NAWBO Leadership Academy - Winter 2023 | NAWBO

NAWBO Leadership Academy - Winter 2023

 

Our NAWBO members are busy women entrepreneurs who not only run their own businesses, but many are also in leadership positions in their local NAWBO chapters. They care who supports their community of women business owners through NAWBO. They want to do business with these businesses; and refer others to do the same. That’s why you won’t want to miss the opportunity to personally connect with these women business owners and leaders by sponsoring and participating in the NAWBO Leadership Academy in February.
 
 

 

 

Registration Fees

  •  

    A cancelation fee of $75 begins January 15, 2023. If you have significant dietary restrictions, please email events@nawbo.org.

     

    member

    $300

    non-member

    $350

Register Now

The Westin Long Beach

333 East Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Phone: +1 562-436-3000 

Unfortunately, the room block is full and the hotel is sold out at this time.

 

Book Now

 

Title Sponsor

 

 

Join women entrepreneurs as we come together to capitalize on this incredible moment in time.

Register Now Get Updates

Agenda

February 5, 2023
  • time
  • description
  • location
  • 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. PT

    Welcome Reception - Hosted by NAWBO California

     

    Join us for a special reception to connect with members from NAWBO California, NAWBO leadership and national team and business owners throughout the state and nation. Come raise a glass to creating leaders for a world of change. Light appetizers and drinks will be served.

     

    Note, there is a separate charge for this event. Click here to register for this reception. 

    Ocean Ballroom, off hotel lobby
February 6, 2023
  • time
  • description
  • location
  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. PT

    Breakfast & Networking

    Salon A
  • 9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. PT

    Welcome to Day 1

    Celebratory Toasts

     

    Ellen Linares (Emcee), SELWYN Solutions, LLC, NAWBO National Board, PASC Chair

    Janet Kendall White, Berkshire Group, Inc., President, NAWBO Cleveland - NAWBO Chapter of the Year 2021 & 2022

    Moira Vetter, Modo Modo Agency, 2022 NAWBO WBO of the Year 

    Salon A
  • 9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. PT

    Welcome Remarks

     

    Jen Earle, NAWBO CEO

    Lisa Coppola, The Coppola Firm, NAWBO National Board Chair Elect

    Schenae Rourk, Redwood Resources, NAWBO California President

    Salon A
  • 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. PT

    Keynote Address

     

    Conquer & Cultivate: The Power of a Leader's Vision

    How clear is your vision? A leader’s vision is a powerful force that can ignite, empower, and transform lives. Your vision should be so clear that everyone around you is able to live it out whether you are there or not. Because when life happens, your vision will continue to drive change. 
     
    Learning Objectives:
    • Envision the future and ignite the possibilities of your business; 
    • Shift your presence, impact, and influence; and
    • Become a leader who inspires a shared vision through change.
     

    Angela Garmon, ARG Coaching & Consulting Group, NAWBO 2022 Member of the Year

    Salon A
  • 10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT

    BREAK

  • 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. PT

    Adapt, Sustain, Grow: Get on the Road to Resiliency

     

    As we all strive to put the pandemic in the rearview mirror, our experiences over the past few years have really underscored the need to be adaptable as women business owners to sustain our success and grow to the next level. There’s never been a better time to focus on creating the kind of resiliency that can survive any future disruption, slowdown or uncertainty. Get ready to discover key opportunities in 2023—from financial and marketing to culture and technology—that will have you well on your way.

     

    Panelists:

    Jeanette Armbrust, Greenlight Leadership Consulting Group, LLC

    Molly Gimmel, Design To Delivery Inc.

    Dr. Janis Shinkawa, Ohana Pet Hospital

     

     

    Salon A
  • 11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT

    LUNCH BUFFET

    Salon A
  • 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. PT

    Leadership Over Lunch

     

    “Who Me?” Identifying the Elephant in the Room to Break Through Communication Barriers

     

    Have you ever been part of a winning team? If so, you probably realize there’s a myriad of factors that work together to make it happen—unison, communication, camaraderie, passion and a drive to win to name a few. The bigger question is, have you ever been part of a team that just can’t seem to get it right even though there were talented people involved? This is a hard problem to solve in a business or board room, especially if you are the leader of this group. The reality is that we, as humans, are driven by basic emotions, and two powerful emotions of fear and greed can motivate us or paralyze us in our ability to communicate to others. As a woman business owner and leader, there are skills to help identify the elephant in the room when critical steps and a corrective course of action need to be taken. Having emotions are natural; learning to identify and overcome barriers in communication is key to becoming a great leader.

