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2018 Speakers

Thank you to our amazing 2018 speakers! Next year's lineup will be posted here as speakers are confirmed. 

2018 WORKPLACE SUMMIT SPEAKERS           |           2018 OPENING NIGHT SPEAKERS

Special Guest Speakers

Governor Charlie Baker

GOVERNOR CHARLIE BAKER was inaugurated as the 72nd Governor of Massachusetts on January 8th, 2015. Since taking office, he has been making Massachusetts a great place to live, work and raise a family while ...
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Ali Bebo

ALI BEBO joined Hologic in February 2015, and entered the unchartered territory of the healthcare industry after an extensive twenty year career in retail. While the healthcare industry may have been new to ...
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Renee Connolly

Introduction | Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer; Head, Innovation HR Engagement & Inclusion​, The US businesses of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany & Massachusetts Conference for Women Board ...
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Katie Thompson

KATIE THOMPSON is a general assignment reporter who joined WCVB in February of 2017.  She is a New England native who was born and raised in Kennebunk, Maine. Thompson started her career in Boston nearly a ...
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Karen Holmes Ward

KAREN HOLMES WARD is the director of public affairs and community services as well as host and executive producer of CityLine, WCVB’s award-winning weekly magazine program. CityLine addresses the ...
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Keynotes

Shawn Achor

SHAWN ACHOR is the New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness ...
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Amal Clooney

AMAL CLOONEY is a British human rights lawyer practicing at Doughty Street Chambers ...
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Nick Clooney

NICK CLOONEY has been a broadcaster since he was sixteen years old. For most of the ...
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Elizabeth Gilbert

ELIZABETH GILBERT's memoir Eat, Pray, Love has been called “a generation’s ...
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Jesmyn Ward

JESMYN WARD is a novelist, memoirist and essayist. She is a MacArthur Genius and ...
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Maysoon Zayid

MAYSOON ZAYID is an actress, comedian, writer, and disability advocate. She is a ...
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Breakout Session Speakers

Yvonne Albert

YVONNE ALBERT is head of human resources for MilliporeSigma. Albert joined ...
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Emilie Aries

EMILIE ARIES is the founder and CEO of Bossed Up. Formerly the co-host of ...
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Sally Bament

SALLY BAMENT is vice president of marketing, cloud and service providers with ...
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Brooke M. B. Bass

BROOKE M. B. BASS is the senior vice president and manager, property field ...
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Stacy Dawson Belf

STACY DAWSON BELF is a managing director for State Street Corporation’s ...
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Melissa Ben-Ishay

MELISSA BEN-ISHAY is a mom, baker, and founder of Baked by Melissa, the New York ...
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Elizabeth Bolgiano

ELIZABETH BOLGIANO is executive vice president and chief human resources officer with ...
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Jane Bowman

JANE BOWMAN is the vice president of marketing and strategic partnerships for Boston ...
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Lisa Brady

Lisa Brady

LISA BRADY is the director of supply chain sustainability at Cisco, leading programs ...
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Terri Bresenham

TERRI BRESENHAM is GE Healthcare’s chief innovation officer, leading innovation and ...
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Lauren Smith Brody

LAUREN SMITH BRODY is the author of The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom’s Guide ...
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Stephanie Browne

STEPHANIE BROWNE is vice president of talent acquisition and chief diversity and ...
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Valorie Burton

VALORIE BURTON is a best-selling author and founder of the Coaching and Positive ...
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Courtney Carver

COURTNEY CARVER changed her life by simplifying it after a devastating diagnosis in ...
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Francesca Cavallo

FRANCESCA CAVALLO is CCO of Timbuktu Labs, an award-winning media company founded in ...
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Jean Chatzky

JEAN CHATZKY is the financial editor of NBC’s TODAY show, is an award-winning ...
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Lida Citroën

LIDA CITROËN is an international branding and reputation management expert who ...
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James Clear

