College of Business

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Women’s Leadership Conference: Spring 2022

March 30th, 2022 | 8 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.

“When your life is on course with its purpose, you are your most powerful. And you may stumble, but you will not fall.” -Oprah Winfrey

The 2022 Women’s Leadership Conference is a networking event designed to foster the discovery of purpose and inspire professional growth. The conference features keynote presentations and a panel discussion from a diverse set of experienced professionals who have built businesses, launched non-profits, and established work-life balances for their young families.

At the conference, you will have opportunities to make new connections and have meaningful conversations with our presenters and attendees. You will leave the conference with valuable information to help you open your own business, pivot your career in a different direction, or open your mind to new professional achievements.

As part of our celebration of Women’s History Month, the 2022 conference will be held on Wednesday, March 30, at the Roaden University Center on the campus of Tennessee Tech University.

When registering for the conference you are not only making an investment in yourself, you are investing in the lives of two students who will receive the opportunity to attend the conference completely free of charge. This year your registration will also include a complimentary book from our speaker line-up: Business, Balance & Bliss: How the B3 Method® Transforms Your Career and Life by Amy Vetter.

Register for the conference by clicking the yellow register bar below. Alumni tickets are $75, non-alumni tickets are $85, and student tickets are $10. If your organization is interested in becoming a conference sponsor please contact Cheryl Montgomery at cmontgomery@tntech.edu or 931-267-1099.

2022 marks the fourth year we have hosted the Women’s Leadership Conference. Past attendees have heard Dean Tom Payne talk about the inspiration for holding the conference, his mother Dorothy. To read her inspirational story and to catch a few photos from our 2019 conference scroll to the bottom of the page.

Keynotes and Panel

Morning keynote Cigi England, The Power of Inclusion: The Story of an Entrepreneur’s Journey to Change Her World

Panel discussion moderated by Amy New, panelists: Matt Largen, Kara Gee, and Angela Bruce, The Emerging Workforce and Workplace: Who Is Hiring Now and Other Trends of a Post-Pandemic Office

Afternoon keynote Amy Vetter, Business, Balance & Bliss: How the B3 Method Can Transform Your Career and Life

For conference updates, follow the College of Business on Social Media!

Our Speakers

Cigi England

Entrepreneur Cigi England knows how to pivot and harness her energy to create a better world for herself and for the marginalized among us. She also knows communities prosper when everyone feels like they belong and have opportunities to shape their futures. Hearing Cigi tell the story of her professional journey from fashion buyer to boutique owner, from dreamer to non-profit founder of the Exceptional Bean you will be inspired to create your own change and take the next steps necessary open your dream business or create a non-profit to enhance your community.

» More on Cigi England

Cigi England graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 2006. After spending eight years in the fashion industry in Atlanta, she decided to move back to Cookeville to be closer to family and friends. With the support of her amazing friends and this wonderful community, Cigi’s Boutique was created. Cigi just celebrated seven years in business.

Cigi and her husband Michael are involved with local organizations that work with individuals with special needs. Cigi has served on the board at Rising Above Ministries for three years. After spending time with their friends that have disabilities, they thought it would be awesome to create a place of their very own. How wonderful it would be to work, play, and cultivate a community together!

Cigi and Michael prayed very specifically about their vision to create The Exceptional Bean & shared it with a small group of individuals in Cookeville. From there it was full steam ahead. The Exceptional Bean is set to open Spring 2022.

The Emerging Workforce and Workplace: Who Is Hiring Now and Other Trends of a Post-Pandemic Office

Grab a glimpse of your future during this panel discussion as Cookeville’s own Amy New leads our panel of experts in a conversation about the diverse companies taking up residence in Tennessee. Hear about the job opportunities awaiting you, the workplaces created for you, and the work-cultures emerging in our post-pandemic world.

Amy New Headshot

Moderator: Amy New

Amy New was named president and CEO of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce in March 2020 following a 10-year stint in governmental affairs as well as work in rural, economic and community development. In accepting the position, she became CEO and President of six organizations housed within the Chamber of Commerce including the Highlands Economic Partnership, the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, the Public Building Authority, Leadership Putnam, the Leslie Town Centre, and the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.

