WELD | WELD Leadership Conference | Agenda

Breakout Sessions

 

Breakout Session I Options (choose one):

A.  Policy Challenges Facing Women Business Owners:

An Interactive Discussion with Donna James, Chair, NWBC

Presented by Women with Moxie, LLC

This session will feature Donna James, our keynote speaker and Chair of the National Women’s Business Council in an interactive discussion with a select group of Central Ohio women business owners (WBOs).  Donna will articulate her vision and strategy from the Council and provide opportunites for session participants to provide feedback and insight on this direction.  Our Central Ohio women business leaders will be one of the earliest groups to hear Donna’s strategy and participate in an exciting interactive discussion with her on how these strategies may be achieved as well as opportunities for improvement.

• What are the pain points for being a woman business owner in 2011 and how can the public sector    help women surmount them? 
• What are the obstacles for starting, growing and selling your business?

Participants in this exciting interactive session will be chosen from registrants who indicate an interest in the session.  Attendance will be limited to approximately 50 diverse WBOs with companies of various sizes and industries.

B.  Understanding Your Nonprofit Organization’s Financial Position 101

Pamela Foster, President, Results Unlimited

This session, targeted at those interested in or involved in non-profit work or non-profit board service, will equip participants with basic financial reporting information and help them understand their nonprofit organization’s financial position. It will provide participants with confidence and insight on reading financial reports, learning what questions to ask and the ability to identify potential “red flags” as they relate to financial reports. Learn the signs of a financially healthy nonprofit.  This session will be a great opportunity to expand knowledge of nonprofit financials for anyone running or working for a nonprofit.

C.  Breaking New Ground: Starting Your Own Business

Jeff Shick, Columbus State Community College’s Small Business Development Center (first offering)

Presented by The Women's Book

Participants attending this session will obtain practical knowledge from seasoned industry experts on the key components of successful new business launches:

• Product innovation and new product launch
• Business planning
• Marketing planning
• Business financial management

Get your business off to a great start by learning the Do’s & Don’ts of each of these key business processes from expert panelists with proven industry experience.

D. What Makes A Leader? Characteristics of High Performing Leaders

Dr. Kristin T. Tull, President, PRADCO

Presented by American Electric Power

In 2010, after decades of assessing executives, PRADCO initiated research to drill down on the specific characteristics of high performing female leaders. What PRADCO found are key common factors that describe the top female leaders. This session will offer insights into these characteristics and how they can be developed. Differences between women in middle management and those at the top will be illuminated. Ideas on how to formulate an action plan to prepare for the next steps in your career will be discussed.

E.  Navigating Office Politics: Finding Your Path in the Corporate Environment

Melisa Miller, SVP Client Sales, Alliance Data

Presented by AllianceData

Workplace politics can be an issue for both men and women, but women often have more difficulty navigating these circumstances.  Inability to work productively with office politics can be a career derailer.  Participants attending this session will learn the rules of playing the game, learn to identify the minefields, and learn to “navigate the waters.”  In addition, participants will learn effective strategies for maintaining a “clear distance” if avoiding office politics is their chosen route.

 

F.   Innovative Leadership – Driving Sustainable Change

Maureen Metcalf, CEO, Metcalf & Associates

Presented by Metcalf & Associates

After years of consulting with top companies on organizational transformations, Metcalf & Associates started compiling lessons learned from their clients. This experience combined with extensive research, led to launch of a book on developing innovative leadership. Knowing that the future of organizations is irreversibly tied to a world of erratic change, you can no longer afford to improve your systems and offerings without equally advancing your capacity for leadership. Qualities such as empathy and the ability to inspire cultural alignment offer your organization significant merit, and need to be implemented as shrewdly as strategic planning.

Topics will cover:

• Innovative Leadership Framework
• Key differentiators for innovative leaders
• Tools used by innovative leaders

 

Breakout Session II Options (choose one):

A.  Federal Procurement for Women Owned Businesses

Thomas W. Krusemark, Procurement Center Representative, US Small Business Administration

Presented by Battelle

This session will provide an overview of the newly enacted Woman Owned Small Business Set-Aside program.  Don’t miss the opportunity to learn the details of the new program and how to participate from the Procurement Center Representative for the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).  This is your opportunity to pose your questions and expand your understanding of the program from an expert leader from the SBA.

 

B.  Leadership in the Public Sector

Ginny Barney, City Manager, Upper Arlington

This session will feature a high-profile speaker with experience in a variety of government and public sector leadership roles.  The unique challenges presented and skills required to achieve success as a leader in different divisions of the public sector will be addressed.  Participants attending this session will gain an understanding of how leadership in the public sector compares to the private sector and the key items one should consider if they pursue roles in the public sector.  Elements unique to women will also be discussed.

 

C.  Tools to Improve your Leadership: Using Your Strengths and Overcoming Your Limitations

Dr. Kerry Strayer, Associate Professor, Otterbein University

Presented by State Auto Insurance Companies

This session will provide participants an opportunity to identify their leadership strengths and opportunities for development and help them understand how to use them to build effective teams, to lead from personal strengths, and to find and engage the right networks.  Participants will be expected to complete pre-work for this session including the MBTI (Myers-Briggs) and Strength Finder assessments.

 

D. Nonprofit Board Service: Who, What, Why and How?

Deb Peluso, The Change Collaborative; Nichole Dunn, CEO, The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio; Elizabeth Eck, Hands On; Rebecca Princehorn, Trustee, Otterbein University, Partner, Bricker & Eckler

Presented by Bricker & Eckler

What do non-profit leaders look for when recruiting board members? What are the leadership skills that are needed and how does one develop those skills? What's the inside scoop on how to position oneself for potential non-profit board selection? We will explore these questions with our panel of leaders who collectively wear many hats in the non-profit world, as executive directors, grant partners, board members, and board educators. 

