2023 Women’s Leadership Conference
March 24th, 2023 | 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions | Keynotes | Speakers | Past Conferences | Sponsors | Dorothy J. Payne
The Women's Leadership Conference is designed to foster the discovery of purpose and inspire professional growth. Our 2023 event will feature concurrent sessions and keynote speakers from a diverse set of experienced professionals who have managed career pivots, established businesses, led non-profits and corporate enterprises, volunteered for their communities, and pushed their careers further with the support of their networks.
As part of our celebration of Women's History Month, the conference will be held on Friday, March 24th, in Johnson Hall and the Roaden University Center on the campus of Tennessee Tech University. Conference registration is $85. Student tickets are $10. Registration has closed. Thank you for such a great response!
This year the Women's Center has provided a limited number of scholarships for Tennessee Tech students and employees. To apply for a sponsored ticket, complete this form by March 15th. The application has closed; thank you so much for your responses!
If your organization is interested in becoming a conference sponsor, please get in touch with Cheryl Montgomery at cmontgomery@tntech.edu or 931-267-1099.
As part of our conference package, attendees will receive one of two highly celebrated books, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson.
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 previous conferences, scroll to the bottom of the page.
Concurrent Sessions
Plant Hobbyist to Plant Lady
Emma Crabtree, owner of Glass Tangerine, will demonstrate the art of creating a beautiful floral arrangement while sharing the successes and pitfalls of leaving one career behind and embarking on a second act as an entrepreneur. In order to save her sanity, her hobby became her profession and so far she has not looked back.
Money Matters
Dr. Alma Núñez, finance professor and fierce advocate for financial literacy, will lead sessions on steps women need to take to secure their financial futures. Learn the principles for financial wellness, whether you are beginning your career or contemplating a pivot in your professional life.
Disagree Without Being Disagreeable
Dr. Susan Wells, lecturer, mediator, and professor, will lead sessions on how to disagree successfully without being disagreeable. In today’s polarized world, this is a skill everyone needs to master. Susan will share her knowledge and tips for getting your point across without alienating your friends and creating new critics.
Risk and Reward
Laurin Wheaton, mom, wife, professional, and volunteer, took a risk last fall when she entered the race for a seat on the city council. She bested the crowded field of opponents and was elected mayor. How do you step out of your comfort zone? How do you calculate the risk and manage the reward? Laurin’s story will inspire you and call you to action.
Keynote Speakers
Katelyn Steakley, Creating Impact: Imagine, Navigate, and Build Your Community
Jasmine Hardin, Developing Careers: The Intersection of Mentorship and Empowerment
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Our Speakers
Katelyn Steakley
Kaitlyn Steakley constantly seeks meaningful solutions to help others overcome adversity and thrive. Her passion, combined with an uncanny ability to get things done has propelled her to serve and lead on multiple philanthropic fronts in her community. During the immediate aftermath of the 2020 tornadoes, Katelyn harnessed her feelings of helplessness and created the “Cookeville Strong” Facebook group. Managed by Katelyn, this group quickly became the driving force behind the Upper Cumberland relief efforts. With well over 26,000 members, the platform remains today a valuable resource for non-profit, government, and community leaders. Successful philanthropic leaders know how to make connections, build teams, and produce results with limited resources. Join us at the conference to hear how Kaitlyn continues her work in the Upper Cumberland now as the Executive Director of the P.E.P Foundation. An organization that feeds over 600 school children every weekend.
Jasmine Hardin
With over twenty years in the media industry, Jasmine Hardin knows how to spot and develop talent. It is one of the many reasons Gray Television named Hardin Regional Vice President and General Manager at WSMV (NBC) in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as stations in Bowling Green, Kentucky and Evansville, Indiana. Prior to her promotion as a regional vice president, Hardin was at WVLT in Knoxville, Tennessee where she served as National Sales Manager and worked up to ultimately Vice President/General Manager. Under her leadership, WVLT won Station of the Year for Gray Television, out of their more than 100 stations. At the conference Jasmine will share stories about her professional journey in a media world often dominated by men and the important role mentorship played in her success.
Concurrent Session Speakers
Emma has spent the past 18 years figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has a BFA in Art Education & Fibers from the Appalachian Center for Craft, and has worked in multiple jobs including 2 years at Vanderbilt Medical Center in a cancer research lab, 2 years at an inpatient psychiatric hospital at CRMC and was a licensed mental health therapist for 8 years in private practice before jumping into entrepreneurship and opening Glass Tangerine July of 2022. The concept behind her business is a community centered houseplant and floral shop with a full mercantile of goods from local artists and makers. Glass Tangerine focuses on not only retail but immersive workshops and classes, pop ups and events to highlight and showcase other small business and makers in the UC. Through a difficult transition, she moved away from a professional career and into small business ownership, completely transforming her day to day life, and bringing a lot of life (and greenery) to the WestSide! Emma’s unique approach to her store, from the styling, to the items + events offered has brought a unique artistic flair to plant parenthood in the Upper Cumberland.
Past Conferences
Previous WLC Photos