     

    Crystal Arredondo, MPACT Financial Group

    Teresa Meares, TM Consulting

    Salon A
  • 12:45 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PT

    BREAK - MOVE TO TRACK 1 & TRACK 2

  • 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 pm. PT

    TRACK 1: Membership Panel

     

    Hear from chapter leaders from winning 2022 Membership Drive chapters - learn what has made them so successful!

     

    Mary Balistreri, More Business Today, NAWBO Chicago
    Liliana Bernal, Balance Staffing, NAWBO Sacramento Valley
    Andrea Pass, Andrea Pass Public Relations, NAWBO North & Central Jersey
    Sonia Petkewich, Taurean Consulting Group, NAWBO Southern Nevada

    Salon A
  • 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. PT

    TRACK 2: It's About Time

     

    When you google "time management" 77,300,000 search results appear. No wonder having a strong time management system is a key component of business owner wellness! The aspiration of working less - and still achieving more is tantalizing . . . and achievable. First, you must truly understand your Productivity Bottlenecks and then build an easy-to-implement strategy to overcome these challenges. 

     

    In this very interactive session, you will:

    * Identify your biggest Productivity Bottleneck (the challenge that keeps you from accomplishing everything you want to each day)

    * Define the top 11 Time Management Systems needed to maximize your time
    Your current time management skills got you this far – now it is time to master the next level so you can flourish. 

     

    Lisa Crilley Mallis, Impactive Strategies

    Salon B
  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. PT

    TRACK 1 - How to Recruit Committees that WORK

     

    We all know that “many hands make light work,” but sometimes recruiting and then managing a committee feels like MORE work than just doing everything yourself. In this session, you’ll learn a proven method to quickly recruit people for all committees in your chapter, and the key to making sure those committees are aligned with your chapter’s goals.

     

    Mary Cravets, Simply Get Clients

    Salon A
  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. PT

    TRACK 2: Build Your Business with the Gifts of Extraordinary Well-Being and Leadership

     

    So much goes into building a successful business, and it starts with extraordinary well-being and leadership. As a human, are you getting enough sleep, eating right and exercising to reduce your chances of burnout? And as a leader, are you communicating, delegating and negotiating so that you con continue to build a business you love? Dr. Theresa Ashby, or Dr. T, will share why these are more critical than ever as well as her personal well-being and leadership journey as an entrepreneur. She’ll leave you with practical tips and tricks for re-connecting with your why and creating personal synergy; re-aligning your business to pull you out of the weeds and back to your passion; and re-juvenating through intention and making space in your life to keep up with practical habits for your and your team's well-being.

     

    Dr. Theresa Ashby, COO, Stratologist & Co-Founder, Kaleidoscope Media Services

    Salon B
  • 2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. PT

    BREAK

  • 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. PT

    TRACK 1 - Best Practices Roundtables

    • Advocacy
    • Board Succession & Governance
    • Chapter of Excellence Program
    • Corporate Partnership
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Technology
    Salon A
  • 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. PT

    TRACK 2 - The Future of Work is Flow

     

    Welcome to the Future of Work—a new reality where anyone can reach their highest level of performance without the negative stress by learning how to enter and sustain Flow State. There are more than 40 years of verifiable scientific research on it. Olympic athletes and the Navy Seals pay big bucks to learn how to access and stay in it—yet Corporate America isn’t even talking about it. Typical anti-stress tips and tricks are just a bandaid over the real issue: negative stress blocks our creative genius, ability to solve complex problems and enjoyment of the work we do. Now’s the time to radically transform our relationship with stress and experience the power of Flow at work.

     

    Note, this session is open to a maximum of 50 attendees.

     

    Jeska Brodbeck, CEO, Be Light Consulting

    Salon B
  • 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT

    TRACK 1 & TRACK 2: Diversity in Our Cities

     

    Sertrice Grice, Mattingly Solutions

    Elle Patout, NAWBO National Director of Public Relations

    Salon A
  • 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. PT

    Happy Hour

    Salon A & Ocean Terrace West
  • After 6:00 p.m. PT

    Dinner on your own in Long Beach! Click here to see a map of restaurants in the area! 

