Women's Leadership Conference 2021 Recap

​This year’s Women’s Leadership Conference, presented by PNC, took place virtually over a 2-day period.
With the theme of Learn and Lead, there was so much insightful material to be shared.
Thank you, PNC, for your sponsorship and support, and to Jim Hansen for being a strong ally.

We kicked off day 1 with a panel discussion, “Cultural Differences and Acceptance: I Am Not My Hair!” Once of the best quotes we heard was from Chanae Wilson, "there is a comfortability and confidence that comes with being able to wear your hair in its natural state."
Our Panel Included:

• Shemekka Ebony, Co-founder, Crown Campaign
• Judge Ashleigh Parker Dunston, Wake County District Court, 10th Judicial District
• Senator Natalie Murdock, NC Senator, District 20

Contributors included:

• Terence Everitt, NC House Representative, District 35
• Kacie Fore, Senior Public Engagement Specialist – Transmission, Duke Energy
• Chanae Wilson, Community Connections Manager with the Budget & Tax Center, North Carolina Justice Center
• Courtney Vinson, Teacher, Wake County Public School System
• Matt Calabria, Chair, Wake County Board of Commissioners, District 2
• Shinica Thomas, Wake County Board of Commissioners, District 6

 
The remainder of day 1 featured breakout sessions for participants to choose 2 of 3 topics:

• The Future is Yours!
• Putting Equity and Inclusion into Action
• The Power of Your Community

Day 2 kicked off with, “Modern Workplace (The Burnout Epidemic.)”
One of our favorite quotes from this session was, "Open communication is built on the foundation of trust." –Amy Bacon, Senior VP, Enterprise Data Risk Management, PNC
Panelists included:

• Amy Bacon, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Data Management, PNC
• Carla Mantilla, Head of Client Lifecycle Management, Credit Suisse
• Kelli Dragovich, Chief People Officer, Pendo

The remainder of day 2 featured breakout sessions for participants to choose 2 of 3 topics:

• Retaining Female Leadership
• Resilient Leadership During Uncertain Times
• The Trailblazers

For “The Trailblazers” session Machelle Baker Sanders, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, reminded us, “We need to close the pay gap before 2060.”

Thank you to all our Women's Leadership Conference 2021 sponsors who helped make this conference happen!

Presenting Sponsor

Platinum Sponsors:

Gold Sponsors:
ABB Inc.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Credit Suisse
Highwoods Properties, Inc.
Merz Aesthetics
WakeMed Health & Hospitals
 
Silver Sponsors:
Bailey's Fine Jewelry
Carolina Hurricanes
Citrix
McAdams
Syngenta Crop Protection
Wake Technical Community College
WakeWorks Apprenticeships

Breakout Session Sponsors:
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Stewart
 
Bronze Sponsors:
Alfred Williams & Company
Barnhill Contracting Co., Inc.
Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines
HH Architecture
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
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