2022 WLC Speakers

Mariana Atencio

Award-Winning TV Host, Best-selling Author & Co-Founder of GoLike

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Mariana Atencio took the world by storm in 2017 when her TEDx talk What makes YOU special? went viral. To date, it has more than 18 million views and has been translated into 13 languages.

Focused on the power of authenticity, her book Perfectly You was an Amazon best-seller and was selected by Audible and Apple Books.

Mariana has quickly become one of the most sought-after speakers. She has founded her own media company, GoLike, and has teamed up with Microsoft, YouTube and the United Nations, among others, to represent and empower our communities.

A former anchor and reporter for Univision and NBC, Mariana’s years of field experience led to The Control Framework that she shares with Fortune 100 companies around the world.

Mariana’s story is featured on HBO special “Habla Now,” a public affairs news and documentary program featuring interviews with influential Latinos from all walks of life who, through their reflections and testimonies, reflect the voices and experiences of the more than 60 million+ Latinos who live in the U.S. Her work has been honored with a Peabody Award, three (3) Emmy nominations and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award.

Lauren Beane

Chief of Staff at Cisco & Keynote Speaker

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Lauren Beane helps audiences believe they are ready enough to take a leap forward in the career or life they desire by offering tools, coaching, and her personal stories that motivate them to embrace their unique talents and forge ahead.

Lauren always considered herself a big dreamer and an entrepreneur at heart. Growing up she started or dreamt of more than a dozen businesses when she wasn’t preoccupied with school or dance practice – from dog walking services at age 12 to running her own lemonade stand featured on the local news. She acted on her dreams and figured things out as she went along. But as she grew older and pursued her career in corporate America, a lot of her dreams got pushed to the back burner. She felt she couldn’t act on an idea unless she had all the answers, knew every turn, and created a roadmap from start to finish. She wouldn’t apply for a job unless she met every qualification. She was the last to raise her hand for a new opportunity. She wouldn’t start her dream business because she wasn’t sure whether it would flourish or flop.

In March 2020 everything changed. Lauren grew tired of waiting until she felt “ready enough” to pursue her ambitions. After conquering her doubts, she launched the consulting and speaking business she dreamed of. Lauren now believes we should not wait until the “perfect moment” to reach for our aspirations. She is on a mission to empower others to feel that with only 50% of the answers, they are ready enough to act and tackle deferred goals that could make a positive difference in the life they lead!

William (Bill) Bradley

Senior Consultant, Leading Women

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With a background in change management, diversity & inclusion and operations, and consulting in leading and transforming individuals, teams and organizations to deliver exceptional results, Bill brings more than 35 years of experience to Leading Women, a division of Leading NOW (“LN”).

He has held many executive-level roles with demonstrated success leading organizations to exceed business objectives in the telecommunications, education, services, manufacturing, and technology industries. A passionate change agent, Bill leads, inspires and teaches to deliver business and employee growth. He is highly effective at solving complex business problems and ensuring that improvements realized are sustained.

Bill’s previous executive leadership roles include Vice President/engagement leader and Senior Consultant for Senn Delaney Culture Shaping Services at Heidrick Consulting; co-founder and managing principal at Pendleton Solutions Group LLC; principal at Akela Corporation; Senior Vice President of Operations at APC Workforce Solutions (dba ZeroChaos) (providing workforce management solutions); Chief Operating Officer at Carter Brothers Technology; Group General Manager at ADT Security Services; Regional Vice President for network services at XO Communications; General Manager for strategic sourcing and shared services at AT&T; and General Manager for customer service at Ameritech.

Bill holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Akron. He is pursuing a Doctorate in Education from The University of Pennsylvania.

Tim Kemp

Senior Consultant - United Kingdom, Leading Women

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Tim Kemp, senior consultant, is a global expert on diversity and gender dynamics with over 35 years’ experience as a Learning and Development specialist. Tim is also the Co-Chair of Leading NOW’s Center for Diversity & Inclusion. His work with organizations including The Economist, Salesforce, Nokia, GSK, Vanguard, Allianz Global Investments, UNICEF, Dell, Deloitte, AT Kearney, Microsoft, Shell and Fischer Scientific has enabled those organizations to identify and minimize barriers to inclusion. He is a Fellow of the Society of Leadership Fellows at St George's College, Windsor Castle and a visiting Lecturer Professor at Rome Business School.