February 7, 2023
  • time
  • description
  • location
  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. PT

    Breakfast & Networking

    Salon A
  • 9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. PT

    Welcome to Day 2

    Sponsor Remarks - Bank of America

     

    Ellen Linares (Emcee), SELWYN Solutions LLC

    Beth Hoving, Senior Vice President & East Division Business Support, Bank of America

    Salon A
  • 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. PT

    WBO of the Year Top 10 Panel

     

    Beth Hoving (Moderator), Bank of America

    Diana Dibble, Design To Delivery Inc.

    Sandy Heard, Prime Waste Solutions

    Laura McHolm, NorthStar Moving Company

    Moira Vetter, Modo Modo Agency, 2022 NAWBO WBO of the Year

     

    Salon A
  • 10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. PT

    Rising Above Rivalry

     

    Propelling women business owners into greater economic, social and political spheres of power worldwide requires more than good intentions. It requires an understanding of how to truly support other women in thoughtful, powerful ways. It also requires a higher level of understanding of how we get in our own way. This informative and action-filled session on understanding the roots and blind spots of female rivalry will help us all rise above it in our businesses, our families, our friend circles and in our chapters.

     

    Lynda Bishop, NAWBO Institute Vice President of National Programs

    Salon A
  • 11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. PT

    BREAK

  • 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. PT

    Mastermind Discussion Groups

    • Leadership - Jeanette Armbrust
    • Effective Feedback - Thresette Briggs
    • Strategic Planning - Megan Patton and Michele Schina
    • Certification (Barcelona/Casablanca Room) - Molly Gimmel
    Salon A
  • 12:45 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PT

    Conference Closing

    Salon A
  • 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. PT

    LUNCH ON YOUR OWN

     

    Click here to see a map of restaurants in the area! 

  • 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT

    Afternoon of Service - Whenever NAWBO goes into a community, we look to impact women and leave the community a better place. We have two opportunities, depending on your schedule and comfort level:

     

    • Beach Clean Up: Join us to clean up Alamitos Beach, which is a 15-minute walk from The Westin. We'll meet in the lobby at 3 p.m. and walk to the beach and spend up to an hour picking up trash. We should be back at the hotel by 4:45 p.m. We'll provide gloves, trash bags and some trash grabbers. Dress very casual with comfortable shoes. We will also have a few vehicles to ferry participants to the beach and back or you can grab an Uber at your own expense.

     

    • Bra Drive: For those leaving Long Beach right after the conference ends or who don't feel able to participate in beach clean up, we are also offering the opportunity to give local women a boost by donating their gently used bras. Just bring your donations along with you and we'll have a bin conveniently located on site. Bras will be donated to Bra Garden, a woman-owned small local business that specializes in professional mastectomy bra fittings and total breast health. They take bra donations and personally deliver them to local women's shelters to provide much-needed support.

Speakers

Featured Keynote

Angela Garmon

Founder & CEO, ARG Coaching & Consulting Group LLC

Angela is a leading voice for transformational change management. She is founder and CEO of ARG Coaching & Consulting Group LLC, a strategic change management consulting firm that heavily focuses on the human dynamics side of change. ARG supports diverse leaders nationwide as they conquer change and cultivate results. Angela also launched an Arizona-based nonprofit in late 2020 to bridge the economic wealth gap for minority-owned businesses.

Session

Jeanette Armbrust

CEO & certified Executive Leadership Coach, Greenlight Leadership Consulting Group, LLC

Jeanette was welcomed into the Skyline family in 2001 when she started Skyline Exhibits of Central Ohio. After growing that location into an award-winning company, Jeanette sold it and returned to her native state of California. She is now CEO and certified executive leadership coach of Greenlight Leadership Consulting Group, LLC, a leadership development and coaching company. Jeanette is chair elect of the NAWBO Institute.

Crystal Arredondo

Partner, MPACT Financial Group

Crystal is a partner at MPACT Financial Group and a retirement planning specialist. After starting her career as a financial advisor, she realized that her parents could have avoided many difficult obstacles in running their own small family business for years with financial guidance and trusted advice. As a result, her passion is working with people to provide a “total strategy” for a successful retirement. She is a member of the NAWBO Institute Board.

