Seminar Session 2

You spoke and we listened! By popular demand, we are offering two exciting program components to foster peer networking and more intimate settings to engage and learn.

Expert Exchange Sessions

This new element will provide you with the opportunity to gather with your peers in more intimate settings to learn from experts who will lead a discussion on specific issues that matter most to you. Topics will focus on career or personal development and will provide a great vehicle to share best practices and lessons learned. This will also provide a great networking opportunity—you never know who will be your next business partner, co-worker, customer or new hire! Expert exchange sessions are designed to be intimate; therefore capacity will not exceed 150 participants. Seating is first-come, first-serve and doors will close once we reach capacity.

Speakers: Julie Haskell, VP, Global Inclusion, State Street
Pamela Paton, SVP, Corporate Development and Global Relationship Management, chair, Professional Women’s Network, State Street
Topic: Taking Your Personal network to the Next Level
Join State Street’s Pamela Paton, SVP, Corporate Development and Global Relationship Management and chair of the Global Professional Women’s Network, and Julie Haskell, VP, Global Inclusion along with several leaders of the company’s Women’s Networks to discuss ways to take your personal network to the next level. Building a well-rounded professional network can actually be easier than it seems. Come to this session to learn from others, share best practices and potentially make a few new connections of your own.

Speaker: Stacy Schaeffer, director, business operations for global alliances, EMC
Topic: Achieving Balanace in a 24/7 World
Thanks to Apple, smart phones and laptops we live in a world where we are connected at all times. As great as it is to be connected, the wonderful technological advancements of recent decades have also paved the way to a pace of life that is amped up beyond what some us can manage. Whether you are single, married or caring for others – balance is an issue and is necessary for personal and professional success. This discussion will explore strategies to help you focus on quality of life instead of quantity. You will learn strategies for time and task management and learn how to put focus back into the things that truly matter most to you so that you can feel successful in all aspects of life.

Speaker: Lisa DeSisto, Chief Advertising Officer, Boston Globe
Topic: Cultivating Female Leaders
What does it mean to be a female leader of change and innovation in the corporate world? How can senior and executive managers make strategic, tactical and creative decisions to improve our workplace and community? Lisa DeSisto of The Boston Globe and Boston.com, and a panel of well-known and respected community leaders, including Barbara Goose, Executive Director of Digitas Boston/ Detroit, Stephanie Sonnabend, CEO and President of Sonesta Collection and Chair and Co-Founder, 2020 Women on Boards and Marcy Reed, President of National Grid Massachusetts, will discuss these important and thought-provoking questions with their audience. Audience members will collaborate with Lisa and the panelists to identify opportunities to foster, support and develop female leadership.

Speaker: Denise Kaigler, senior vice president, Corporate Communications, Boston Scientific
Topic: Leading Through Change
Denise Kaigler knows what it means to lead change. She arrived at Boston Scientific new to the medical field, at a time of challenge for the company, and is currently leading a wholesale transformation of its corporate communication structure and strategy. In this session, Kaigler will draw on lessons from her time at Boston Scientific and her previous experience at Nintendo and Reebok to explore the challenges involved in leadership at times of transformation. She will describe the unique blend of toughness and transparency that enabled her — and can enable other women — to succeed in “Leading through Change.”

Speaker: Lynn Taylor,vice president, Government Affairs, EMD Serono
Topic: Staying Healthy on the Go
As a busy executive in a global company, Lynn Taylor, Vice President, Government Affairs at EMD Serono, will share her health & wellness tips and strategies. Lynn incorporates a healthy lifestyle into her work and travel schedule and will share her strategies & philosophies on healthy eating, finding time to exercise, stress management, and suggestions on how to encourage your employer to adopt healthy living benefits.

Speaker: Beth Carlson, vice president, Global Talent Development and Learning
Topic: Your Authenticity and Company Norms: Where is the Line When Conflict Occurs?
At any stage of your career it’s essential to stay true to yourself. However, certain business climates and external pressures may tip your scale to compromise. Where do you draw the line? In this candid session, discover how to develop into the type of leader you want to become and create a leadership style of your own.

Speaker: Mary Mullin, financial and investment planning expert, Merrill Lynch
Topic: Financial Considerations for Families of Children with Special Needs
Having children with special needs (whether behavioral, psychological or physical) can present tremendous financial challenges. This important session will help you step beyond your emotions to create a financial planning strategy and ultimately preserve your child’s quality of life based on your unique needs. Attendees will learn how to conduct an analysis of your current situation including your child’s short-and-long-term financial and health care needs. You will also learn what government assistance is available (including Supplemental Social Security Income, disability benefits and Special Needs Trust to name a few) and explore how and where to integrate this into your overall plan.

 Speaker: Samantha Ettus, personal branding expert, bestselling author and TV personality
Topic: MamaNation: The Professional Mom’s Tool Kit
Working moms are more talented than circus jugglers, managing a tug of war between kids, family and their careers. From the boardroom to the bedroom, this session will offer ten change-your-life tactics to take with you for a happier, more efficient and successful life.

Speakers: Joan Luise Hill, Katie Mahon and Meb Phillips, co-authors, The Miracle Chase
Topic: Strategies for Successful Transitions and Second Acts
The three authors of The Miracle Chase, Three Women, Three Miracles and a Ten Year Journey of Discovery and Friendship will explore how to make your ideal real and how to turn your dreams into destiny. Sharing the skills they used in imagining, collaborating, researching, writing, publishing and marketing their book, these remarkable women will help you identify, articulate and imagine your “Second Act” – be it a book, a business or substantive life change. By identifying and reframing the barriers that you believe stand in your way, you will be able to take the next step towards becoming fearless; recognizing that the whole universe is a network of connections waiting to help you accomplish your dreams.