Tim brings his extensive experience delivering learning events with cross-cultural teams across Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), the Caribbean, Malaysia and the Americas. He has broad expertise in the areas of leadership, HR effectiveness, change management and web-based learning, and has been an advisor and coach to CEOs and strategic leaders in a variety of sectors and industries. With UNICEF he designed and delivered their global Management Masterclass, which has trained over 1100 leaders and managers around the world.

Tim has worked as a senior consultant to Korn Ferry, as a learning and development advisor to the Council of Europe, and as a Program Director with Corporate Learning Solutions.

Currently a faculty member of Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) Academy in Eastern and Central Europe for the award-winning Mini MBA Program, Tim delivers modules on Leadership and People Management as well as masterclasses on the Evaluation of HR, L&D Effectiveness and Talent Retention.

Whitnee Hawthorne

CEO, The Savvy Working Mom™ & Keynote Speaker

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Whitnee Hawthorne is the CEO of The Savvy Working Mom™ and Senior Vice President of Travel Experience at TripActions, a travel management, corporate card and expense management company for businesses. She is a thought leader, keynote speaker and podcast host. As a mom to two littles who is thriving in life, Whitnee knows what it’s like to be both a passionate parent and a top executive. She is an expert in time management, productivity and work-life harmony. Her mission is helping other working moms drop the guilt and find more joy so that they too can thrive ‒ because when working moms do better, EVERYONE benefits!

Dr. Romie Mushtaq, M.D.

Physician, Award-Winning Wellness Expert & Founder of “brainSHIFT at Work”

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Dr. Romie is a triple board-certified physician, award-winning wellness speaker, and the founder of "brainSHIFT at Work." She combines more than 20 years of authority in neurology, integrative medicine, and mindfulness to not just deliver programs, but create cultural change. She is on a mission to transform mental health and wellness in the workplace and currently works with Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes and global associations. Dr. Romie also serves as Chief Wellness Officer for Evolution Hospitality, where she scaled a mindfulness & wellness program for more than 7,000 employees. Her expertise is featured in the national media such as NPR, NBC, TED talks, and Forbes. Find the cure for your busy brain at drromie.com or @drromie on social media.

Vanessa Phipps

Senior Consultant, Leading Women

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Vanessa Phipps, a Senior Consultant with Leading Women, a division of Leading NOW (“LN”), has more than 20 years experience in successful executive and management development learning facilitation, combined with a strong background in compliance and global diversity and inclusion consulting.

Prior to joining LN Vanessa served as interim Chief Diversity Officer at the ACLU in New York City. She enhanced her skills in compliance and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (“EDI”) at Aventis Pharmaceuticals (now Sanofi, U.S.). There she built a talent planning process in partnership with executive leadership that resulted in a measurable commitment by C-suite leaders to promoting diverse talent as part of achieving their respective divisions’ talent and succession planning goals. She also managed the launch at Aventis of the first Women’s and the first African American Employee/Business Resource Groups. Earlier in her career Vanessa designed a development process for an employer that supported high performing individual contributors, many of whose approach to work and definitions of success were not always in concert with those of their respective business units.

Vanessa is the Board President of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR), an organization that provides ongoing development and networking opportunities for the Association’s human resources and business members, university students and Women and Minority-owned Businesses. NAAAHR also supports sponsoring corporations in defining and refining their EDI mission, goals and execution.

Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services and Sociology from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.

Usha Pillai, Ph.D.

Senior Consultant, Leading Women

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Dr. Usha Pillai, a senior consultant with Leading Women ‒ a division of Leading NOW (“LN”), specializes in strategy, critical thinking, change management, outsourcing, and project/program management. Usha is also the Co-Chair of Leading NOW’s Center for Diversity & Inclusion. With more than 20 years of experience as a leader and scientific professional in a global setting, Usha brings a holistic, integrated perspective to every engagement.