Dr. Theresa Ashby

COO, Stratologist & Co-Founder, Kaleidoscope Media Services

Dr. Theresa is COO and stratologist and co-founder with Laura Neubauer of Kaleidoscope Media Services. Dr. Theresa has dedicated her efforts to helping companies and individuals enter the billion- dollar eLearning and digital market. She helps her clients use digital products for business sustainability, scalability and successability. Anyone who has a powerful message can create business results that are reliable, repeatable and worth celebrating.

Mary Balistreri

CEO & President, More Business Today

Mary, The Mindful Business Coach, is CEO and president of More Business Today (MBT). Mary believes that building a culture of equity and belonging is the center of success for any business and all good leaders. As a leadership and business coach for more than a decade, Mary offers a variety of coaching, professional development and facilitation services to individuals and organizations focused on harnessing strengths to grow talent and develop more business. 

Liliana Bernal

Owner, Balance Staffing

Liliana is a staffing industry professional with more than 25 years of experience. She has partnered with Balance Staffing to lead the company’s Diversity and Franchise Expansion initiative by becoming their first Diversity-owned location. Her Sacramento office holds both women-owned and minority-owned certifications. She most recently spent 19 years at a global billion-dollar staffing company where she was responsible for overall client satisfaction for top clients in the companies’ portfolio in the Northern California region. Liliana is the current president for NAWBO Sacramento.

Lynda Bishop

Vice President of National Programs, NAWBO Institute

Lynda is vice president of national programs with the NAWBO Institute, NAWBO’s non-profit educational foundation that seeks to provide opportunities for capacity building and organizational development for emerging and established women entrepreneurs. She is an international women’s leadership development facilitator and mentor, certified 360 facilitator with the Creative Center for Leadership, speaker, author, emotional intelligence facilitator, mastermind facilitator and certified energy leadership coach. She is founder of Summit Alliance Solutions, LLC, providing mentoring, emotional intelligence and conflict resolution solutions, and executive coaching. She can be found online at www.lyndabishop.com. 

Thresette Briggs

President & Chief Performance Officer, Performance 3, LLC (P3)

Thresette is chief performance officer of Performance 3 (P3), a certified M/WBE and WOSB national leadership development firm. P3 believes that every leader can be high performing with the right opportunity and the right culture, and provides keynotes, training, coaching and consulting services to help them achieve both—delivered through conferences, leadership meetings, retreats and more. She is a member of the NAWBO National Board.

Jeska Brodbeck

CEO, Be Light Consulting

For the past 18 years, Jeska has researched and practiced the disciplines of Flow State, one of the most highly researched and sought-after brain states known to humanity. Through her interactive keynotes, executive performance coaching and corporate workshops, she has taught countless business professionals how to step into a new world of meaning and enjoyment while also experiencing the highest levels of performance possible—naturally—by accessing this state. Named a Featured Speaker for the Young President’s Organization (YPO) and Distinguished Speaker at Florida International University, Jeska designs unique and highly curated journeys that teach her audiences through direct and impactful experiences.

Lisa Coppola

Managing Partner, The Coppola Firm

Lisa is an entrepreneur with a background in advertising and marketing as well as a 25-plus-year career as an attorney partnering with clients in business planning, litigation, human resources and charter school law. Lisa is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. She has been named a “Super Lawyer” and has been recognized by Business First as a Legal Elite and Woman of Influence. She is chair elect of the NAWBO National Board. 

Mary Cravets

Founder & Client Generation Strategist, Simply Get Clients

Mary is an award-winning client generation expert and international speaker who helps entrepreneurs significantly grow their businesses without working nights and weekends. Using her methods, the majority of her clients quickly increase their income 50 percent or more. Clients range from the former CFO of Microsoft North America, to coaches in their first few years of business, to thought-leaders in a variety of service professions.

Lisa Crilley Mallis

Time Strategist, Impactive Strategies

Lisa is a time strategist who works with motivated and busy leaders and teams who want to take strategic action instead of being busy all the time. She prides herself on helping clients create customized, real solutions to every day time management challenges—not just regurgitating the latest trends. Lisa is also a past president of NAWBO Cleveland and is on the Board of Trustees of Leadership Geauga County.