JAMES CLEAR is an author and speaker focused on habits, decision-making, and ...
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Kem Danner

KEM DANNER is the head of human resources and senior vice president for State Street ...
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Meredith DeWitt

MEREDITH DeWITT is the founder and principal of MJD Associates, LLC, a boutique ...
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Kellyanne Dignan

KELLYANNE DIGNAN is director of global corporate affairs with Ocean Spray. In this ...
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Kate Dobbs

KATE DOBBS has the privilege to serve as senior vice president of marketing and ...
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Kristy Dunchak

KRISTY DUNCHAK is a senior director of product management for Tyco converged ...
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Judy A. Durkin

JUDY A. DURKIN is vice president of financial planning and analysis at Raytheon ...
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Christine M. Fandozzi

CHRISTINE M. FANDOZZI, PhD is associate vice president at Merck Research ...
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Dr. Christina Farup

DR. CHRISTINA FARUP is vice president of transformation and change management for ...
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Sanam Razzaghi Feldman

SANAM RAZZAGHI FELDMAN leads global people strategy and development initiatives ...
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Meredith Flynn-Ripley

MEREDITH FLYNN-RIPLEY is vice president of mobile messaging at Salesforce, where ...
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Mary-Jo Gagliardi

MARY-JO GAGLIARDI is a senior vice president of human resources and leads HR for ...
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Francesca Gino

FRANCESCA GINO is an award-winning researcher, and the Tandon family professor of ...
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Melody Godfred

MELODY GODFRED is an entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She practiced law as a ...
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Dr. Marshall Goldsmith

DR. MARSHALL GOLDSMITH is the world authority in helping successful leaders achieve ...
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Loi Sessions Goulet

LOI SESSIONS GOULET leads the research team at TripAdvisor. After establishing the ...
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Sarah Grimwood

SARAH GRIMWOOD is the head of portfolio, strategy and operations, and chief of ...
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Kate Gulliver

KATE GULLIVER oversees the talent team at Wayfair, where she is responsible for ...
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Blair Hammond

BLAIR HAMMOND is a global marketer, specializing in digital brand management. As ...
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Martie Haselton

MARTIE HASELTON, PhD is the world’s leading researcher on sexuality and the ...
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Fran Hauser

FRAN HAUSER is a long-time media executive, startup investor and author of The Myth ...
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Susan Hayes

SUSAN HAYES is a supply chain vice president in product operations, with Cisco ...
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Amanda Healy

AMANDA HEALY is an award-winning B2B marketing demand generation leader and ...
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Sally Helgesen

SALLY HELGESEN is considered the gold standard among experts on women’s ...
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Dr. Ellen Hendriksen

DR. ELLEN HENDRIKSEN is a clinical psychologist who helps millions calm their ...
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Linda Henry

LINDA HENRY is the managing director of the Boston Globe and Stat News. She is a ...
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Meredith (Max) Hodges

MEREDITH (MAX) HODGES joined Boston Ballet as executive director in 2014, and leads ...
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Sakina Ibrahim

SAKINA IBRAHIM is an NAACP Image Award-nominated author, social entrepreneur, and ...
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Cynthia Johnson

CYNTHIA JOHNSON is the VP of global data center sales at Cisco. In this role, she is ...
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Katie Rosen Kitchens

KATIE ROSEN KITCHENS is co-founder of FabFitFun. She has led the company’s ...
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Laurie Knocke

LAURIE KNOCKE is senior employment counsel at Boston Scientific Corporation. In ...
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Nataly Kogan

NATALY KOGAN is the creator of the Happier Method™, and an entrepreneur, speaker, ...
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Janet Kraus

JANET KRAUS is co-founder and CEO of Peach, a lifestyle brand with a mission to ...
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Kathy Krisch

KATHY KRISCH is a director in Bose’s consumer wellness division, responsible ...
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Rakhi Kumar