In her most recent employment preceding her chamber work, Amy served as the Government and Community Affairs Director of Programs for the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

» More on Amy New

In her two years at VUMC, Amy served as the local and state liaison for the VUMC adult hospital, Monroe Carrel Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital and the 150+ service locations within the Vanderbilt Medical Group network. Her work spanned from serving as the community liaison of the organization to managing VUMC’s chamber memberships as well as serving as one of the three registered lobbyists on behalf of the hospital system to the Tennessee General Assembly. She was also charged with developing and overseeing community engagement plans in relation to acquisitions and new locations within the VUMC system.

Amy also served as the first-ever Rural and Community Development Assistant Commissioner for the State of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, serving within Governor Bill Haslam’s administration. During her appointment, TNECD launched an $8 million Rural Development Fund and passed the Rural Economic Opportunity (REO) Act of 2016 adding an additional $45 million in program funds since creation and restructured the job tax credit to be more accessible for small businesses. The fund has produced more than $500 million in programs and projects to date. She also spearheaded a statewide task force addressing rural development needs. The Governor's Rural Task Force brought together 21 local, state and federal partners to identify, design and implement more than 20 programs and initiatives that led to a $65 million infusion in Rural Tennessee. In addition to the REO Act, Amy led the passage of the Broadband Accessibility Act which included the deregulation for eligible providers and added a grant program totaling more than $30 million in infrastructure expansion. She oversaw more than $400 million in state and federally funded projects to enhance economic and community development throughout the state.

Prior to her appointment, Amy served as the state’s ThreeStar community development director, where she worked to restructure and expand Tennessee’s economic development efforts targeting a community asset-based planning approach. This approach worked in tandem with a grant program to support local initiatives around education, workforce development, safety, health and fiscal responsibility.

Before moving to Nashville in 2010, Amy served as account executive for MMA Creative Marketing Firm developing business plans, brands, and social media efforts. She also worked in local print with the Upper Cumberland Business Journal and was the Business Profiles Host for PBS’s WCTE.

A native of Monterey, TN, Amy was raised on a tobacco, cattle and hog farm and comes from a family dedicated to public service. She is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration while working in various local government and chamber of commerce roles in her home county of Putnam. She was in the inaugural graduating class of Tennessee Certified Economic Developers through the University of Tennessee’s Center for Industrial Services. She is currently pursuing her masters in Leadership and Public Policy through Lipscomb University as the first-ever Haslam Scholar.

Amy is actively involved in the state as a member of Tennessee Rural Health Association Policy Advisors Council, The University of Tennessee’s Certified Economic Developer Advisory Board, the Tennessee Lobbying Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) Executive Board, Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity, Leadership Tennessee, and various other non-profit committees.

Amy resides in Cookeville, Tennessee with her husband Jake and daughters Lily Kate and Sadie.

Panelists

Matt Largen

Matt Largen Headshot

Kara Gee

Angela Bruce

Angela Bruce Headshot

» More on Matt Largen

As the President and CEO of Williamson, Inc., Matt Largen leads the Williamson County Office of Economic Development, the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce and its foundation to develop leaders, advocate for a thriving business environment, and grow the Williamson County economy in a strategic way.

Matt enjoys creating partnerships to meet the economic needs of Williamson County, like developing the new Center for Innovation, in partnership with the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, to meet and serve entrepreneurs.

Economic opportunity changes lives. Opportunity is created through business recruitment of companies like Mitsubishi Motors and business retention and expansion of existing companies like the new headquarter campus of Mars Petcare. Matt is passionate about the profession of economic development and appreciates the role it plays in helping families thrive.
» More on Kara Gee

Kara Babin Gee heads the Corporate Interiors team at Smith Gee Studio, a fifty-person, full-service architecture, interiors and planning firm in Nashville, Tennessee. Her twenty-eight-year career has focused almost exclusively on office and other commercial interior projects, and has included such work as the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville's Riverfront Park, multiple buildings at the Werthan Warehouse property in the Germantown neighborhood, and the interior fit-out of amenities and multiple tenants at the historic Cummins Station building including Gibson Guitar's new headquarters.

Ms. Gee is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, where she currently serves on the Women's Leadership Initiative. She has participated in many community projects with the Civic Design Center, the Arts Commission, and the American Institute of Architects - most notably working to help her East Nashville neighborhood with the design and economic recovery from the tornado disaster of 1998.
» More on Angela Bruce

Angela joined TUTCO in April of 2003 and currently holds the position of HR Director for the following facilities: TUTCO, Farnam and SureHeat. She also provides HR support for China and Mexico manufacturing facilities. Angela recently took an additional role as Flex-Tek’s Group Talent and Early Career Development Representative. She currently resides in Baxter, Tennessee. Prior to joining TUTCO she was employed with John Deere for three years serving as their HR Representative. During her tenure at TUTCO, Angela has focused her attention on employee engagement and development and most recently has focused on wellness initiatives.