Diana Dibble

President/Co-Founder, Design To Delivery Inc.

Diana is co-founder and president of Design To Delivery Inc, an award-winning government contracting firm founded in 2001. She is also the founder and CEO of Tripod Coaching & Consulting LLC, opened in 2022 to provide business operations coaching and consulting services, and work with businesses to plan for the “what if”. She is a brain tumor survivor and shares her story to bring awareness and to fundraise for various associations and clinical trials. She volunteers for several non-profits. She is a top 3 finalist for the 2022 NAWBO Woman Business Owner of the Year award.

Molly Gimmel

Co-Founder & CEO, Design To Delivery Inc.

Molly is co-founder and CEO of Design To Delivery Inc (D2DInc), an award-winning firm that provides program and acquisition management support services to Federal government agencies. Before co-founding D2DInc in 2001, she spent eight years working in the government practices of three of the “Big Five” accounting/consulting firms. Molly is also author of “Master Your Mindset: How Women Leaders Step Up,” which was published in April 2022.  

Sertrice Grice

Co-Owner & Chief Consulting Officer, Mattingly Solutions

Sertrice is co-owner and chief consulting officer of Mattingly Solutions, a woman-owned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm. Co-Author of Inclusalytics, How Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leaders Use Data to Drive Their Work, Sertrice is passionate about helping organizations use metrics to create data-driven DEI strategies that drive meaningful change. Some of her clients include DICK’s Sporting Goods, Baltimore Tracks and NAWBO. Sertrice serves clients though DEI executive advising, measurement consulting and building/delivering inclusive behavioral change solutions.

Sandy Heard

President, Prime Waste Solutions LLC

Sandy is president of Prime Waste Solutions LLC, a waste and recycling consulting company.  She has over 25 years of experience in the solid waste and recycling industries. Sandy formed Prime Waste Solutions in 2011 to focus on reducing business’ overall spend and providing a positive impact to the environment and community through recycling. Prime Waste Solutions is a certified Minority Women-Owned Business. Sandy is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Entrepreneurship program and is a member of the NAWBO Houston board.  

Beth Hoving

Senior VP & East Division Business Support Executive for Small Business, Bank of America

Beth is a Senior Vice President and the East Division Business Support Executive for Small Business at Bank of America. She provides chief-of-staff support across the East Division leadership team and leads a team of regional business management and operations executives aligned to each of the six regions in the East. Beth joined Bank of America in 1997 as a Commercial Banking credit analyst and has since held various roles in the Global Learning and Small Business organizations. Beth serves as a Bank of America national liaison for NAWBO and ambassador for NAWBO Charlotte. She is also a member of LEAD for Women and an ally with LGBTQ+ Pride employee networks. 

Janet Kendall White

Founder & CEO, Berkshire Group, Inc.

Janet is founder and CEO of Berkshire Group, Inc., a certified WBE and WOSB company and an award-winning Authorized Partner with Wiley & Sons, Inc. for Everything DiSC® and The Five Behaviors™. She is a sought-after speaker locally and internationally on a variety of leadership and organization topics. She has been featured in Entrepreneur, Fortune and Bloomberg Business Week and is a monthly contributor to Soar to Success magazine. Janet currently volunteers her time with organizations that support women and girls and veterans.

Ellen Linares (Event Emcee)

Founder & Owner, Selwyn Solutions, LLC

Ellen, CLU, ChFC, CFBS, CEPA, is founder and owner of Selwyn Solutions, LLC, a company providing solutions for advanced markets. She is a financial services professional with more than 25 years of experience who has provided financial planning services for a broad range of personal and business needs, including a special needs practice for families who have more complex challenges. She is the chair of NAWBO’s Presidents Assembly Steering Committee.

Laura McHolm

Co-Founder, NorthStar Moving Company

Laura is co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. As one of the few women at the helm of a moving company, Laura is changing the way people move by selling the red carpet treatment. Her fastest growing privately held company is the go-to mover for A-List celebrities and The Getty museum. It has been featured in Elle Décor, Vanity Fair and more. In 2022, Laura was a speaker at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and in 2019, at the L.A. Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.