 

E.  Building A Client Base: Networking to Grow Your Business

Melanie Martin-Jones, Partner, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP; Pam Springer, CEO, Manta; Kathy Krendl, President, Otterbein University; Sandy Harbrecht, President & CEO, Paul Werth Associates

Presented by Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

Whether you own your own business or work for a professional services organization such as a law firm or accounting firm, building a client base is mission critical.  Gone are the days of using “cold calling” as the key method to develop new prospects and to grow your business.  Today, networking is a core component to any strategy to add new clients.  Participants attending this session will hear from proven experts from diverse backgrounds on how they use networking to grow their client base.

 

F.   Impact Your Image

Shelley Menduni, President, Professional Imagery

Professional presence and image are cornerstones to career advancement and financial success. Studies show that 55% of other people’s perception of you is based on your visual appearance, 38% is based on your body language and 7% is vocal. How can you transform your image from ordinary to extraordinary?

Topics covered in this session include:

• First impressions DO count: you only get 5 seconds, make them count!
• Learn 3 things to do immediately to positively impact your image
• Be true to you: authentic style reflects your true inner self
• Create a professional wardrobe: your secret weapon? Color!!!
• Body language 101:  We send out over 700,000 body signals.  What message are you sending?

Breakout Session III Options (choose one):

A.  WBOs: From Business Owner to Board Member

Eleanor Bloxham, Founder and CEO, The Value Alliance

Presented By Ernst & Young

This session will include material similar to the Corporate Board Training workshop for the executive level woman but will be condensed and focus on this topic from the perspective of a woman business owner (WBO).

This session will cover:

• Why WBOs have an advantage in board service prospects and how to capitalize on this advantage
• Duties and responsibilities of boards, directors, management,  and key committees and practices of effective boards
• Who should know about you? What should you know about them?
• The key success factor in being hired
• Mapping a plan: the inside work and the outside work

B.  Breaking New Ground: Starting Your Own Business

Jeff Shick, Columbus State Community College’s Small Business Development Center (second offering)

Participants attending this session will obtain practical knowledge from seasoned industry experts on the key components of successful new business launches:

• Product innovation and new product launch
• Business planning
• Marketing planning
• Business financial management

Get your business off to a great start by learning the Do’s & Don’ts of each of these key business processes from expert panelists with proven industry experience.

 

C.  Personal Branding and Great Customer Service

Shelley Menduni, President, Professional Imagery

Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business.  How can you build customer loyalty? Learn the #l secret to increase your business.  Do you know who your ideal client is? People want to do business with those that they know, like and trust.  What is the trust factor?  Be uniquely YOU!  With a little thought and creativity, you can become memorable.

Topics covered in this session:

• 8 rules for customer service
• Referral programs – do you have one?
• Outclass your competition – make your client feel special
• Professional presence – the frame around your experience and credentials
• Dealing with difficult people – learn a simple technique to successfully diffuse any situation
• Gratitude – appreciation is never out of place

D. The Balancing Act: Work, Life and Leadership

    Mary Ann Masur, CEO Synergy Consultants, LLC

Studies show that "The Balancing Act" is often the number one issue impacting the lives of women and their degree of fulfillment and joy in life.  Participants attending this session will gain a greater understanding of of how mastering three key facets of leadership - time, tolerations and talk - combine to not only create and maintain greater balance in your life, but also increase your energy exponentially. 

You'll discover how to: 

• Get to the heart of what you're really focusing on...and what you can do to prioritize your time more effectively
  
• Recognize and eliminate tolerations in order to gain momentum
  
• Empower yourself by becoming more aware of and changing your self-talk for the better
• Set and maintain boundaries in work and life even if saying "no" has always been hard for you
  

E.  Leadership in the Partnership Setting:  What They Don’t Teach You in Law & Business School

Erika Haupt, Partner-in-Charge, Roetzel & Andress; Lark Mallory, Senior Counsel, Chester Willcox & Saxby; Laura Wojciechowski, President, Whalen & Company CPAs; Darci Congrove, Managing Director, GBQ Partners, LLC; Jen Battle, Partner, Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP, moderator

Presented by Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP

They taught you how to pass the bar exam and the CPA exams and told you all the details on the best firms to work for.  You’ve done your study of “dressing for success.”  And now you’re hired.  But what is it they didn’t tell you in graduate school about working in the partnership setting?

• The unwritten rules?
• Networking with the boys?
• Bringing in new clients?
• Getting to the partner level?
• Partnership dynamics?

Participants in this session will learn key strategies for navigating the partnership setting and how they differ from the corporate setting.

 

F.   Time Management Skills for Busy Professionals

Miriam Bogard, CEO, MB Organizers; Debbie Manos-McHenry, SVP & Chief Sourcing Officer, Huntington Bank; Shelly Marks, Director Human Resources, Alliance Data; Denise Pope, IT Director, Nationwide Insurance; Kathy Presutti, Manager Business Process Improvement, AEP

Feeling rushed?  Have multiple lists of things that never seem to get completed?  Say goodbye to the stress, pressure and frustration that come from being disorganized.  Participants attending this session will learn:

• Management views on the role of time management skills in achieving career advancement
• Proven methods to identify and remedy key time wasters
• Techniques to prevent procrastination
• Tricks and tips for getting organized
• Effective ways to prioritize in order to meet key deadlines
• Strategies for “outsourcing” help

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