Amy Vetter

Do you find that your work and daily life can become mechanical or routine? In this session you will uncover how to either rekindle or discover the spark you desire in your career and life. Based on Amy Vetter’s book, Business, Balance & Bliss: How the B3 Method Can Transform Your Career and Life, you will learn valuable insights and tips, backed by scientific research, on how to align your authentic self with the work you do. Expect to come away with the tools and inspiration to: create your own sense of work-life harmony, uncover your inner talents and passions, learn to be more present and productive at work and home, and gain an understanding of how to develop the technology practices (and boundaries) to put in place to lead a more mindful, connected and fulfilled life.

» More on Amy Vetter

Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP, CGMA, is the CEO of The B3 Method Institute and Drishtiq Yoga, a keynote speaker, corporate advisor, board member, author, and host of the podcast, Breaking Beliefs. As a CPA and Yogi - who specializes in Technology Innovation – Amy provides a unique perspective. She inspires financial professionals to implement and use technology in a thoughtful way so that it does the heavy lifting, freeing them to develop collaborative, lasting relationships.

Amy’s speaking programs encompass transformative topics on digital transformation, mindfulness, leadership, employee engagement, company culture, as well as change management and innovation. She is the author of two books: Integrative Advisory Services: Expanding Your Accounting Services Beyond the Cloud, published by Wiley, and Business, Balance & Bliss: How the B3 Method Can Transform Your Career and Life.

Amy is a board member for the Ohio Society of CPAs as well as a member of multiple American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) committees. Amy has been repeatedly recognized as a “Most Powerful Women in Accounting” by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor, and as a “Top 100 Most Influential Person” by Accounting Today. Amy shares her accounting and business insights as a contributor to AICPA’s Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Today, and CPA Practice Advisor. Learn more at www.amyvetter.com, and subscribe to Amy’s Breaking Beliefs Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For daily inspiration, follow @AmyVetterCPA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Inspiration Behind the Conference: Dorothy J. Payne

Dorothy Payne Dorothy J. Payne
Arkansas Tech University, BS
Pepperdine University, MBA

As a single head of house-hold with sole financial responsibilities, I maintained a life-long desire for learning. Education is the key to professional advancement and personal growth. — Dorothy Jean Payne

Dorothy Payne began her professional career as a school teacher after going back to college in her 20’s with two young children. She recalls that “we had just returned from Italy where my husband was stationed with the Army. The kids and I moved to a one-bedroom campus apartment while he was in Vietnam. I arranged classes around my children’s school schedules and did my homework after putting them to bed.” After completing her undergraduate degree, Payne did some of her practice teaching at Tucker Prison as part of the reform movement later made famous by the movie “Brubaker” starring Robert Redford. After teaching for a short time in the public school system and following her divorce, Payne went to work for the State of Arkansas as a health facility inspector. The job involved auditing nursing homes, hospitals, and other organizations to assure compliance with civil rights laws and ensure that minority citizens had access to healthcare. She later worked in child support enforcement for the state. “The work was not easy and the new laws and regulations were openly resisted; however, I always found the courage to do the work,” said Payne.

During the late 70’s, Payne and her two children moved to Dallas, Texas where she worked in human resources training for two corporations. During that time, she earned her MBA from Pepperdine University as part of a new executive program. She was the only woman in her MBA cohort. Payne recalls that “those days were filled with opportunity, challenge, and change for women in the professional workforce.” After raising her family, she returned to Little Rock and another position with the state during the Clinton Administration. She ended her career with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare where she developed and delivered drug and alcohol prevention and treatment programs.

Payne is grateful for the opportunities she has had and the meaningful work she has been able to do. When asked whether she had any words of wisdom for today’s working women, she said “to remember that your greatest power is the power to choose your own path.” She also encouraged women to “be thankful for their blessings and seek opportunities to love and support people with special needs.” Today, Dorothy enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who live in Nashville and visiting with her son Tom and daughter-in-law Amy who live just two miles away in Cookeville.