Women's Leadership Conference Program
Schedule-At-A-Glance
8 A.M. - Conference check-in opens
9 A.M. - Inside the Boardroom
10 A.M. - Breakout Session 1
11:15 A.M. - Breakout Session 2
12:15 P.M. - Lunch
1:15 P.M. - Breakout Session 3
2:30 P.M. - Keynote Speaker
3:30 P.M. - Closing Reception
Inside the Boardroom - 9 A.M.
Moderator: MPR News' Cathy Wurzer
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Diana Nelson, Wendy Nelson, and Juliet Jackson will sit down for a discussion of their journey into the boardroom—from their early career to the C-Suite.
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Former Chairman and CEO, Carlson Companies
Diana Nelson, Former Board Chair, Carlson Companies
Wendy Nelson, CEO & President, Nelson United, LLC
Juliet Jackson, Strategic Board and Committee Work, Carlson Companies
Breakout Sessions
The Power of Meaningful Connections: Relationships That Shape Leadership
Meaningful connections are at the heart of effective leadership — driving influence, opportunity and impact at every stage of a career. In this panel discussion, senior leaders will explore how intentional relationships have staged their professional journeys, expanded their leadership capacity and strengthened their organizations. Panelists wills hare practical insights on building authentic networks and cultivating connections that endure through change and challenge.
University Hall
Catherine Fox
Vice President of Enterprise Marketing, Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Dawn Rasmussen '99 MBA
Chief Revenue/Commercial Officer, Woodland Gourmet
Deedee Smith
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Ecolab Pest Elimination
Moderator: Jiabei Kaiser
Assistant Dean of Executive Education, Minnesota Carlson
Leading From Within: Growing Forward with Authenticity and Intention
This is a panel discussion focused around the journey of women leaders from different backgrounds and key decisions that have shaped their journeys, with tangible lessons and key insights on how they have approached managing careers, life challenges and personal growth. Each panelist will go over their career journeys and will provide opportunities to the participants to learn from the key moments and richness of their paths.
Swain Room
Yen Ly '03 BSB, '09 MBA
Vice President of Total Rewards, HR Ops & HR Technology, Xcel Energy
Bria Shea
President - Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, Xcel Energy
Moderator: Esther Wildermuth
Director of Inclusion & Corporate Impact, Executive Director of Xcel Energy Foundation
Two Careers, One Household: Research on Dual-Career Couples in the Economy
Dual-income households are now the norm, not the exception. University of Minnesota Professors Colleen Flaherty Manchester and Myles Shaver share what their research reveals about the economic implications of two careers for families and for regional economies. Drawing on data from the Twin Cities and beyond, they'll explore how dual-income couples navigate career flexibility, mobility and risk, and why those household-level choices matter for workforce stability, economic resilience and long-term regional growth.
Johnson Great Room
Colleen Flaherty Manchester
Professor, Bill and Sue Hodder Board of Advisors Professorship, Faculty Director of Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies, Minnesota Carlson
Myles Shaver
Professor, Associate Dean of Faculty and Research, Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Corporate Strategy, Minnesota Carlson
Define Your Influence with the Power of Your Personal Brand
A strong personal brand opens doors, accelerates influence, and helps you lead with clarity and authenticity. This session breaks down what a personal brand truly is, why it matters, and how to cultivate one that reflects your values and ambitions. Expect actionable insights to help you refine, communicate and elevate your brand at every stage of your career.
Heritage Gallery
Becca Bergner '04 BSB, '12 MHRIR
Learning & Development Consultant and Adjunct Instructor, Minnesota Carlson
Nicole Centanni
Alumni Career Coach, Minnesota Carlson
AI Toolbox: Practical Tech Tools for Non-Tech Leaders
This session aims to provide a high-level overview of the current state of AI in business practice, focusing on both its transformative potential and its limitations and risks. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of where AI is creating real value today, where caution is warranted, and how leaders can approach adoption thoughtfully and responsibly.
Johnson Great Room
Mochen Yang '18 PhD
Associate Professor of Information & Decision Sciences, Minnesota Carlson
Push Back
Tonya Lester invites women to rethink how they show up at work by embracing assertiveness, healthy conflict and the power they already have in their professional relationships. She will share practical tools from her book, "Push Back," to help women lead with clarity, confidence and impact.
University Hall
Tonya Lester
Psychotherapist, Author
Purpose, Prosperity and Possibility: Women Leading Wealth Creation
Senior leaders share their journeys and strategies for building wealth with a purpose. From personal finance and investing, to legacy planning and impact-driven leadership, this conversation brought to you by Carlson Women Global Connect, will explore how women can define wealth on their own terms. Attendees will gain insights into overcoming systemic barriers, leveraging financial tools and using wealth as a catalyst for influence, freedom and generational change.
Heritage Gallery
Astrid Benedetto '95 BSB
Vice President of Talent Strategy and Engagement, B-Spoke LLC
Carla Haugen '99 MBA
Senior Vice President of Enterprise Finance, Best Buy
Diane Palmquist '03 MBA
CEO, Flooid
Moderator: Nicole Johnson '01 BSB
Partner, Blank Rome LLP
Navigating the AI Moment: Innovation, Impact and the Human Side of Healthcare
Healthcare leaders are navigating unprecedented complexity — balancing innovation, workforce pressures, patient trust and rapidly evolving technology. In this executive panel, leaders will share how they are leading through change across their organizations. The conversation will explore strategic decision-making, human-centered leadership and how tools like AI are being thoughtfully evaluated and integrated alongside broader organizational priorities.
