next

Leadership today doesn’t come in clean chapters. Pressure doesn’t spike and fade it stacks. Crises overlap. Expectations rise. And resilience is no longer a “nice to have” it’s a leadership capability you must actively build.

In this highly interactive, participant-driven session, you’ll work alongside author and strategic advisor Greg Morley to explore what it truly means to lead with resilience in sustained complexity. Drawing on his latest research and realworld experience, Greg will help you move beyond endurance and toward a more grounded, adaptive way of leading one that supports both you and the people who count on you.

AM & PM

In-person

Essex South

Get Clear, Get Connected: Building Relationships That Actually Matter

Connected leadership starts with clarity. You can’t build meaningful professional relationships until you’re clear on who you are, the value you bring, and what you’re seeking. In this interactive breakout session with Kerry Seitz, you’ll reflect on your core competencies, clarify your networking intentions, and craft an authentic career path that supports purposeful connection.

AM & PM

Online Only

What Disruption Demands: Co-Creating a Courageous Culture

Disruption has shaken leaders’ sense of certainty, identity, and confidence demanding a new kind of courage.

In this thought-provoking breakout session, Andrés Tapia explores what it means to lead with courage amid relentless change and accelerating AI-driven transformation. Drawing on his deep expertise in leadership, culture, and co-creation across difference, Andrés challenges leaders to act without having full clarity, stay grounded in their humanity, and build trust even when the ground is shifting.

This session helps you see disruption not as a threat, but as an opportunity. You’ll explore how to create team environments grounded in psychological safety, connection, and shared purpose so you and your people can adapt, align, and innovate together with confidence.

AM & PM

Online Only

Sustainable Success: How Leaders Protect Their Energy to Create Maximum Impact

Sustained impact doesn’t come from doing more it comes from leading with clarity, capacity, and intention. In this timely virtual session with Kip Hollister, leaders will explore how burnout quietly shows up long before it becomes visible, why even high-performing leaders are especially vulnerable, and what it truly takes to protect energy in demanding roles. This conversation moves beyond quick fixes to focus on practical, sustainable approaches that help leaders restore capacity, make better decisions, and lead for the long term.