There’s so much to explore at the 2024 conference, from influential keynotes to insightful panel discussions. Plus, new this year, an opportunity to extend your learning and networking with our post-conference workshops. Explore the full details below.
April 3: Mainstage Keynote Agenda
Welcoming Remarks
Joyce Kulhawik
Emmy Award-Winning Journalist
Kristen Palson
COO, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership and Executive Producer, Simmons Leadership Conference
Our esteemed co-hosts, Joyce Kulhawik and Kristen Palson, will kick things off and set the stage for the exceptional day of leadership and allyship.
Uncover Your Inner Change Enthusiast to Maximize Your Impact
Cassandra Worthy
World’s Leading Expert on Change Enthusiasm
Cassandra Worthy is the world’s leading expert on Change Enthusiasm®. She will light up the stage with her refreshingly unique take on not just “managing” but growing through change. The Change Enthusiasm® strategy she will share in this keynote empowers you to self-assess your change emotions and redirect anxiety and fears into moments of opportunity and impact. You will leave with the steps to cultivate a growth mindset to thrive in the face of change, and the motivation to take the first step to becoming a Change Enthusiast.
Business Panel: Creating Impact as a Leader
Kerry Seitz
Vice President, Women’s Leadership, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
In this moderated discussion, business leaders will reflect on their personal journeys, offer career-building advice, and engage in a thought-provoking conversation with a focus on how they were able to create an impact and succeed in leadership. Moderated by Kerry Seitz, the Institute’s VP for Women’s Leadership, our panelists will share their stories of overcoming obstacles and offer tips and strategies for how to create impact in your own organization.
Networking Break
Network with peers from around the world and learn more about sponsor organizations in the Virtual Exhibit Hall.
How to Have a Big Career AND a Big Life
Jennifer Hyman
Co-founder and CEO, Rent the Runway
There is unending debate about work-life balance and whether it is possible, especially as a senior executive. As a founder of a high-growth company, the CEO of a public company, and board member of three public companies, Jennifer Hyman is uniquely positioned to share how she manages both a big career and a big life. She will join us virtually to discuss how she is able to have a huge impact at work while being married, having and raising two kids, and building a community.
Signature Sessions: Concurrent Choices
With our Signature Sessions, you have the opportunity to choose the topic that most intrigues or inspires you.
Note some offerings are online only, some are in-person only, and some are available for both audiences. But don’t worry, you won’t miss out! Post-conference, you’ll also be able to access the wisdom shared in the sessions you didn’t attend via video on demand.
See details below in Concurrent Signature Session Options.
Lunch Break
Enjoy a 60-minute lunch break to refresh, renew, and refocus for the afternoon sessions.
Think Like a CEO
Magie Cook
CEO, Maggie’s All-Natural Fresh Salsas and Dips, Author
Magie Cook is a Latina businesswoman who overcame homelessness to become the CEO & founder of Maggie’s Salsa, LLC. She started the company with $800, and after bringing it to tremendous success, she sold it to Campbell’s Soup for $231M. Magie is now living her dream by helping leaders discover their hidden personal power so they can create impact and make a difference. Magie will share her incredible story of triumph against impossible odds, and through her story she will reveal what it takes to create a shift in mentality that allows you to achieve your full potential.
Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award
Helen G. Drinan
President Emerita at Simmons University
Join us as we present this year’s Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award. The annual award is named in honor of the former president of Simmons University and celebrates a woman leader who embodies the values of inclusive leadership in her personal and professional life.
The 2024 winner to be announced soon — stay tuned!
Learn about the award and see a showcase of past winners.
Fireside Chat: Taste the Nation & Impact the World
Padma Lakshmi
Emmy-Nominated Food Expert, Television Host & New York Times Bestselling Author
Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten
President, Simmons University
Padma Lakshmi is a New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award-nominated host who currently serves as Executive Producer of Hulu’s Taste the Nation. On-screen she is seen exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. Off-screen, Padma is widely known as a fierce philanthropic advocate, working with organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on immigrants’ rights and women’s rights. In this inspiring conversation with Simmons University President, Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, Padma discusses her life and career while showcasing the ways she has used her platform to make a positive impact around the globe.
Networking Break
Network with peers from around the world and learn more about sponsor organizations in the Virtual Exhibit Hall.
Inclusion: A Cornerstone of Impactful Leadership
Trevor Noah
Comedian & Bestselling Author
Susan MacKenty Brady
CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
With our 2024 theme of Creating Impact and in celebration of our 45th conference, we are excited to open a new chapter by bringing more men into the conversation, exemplifying our dedication to allyship. In this virtual keynote, Trevor Noah will share his trademark blend of humor, global insights, and his unique perspective on leadership and culture transformation. In conversation with Susan MacKenty Brady, the Institute’s CEO, he will explore what it means to lead inclusively and foster equity no matter how you identify, allowing us all to think about a new way of creating inclusion and impact.
Program Ends
April 3: Concurrent Signature Session Options
YOUR CHOICE! What Intrigues or Inspires You?
All Signature Sessions are offered concurrently starting at 12PM.
Our presenters are global experts who provide timely and relevant expertise on key topics. We are also offering a moderated discussion, where women business leaders will share their personal stories about their leadership journeys and how they create positive impact.
Note some offerings are online only, some are in-person only, and some are available for both audiences. But don’t worry, you won’t miss out! Post-conference, you’ll also be able to access the wisdom shared in the sessions you didn’t attend via video on demand.
Coming soon — Concurrent Signature Session details.
April 4: Post-Conference Workshops
Investing in Your Best Self
Susan MacKenty Brady
CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
Getting right how you show up can skyrocket your career, your leadership, and your culture. In this full-day lively post-conference workshop, learn from best-selling author and Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership CEO Susan MacKenty Brady how to increase your value, create cohesion, and inspire the best people to want to join, stay, and fully engage.
- BUILD the capability to return to your best self and catch your inner saboteur/critic in the act.
- ACTION LEARNING through interactive group work and individual reflection.
- NETWORK through facilitated and open peer engagement opportunities.
- LEAVE with a copy of our bestselling book: Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership
Full-day workshop includes breakfast & lunch.
Inclusive Leadership in Action
Dr. Gary Bailey
Assistant Dean for Community Engagement & Social Justice, College of Social Sciences, Policy & Practice, Simmons University
Elisa van Dam
Vice President, Allyship & Inclusion, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
Navigating dimensions of difference and heeding the call to “lead inclusively” can be confusing and sometimes downright difficult. This half-day highly interactive post-conference workshop, led by Inclusive Leadership expert and author Elisa van Dam and Dr. Gary Bailey, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement & Social Justice, offers a simple framework that encompasses the essential concepts that matter most when putting inclusive leadership into action.
- UNDERSTAND 6 actions of The Work of the Inclusive Leader.
- GAIN INSIGHTS about how to incorporate specific inclusive behaviors into your leadership.
- NETWORK through facilitated and open peer engagement opportunities.
- LEAVE with a copy of our acclaimed Inclusive Leader’s Playbook.
Half-day Workshop includes breakfast.