Swain Room
Anjali Bhagra '23 MBA
Medical Director of Enterprise Automation and Office of Belonging, Mayo Clinic
Nazie Eftekhari
Founder, HealthEZ
Jennifer Sargent '12 MBA
CEO, Pacify
Building Leadership Muscle: Lessons from an Accidental Career
In this candid conversation, Sri Zaheer reflects on an "accidental" career shaped more by unexpected detours than by careful planning, from unplanned international moves to leadership roles she never initially set out to pursue. Challenging familiar career myths, she shares what those experiences taught her about resilience, opportunity and the quiet discipline of doing the work in front of you to the best of your ability. Drawing on her lived leadership experience across industry, academia and public service, she invites women leaders to see their current roles not as waiting rooms, but as training grounds — places where influence is built, confidence is strengthened and leadership is practiced long before it is formally recognized.
Swain Room
Sri Zaheer
Professor, Dean Emerita, Elmer L. Andersen Chair in Global Corporate Social Responsibility, Minnesota Carlson
The Five Power Adjectives Exercise™
Most people describe themselves by what they do, and yet the real work is in describing who you are at your core or your genuine self. Understanding who you are and being able to articulate that definition opens up a multitude of paths for you to explore as your genuine self, bringing your skill set along with you, instead of your skill set defining who you are. This fun, engaging, and thoughtful exercise will help you discover language to describe who you are in a meaningful manner.
University Hall
Vanessa Tennyson '81 BSB
Executive and Leadership Coach, AceUp
Courage Under Pressure: Steering Through Uncertainty and Change
Leadership is rarely tested when times are easy. This panel brings together executive leaders to explore what courageous leadership looks like in moments of complexity, ambiguity and pressure. Panelists will reflect on real decisions, tradeoffs and lessons learned while leading with purpose through challenging times.
Johnson Great Room
Miquel McMoore '06 MBA
Founder and CEO, kpCompanies
Liwanag Ojala
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, American Public Media Group
Kendra Reichenau
CEO, Heartland America
Amy Ronneberg
CEO, NMDP
Moderator: Nisha Botchwey
Professor and Dean, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Leading Across Boundaries: Cross-Sector Solutions
The most pressing challenges facing women and children — from economic mobility to healthcare access — require leadership that spans business, government and the nonprofit sector. In this session hosted by the University of Minnesota's Center for Integrative Leadership (CIL), hear from women leaders working across these boundaries. Learn the practical skills and tools needed to collaborate across differences and drive meaningful, cross-sector impact in our communities and workforce.
Heritage Gallery
Meredith Vadis
Chief Operating Officer, Paterna Biosciences
Jan Malcolm
Former Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Health
Drinal Foster
Board Chair, Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce
Catherine Higgins Whiteside '11 MBA
Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications, Sunrise Banks
Moderator: Kathy Quick
Professor and Gross Family Chair, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Keynote Speaker - 2:30 P.M.
Memorial Hall
Today, change is not episodic, it is continuous. The leaders who thrive are the ones who take ownership early, make disciplined decisions, and evolve before the environment forces them to. We are no longer managing change. We are leading inside it at every stage of our lives. Using examples from her own experience, Young-Scrivner will discuss preparedness over perfectionism in both career and personal life.
Former Chief Executive Officer - Wella Company
Annie Young-Scrivner is a globally respected board director and former CEO recognized for scaling businesses, modernizing brands, and harnessing technology and data to reinvent legacy companies. With cross sector experience in consumer, luxury, food & beverage, and beauty, she blends commercial acumen with values-driven leadership that creates lasting stakeholder value.
She has held senior executive roles at PepsiCo and Starbucks, working across 100 countries, and later appointed as CEO of Godiva Chocolatier and then Wella Company. Annie serves on the board of YUM! Brands and holds board roles with PE backed companies sponsored by BlackRock, Fidelity, CION, and IDG Capital. She has previously served as a director of Tiffany & Co., Macy's Inc. She has been inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame and named a Top Woman in Retail for her leadership and global impact.
Lindsay Amundson • ’07 BSB, ’12 MBA • Head of Marketing, Sabrosura Foods
Pamela Axberg • ’89 MBA • CEO, Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities
Kasey Beeler • ’04 BSB, ’11 MBA • Vice President of Marketing, Ecolab
Astrid Benedetto • '95 BSB • Vice President, Talent Strategy and Engagement, B-Spoke LLC
Kelsey Deshler • '04 BSB • Chief Investment Officer, Carleton College
Jill Haspert • ’11 MBA • CEO, Foxtrot Marketing
Kirsten Lemke • ’88 BSB • Executive Vice President of Sales, FinCom.Co
Sydney Liu • ’08 BSB • Senior Director of Digital/Omni Transformations, Thomson Reuters
Elda Macias • ’06 MBA • Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Midwest One
Mary Merrill • ’85 BSB, ’94 MBA • Principal, Heritage Capital Group
Linh Peters • ’05 MBA • Former Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Walgreens
Jessica Phillips • ’03 MBA • Vice President of Merchandising, Ulta Beauty
Dawn Rasmussen • '99 MBA • Chief Revenue/Commercial Officer, Woodland Gourmet
Christina Reszka • '03 BSB • Partner, Frazier Healthcare Partners
Deba Sen • CEO, HMTX Industries
Lauren Sheibley • '16 BSB • Director, Procter & Gamble
Audrey Sommerfeld • ’82 BSB • Co-Founder, CEO, Jump to Health
Meghan Stiling • ’15 MBA • Vice President of Strategy and Operations, Berghuis & Hunt, Inc.
Lauren Stoneberg • '10 BSB • Vice President, Experience Assurance, Altice USA
Mee Warren • ’01 BSB • Chief Strategist, Big Data Federation, Inc.
Renae Welder • ’93 BSB • Principal, Deloitte Tax LLP
Maroon Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Community Sponsors
Non-Profit Sponsors