RAKHI KUMAR is a senior managing director and head of ESG investments and asset ...
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Raquel (Rocky) Lachman

RAQUEL (ROCKY) LACHMAN is a brand marketing leader and recently VP of marketing ...
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Ali LaValley

ALI LAVALLEY is the director of global Converse procurement at Converse.  ...
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Kristen LaVerghetta

KRISTEN LaVERGHETTA is head of life science global internal communications with ...
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Cara Alwill Leyba

CARA ALWILL LEYBA is a best-selling author, master life coach, and creator ...
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Des Linden

DES LINDEN braved headwinds and torrential rain to become the first US women’s ...
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Joanne Lipman

JOANNE LIPMAN is the best-selling author of That's What She Said: What Men Need to ...
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Cate Luzio

CATE LUZIO is the founder and CEO of Luminary, the premier collaboration hub and ...
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Ellen McGirt

Moderator | Editor-in-chief, Design Observer ...
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Jennifer Meade

JENNIFER MEADE currently serves as the vice president of sales and commercial ...
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Gillian Meek

GILLIAN MEEK joined the Keds team as president in 2016. In this role, she leads a ...
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Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan

DR. MYECHIA MINTER-JORDAN is president and chief executive officer of The Dimock ...
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Jessica Morris

JESSICA MORRIS is the digital lumen’s director of application engineering for ...
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Diane Mulcahy

DIANE MULCAHY is the author of The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better ...
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Kathleen Murphy

KATHLEEN MURPHY is president of Fidelity Investments personal investing division, ...
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Nathalie Molina Niño

NATHALIE MOLINA NIÑO is a serial entrepreneur, a super connector and an investor, ...
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Laura Okmin

LAURA OKMIN has been covering the biggest names in sports on the biggest stages, for ...
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Anthony Ostler

ANTHONY OSTLER is currently a senior vice president in the Global Services Americas ...
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Mona Patel

MONA PATEL is vice president of clinical training and fellowship education for the ...
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Carmen Perez

CARMEN PEREZ is something of a Renaissance woman in modern-day activism. She has ...
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Maci Peterson Philitas

MACI PETERSON PHILITAS is the CEO and co-founder of On Second Thought (OST), the ...
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Beth Phalen

BETH PHALEN is president and GM of the data protection division at Dell EMC. She is ...
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Deb Pine

DEB PINE serves as the executive director of the Gloria Cordes Larsen Center for ...
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Colleen Richards Powell

COLLEEN RICHARDS POWELL is the director of corporate citizenship and diversity with ...
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Franchesca “Chescaleigh” Ramsey

FRANCHESCA “CHESCALEIGH” RAMSEY is an actress, writer, producer, director and ...
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Sam Rapoport

SAM RAPOPORT is senior director of football development with the National Football ...
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Shannon Resetich

SHANNON RESETICH is head of rare diseases and rare blood disorders, North America, ...
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Selena Rezvani

SELENA REZVANI teaches women at all levels to negotiate like a boss. She also ...
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Cecile Richards

CECILE RICHARDS is a national leader for women’s rights and social and economic ...
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Britney Robbins

BRITNEY ROBBINS is the founder and CEO of The Gray Matter Experience, a non-profit ...
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Nishita Roy-Pope

NISHITA ROY-POPE is a senior consultant at Dell, where she has led high impact, ...
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Laurie Ruettimann

LAURIE RUETTIMANN is a former human resources leader turned writer, speaker, and ...
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Dr. Laurie Santos

DR. LAURIE SANTOS is professor of psychology and head of Silliman College at Yale ...
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Cathleen Scerbo

CATHLEEN SCERBO is VP and GM of technology services at Liberty Mutual. In an era of ...
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Hana Schank

Hana Schank

HANA SCHANK is a writer, design researcher and technologist. Her most recent book ...
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Jan Schwartz

JAN SCHWARTZ is senior director of engineering for enterprise management tools at ...
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Deb Shapiro