Speaker: Maria Murnane, author, Perfect on Paper and It’s a Waverly Life
Topic: The Inside Scoop on How to Get Published
Attend this session to learn the basics of publishing and see how rejection doesn’t mean the end of your dream if you’re willing to work hard. Led by award-winning author Maria Murnane, who went from self-published to traditionally published through creativity and sheer perseverance, Maria will explore the pros and cons of each publishing route and how to weigh them against your goals as an author. Maria will offer practical marketing strategies to attract the attention of both readers and traditional publishers.

Local Leader Meet Ups

These intimate opportunities will give you the chance to get up close and personal with corporate, community and civic local leaders to ask specific questions about your career, social responsibility, community outreach and much more.
Local Leader Meet Ups are held in the Career Pavilion inside the Exhibit Hall

Local Leader Group 1: 11:00am- 11:30am

SONIA CHANG-DÍAZ is a force to be reckoned with as the first Latina elected to the Massachusetts State Senate and ranked as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Boston in 2011. Now is your chance to meet this mover and shaker – in her first two years in office she addressed more than 8000 issues from her constituents, sponsored more than a dozen different bills and won her top legislative priority with the landmark CORI reform.

As the vice president of US Communications at EMD Serono, RENEE CONNOLLY is responsible for all external and internal communications. Meet a true pioneer in public relations and community affairs and learn how her leadership resulted in the company receiving numerous awards including the Boston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work and the Boston Business Journal’s corporate philanthropy award.

Chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business, REPRESENTATIVE LINDA DORCENA FORRY has dedicated her professional life to a career in public service in state and local government and has championed improvements to the state’s education system, economic growth, job creation and business development efforts.

Mary Beth Hawkins is responsible for a team of over 300 retail employees and all of AT&T’s retail locations in Western MA, RI and CT. Talk twitter and other social media hot topics with a leading executive from the Conferences Communications Partner.

At six weeks old, DOTTIE LESSARD-BROWNSBERGER was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and given minimal chances for life past age two. Now 44 years old, she is a survivor of a double lung transplant and a kidney transplant – and has become a celebrated athlete, author and entrepreneur. Meet this inspirational woman and you will see why she was named one of Runner’s World Magazine’s “Heroes of Running” and one of Magic 106.7′s “Exceptional Woman.”

Creator and co-host of Magic 106.7’s Exceptional Women, Candy O’Terry is an award winning multi-media broadcaster and an exceptional woman in her own right. As a leader in media and in driving philanthropic causes Candy can inspire you and offer practical advice for finding your passion and turning it into reality.

Local Leader Group 2: 12:30pm- 1:00pm

Local Leader Group 2: 12:30pm- 1:00pm

As the associate general counsel at EMD Serono, Leigh-Ann Durant is a leader in the industry and in the Boston area. Named as one of Boston’s Business Journal’s “40 under 40” and “Top 50 Women Lawyers in Massachusetts” Leigh Ann can share the secrets of her leadership journey and can illustrate the power and importance of female mentorship relationships.

As president of Hill Holliday, KAREN KAPLAN is a driving force behind their growth to more than $1 billion in annual billings. As a recipient of numerous awards including the highly coveted “Women to Watch” from Advertising Age, now is your chance to tap into this true powerhouse and gain practical advice around advertising, networking and leadership.

GLORIA CORDES LARSON, JD, prominent lawyer, public policy expert and president of Bentley University is committed to the advancement of women and is a pioneer in the Boston community. Meet on of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Boston and the board president of MA Conference for Women to learn how you can empower yourself and make a difference in your profession and community.

JANE SWIFT earned her place in history as the first woman to serve as Governor of Massachusetts and as the first governor in the United States to give birth while in office. After a decade of public service, and now as the CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages, see why Glamour magazine declared her “One of 11 Women Who Could Change the Country” and why she was named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Boston 2011.

Local Leader Group 3: 3:00- 4:00pm

JOSEFINA BONILLA is not only the managing director of Color Media Group, LLC and publisher of Color Magazine, but she has co-written fiver screenplays and was selected as a finalist at the Sundance screenwriter’s competition.

As the senior VP of brand communications and corporate social responsibility at John Hancock Financial, CAROL FULP presides over an $11 million corporate-giving program. The Obama administration appointed her to represent the U.S. at the UN and Boston named her as one the Top 50 Most Influential Women in 2011 – and Carol will show you how to empower communities and change lives.

She graduated from high school years ahead of schedule and is now at 19 years old a senior at Berklee College of Music. GRACE KELLY is not only a saxophonist, vocalist, composer, lyricist and arranger – she is a rising star and a true example of what can be accomplished with focus, determination and hard work.

As the head of Boston’s Federal Reserve Bank for 13 years, chair of the MGH Board of Trustees and managing director of Arlington Advisory Partners, CATHY MINEHAN can offer a wealth of industry expertise and leadership lessons.

As the president of New England Weber Shandwick, MICHO SPRING heads the Global Corporate Practice and is a leading expert on communications and branding in the corporate, non-profit and government sectors. Tap into her expertise and see why she was named multiple times as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Boston.

Please check back soon as we continue to update our website with the latest program details and confirmed list of Leaders and Experts.