Teresa Meares

Founder, TM Consulting

Teresa Meares Teresa has 20 years of law enforcement experience and 15 years as a business owner. She is founder of TM Consulting, where she assists organizations and businesses in the development and execution of growth and multi‐level project strategies focused on delivering exceptional presentation, execution and initiative management. Teresa also serves as general manager for technology firm Cass Information Systems and is a member of the NAWBO Institute Board.  

Andrea Pass

Owner, Andrea Pass Public Relations

Andrea is owner of Andrea Pass Public Relations, where she creates and implements public relations campaigns in a wide range of categories, including consumer products, lifestyle, business-to-business, education, health/wellness/fitness, beauty, food, authors, non-profits and more. Her strength in relationships coupled with her knowledge of the ever-growing media base results in securing top tier, targeted media placements to increase brand awareness, reputation management and sales for established businesses and growing entrepreneurs alike. Andrea is also the founder of Access Success Networking.

Elle Patout

Director of Advocacy & Public Relations, NAWBO

Elle leverages on air, on the record and on the Hill experience to help clients in government and the private sector more effectively connect with audiences, influence legislation, change perspectives and create quantifiable results. She served as a Press Secretary in the U.S. Senate, Communications Director in the U.S. House of Representatives and Congressional and Public Relations Manager for the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. Prior to her career in D.C., Elle spent time working as a news anchor and reporter for an ABC affiliate in Alabama.

Megan Patton

Managing Partner, ODA Strategy

Megan is a business strategist who has been a management consultant, trainer and business coach for most of her career. She is managing partner of ODA Strategy, a business strategy consulting firm focused on smaller companies and non-profits, as well as principal with CEO to CEO, Inc., a company of former CEOs who serve mid-market companies in improving CEO and leadership team performance. She is a member of the NAWBO National Board.

Sonia Petkewich

Owner & CEO, Taurean Consulting Group

Sonia has over 20 years of experience in the staffing industry. In 2015, she became owner and CEO of Taurean Consulting Group, a 100-percent woman-owned IT staffing and project solutions company. Sonia is also president and WODA Committee Chair of NAWBO Southern Nevada as well as a Nevada Pinnacle Business Guide and a National Center for Women & Information Technology Las Vegas affiliate for The LV Techies. Sonia considers herself the ultimate matchmaker, catalyst and goal-getter who has built successful relationships with clients and candidates. 

Schenae Rourk

President & CEO, Redwood Resources

A passionate advocate and leader, Schenae is president and CEO of Redwood Resources, a strategic consulting firm that provides outreach, marketing, procurement and business equity services. She has more than 25 years of experience helping real estate developers, A/E, other professional services, construction firms and international firms strategically navigate through the procurement and contracting process with a specialty in transportation and infrastructure. Schenae is active in the small and diverse business community and community at large. She is the current chair of NAWBO-CA.

Michele Schina

CPA, Schina & Associates CPA

Michele is a licensed CPA and founder of the only 100 percent woman-owned Certified Public Accounting firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, providing consulting, tax and accounting services. Prior to that, she served as senior manager of audit at a global accounting firm. Michele expanded her entrepreneurial footprint in recent years, becoming co-owner of BBDS, Inc., a business development firm for technology services. She is also co-owner of the strategic consulting and leadership development firm, Beyond Strategy Partners.

Dr. Janis Shinkawa

Medical Director & Partner, Ohana Pet Hospital

Dr. Janis Shinkawa Dr. Jan is medical director and partner of Ohana Pet Hospital, a small animal practice in Ventura, California. Her partnerships in three veterinary startups gross over $20M per year with 200 employees and she has developed veterinary assistant programs for local high schools and colleges. Additionally, Dr. Jan trained as an audit manager, business consultant and CPA with Ernst & Young, LLP. She is a member of the NAWBO National Board.

Moira Vetter

Founder & CEO, Modo Modo Agency

Moira is founder and CEO of the award-winning B2B marketing firm Modo Modo Agency. She’s spent 30 years driving brand growth for leading global corporations. She serves on the boards of AMA Atlanta, KSU Coles College and 48in48. She was the 2022 NAWBO Woman Business Owner of the Year, 2022 Forbes Next 1000 honoree, 2023 Atlanta Business Chronicle Leader In Corporate Citizenship and will receive AMA Atlanta’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement award. She is proud that Modo Modo has won over 313 awards, appearing three times on the Inc. 5000 and receiving the 2022 Inc. Power Partner award.