DEB SHAPIRO is a global business executive in the biopharmaceutical industry. She ...
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David Smith

DAVID SMITH, PhD, is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor ...
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Alison Smith

ALISON SMITH is a marketing manager at Reebok where she works with the brand's ...
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Jessamyn Stanley

JESSAMYN STANLEY is the author of Every Body Yoga as well as an ...
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Jane Steinmetz

JANE STEINMETZ is the first woman to lead an office for a Big Four accounting ...
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Amanda Stern

AMANDA STERN was born in New York City, and raised in Greenwich Village. She’s the ...
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Simone Stewart

SIMONE STEWART is a senior director for Akamai’s web strategy and operations ...
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Saron Tesfalul

SARON TESFALUL joined Bain Capital Private Equity in 2012.  She is a vice president ...
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Jennifer Tomosivitch

JENNIFER TOMOSIVITCH is the vice president of market development for the laboratory ...
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Ashley Tyrner

ASHLEY TYRNER is the founder and CEO of Farmbox Direct. She went from food stamps, ...
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Chris Voss

CHRIS VOSS is a negotiation expert, CEO of the Black Swan Group, and author of the ...
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Cy Wakeman

CY WAKEMAN is president and founder of Reality-Based Leadership, global ...
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Elizabeth Wallace

Elizabeth Wallace

ELIZABETH WALLACE is the author of The Ambition Decisions: What Women Know About ...
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Nicole Wetmore

NICOLE WETMORE is the director of global HR compliance and Americas operations with ...
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Kristin Wong

KRISTIN WONG regularly writes about personal finance, career, and human behavior ...
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Special Guest Speakers

Governor Charlie Baker

GOVERNOR CHARLIE BAKER was inaugurated as the 72nd Governor of Massachusetts on ...
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Ali Bebo

ALI BEBO joined Hologic in February 2015, and entered the unchartered territory ...
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Renee Connolly

Introduction | Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer; Head, Innovation HR ...
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Katie Thompson

KATIE THOMPSON is a general assignment reporter who joined WCVB in February of ...
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Karen Holmes Ward

KAREN HOLMES WARD is the director of public affairs and community services as well ...
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Small Business Roundtable

Robin Golinski

ROBIN GOLINSKI is an energetic and ...
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Annemarie Riley Guertin

ANNEMARIE RILEY GUERTIN is a newly minted author. Her debut picture book How the ...
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Cristen Tara Moore

CRISTEN TARA MOORE is a senior vice president of investments at Wells Fargo Advisors. ...
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Britney Robbins

BRITNEY ROBBINS is the founder and CEO of The Gray Matter Experience, a non-profit ...
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Wendy Silver

WENDY SILVER is the founder and president of Beyond the Workplace LLC, a boutique HR ...
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Yulkendy Valdez

YULKENDY VALDEZ is the co-founder and a managing partner of Forefront, a premier ...
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Natasha Zena

NATASHA ZENA is the co-founder of Lioness, the digital magazine for female ...
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Tech Roundtables

Chrissy Carroll

CHRISSY CARROLL is a spirited blogger and social media enthusiast. On her ...
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Nancy Chen

NANCY CHEN is a staff scientist in the projects and solutions department at OSRAM ...
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Holly Chessman

HOLLY CHESSMAN was named one of New England’s Top 40 Influencers in content and ...
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Laurel Driskill

LAUREL DRISKILL, aka sugar boogerz, was in a dark place when she found autonomous ...
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Jodi Flynn

JODI FLYNN is the owner of Women Taking the Lead. She is an executive leadership ...
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Shakti Routray Harris

SHAKTI ROUTRAY HARRIS is the global diversity and inclusion leader for the specialty ...
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Jessica N. Levenson

JESSICA N. LEVENSON brings over fourteen years as a straight-shooting innovative ...
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Angela Pitter

ANGELA PITTER is founder and CEO of LiveWire Collaborative, a digital marketing ...
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