Prior to joining LN, Usha held various positions with increasing responsibilities and complexities at Pfizer, Inc., where she effectively leveraged her broad scientific knowledge, global business acumen, and strong network of global resources to achieve and often exceed business goals. She led strategic planning and outsourcing, introduced change management, and partnered on organizational re-design and strategy. Following Pfizer’s acquisition of King Pharmaceuticals, Usha served as an internal consultant responsible for coordinating plans for integrating King’s research portfolio into Pfizer.

In 2010 Usha was selected by Pfizer as a Global Health Fellow. She spent six (6) months in Ghana working with Family Health International, a global non-profit organization. During her tenure in Ghana, she utilized her leadership skills to quickly assess her environment and engage team members to contribute their skills and talents.

Usha is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the Bombay College of Pharmacy, India; an Executive Master’s degree in Technology Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and a Ph. D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Louisiana Monroe.

Kelly Lockwood Primus

Chief Executive Officer, Leading NOW

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Kelly Lockwood Primus, Chief Executive Officer, oversees strategy, research development and client relationship management to help the clients of Leading NOW (“LN”) reach their global diversity goals.

Prior to her appointment as CEO of LN, Kelly was CEO & President of its Leading Women brand and division.

Before joining Leading Women, Kelly was a member of the executive team for Women’s Foodservice Forum (“WFF”), a national non-profit women’s leadership organization. As WFF’s Marketing and Communications Vice President, Kelly was instrumental in returning the organization to prominence in the foodservice industry as the authority for women’s leadership development, and drove participation in WFF’s live and virtual events to “sell-out” status.

Before her work with women’s leadership development organizations, Kelly was Marketing and Communications Vice President at Primo Water, a publicly held CPG company, where pre-IPO (Initial Public Offering) she was challenged with articulating the brand promise, creating the brand communication strategy, and instituting integrated marketing campaigns to drive retailer and consumer brand preference. Within a year the organization went public.

Preceding her Primo Water tenure Kelly was Strategy and Business Development Vice President for The Goodwin Group, where she held the role of expanding the agency’s revenue opportunities in the pharmaceutical and medical association industries. There she reconstructed the organization’s service offering after identifying a unique market opportunity, which resulted in new customer acquisitions and a 100% revenue increase. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, Kelly also participated in Executive Leadership Programs at Boston College and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Michelle Redfern

Senior Consultant, Leading Women ‒ Australia

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Michelle is a senior consultant for Leading Women, a division of Leading NOW (“LN”), and is the organization’s team leader in Australia. She is also the founder of Advancing Women and Women Who Get It (WWGI), and co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women). Michelle’s businesses are all anchored in her mission to achieve gender diversity and advance women in business and the sporting sector. Michelle is a Non-Executive Director for Williamstown VFL Football Club, and Good Shepherd Microfinance. In addition, Michelle is an in-demand speaker, moderator and emcee at conferences, leadership forums and diversity events.

Prior to establishing her enterprises Michelle held executive leadership roles in the Banking, Telco, BPO and 3PL industries for blue chip companies such as NAB, Telstra, Serco and Aegis. Michelle is well known for her passionate focus on inclusion in business and sport, a collaborative and engaging leadership style, as well as her expertise as an operating model performance turnaround specialist.

Michelle has previously held board positions with the Gippsland League, the AFL’s largest Victorian regional league; Swinburne University’s Business Without Borders volunteer association; and the Highvale Netball Association Inc. She is a panel judge for the Telstra Businesswomen’s Awards and the Telstra Business Awards.

Michelle is a graduate of the AICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors), holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) from RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) and is an IECL (Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership)-qualified organizational coach. She is also a regular contributor on social media about equality, inclusion and leadership.

Marilyn Sherman

Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker

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Hall of Fame business keynote speaker Marilyn Sherman has spent the last 25 years delivering high content motivational programs to clients in diverse markets. She knows how to inspire people to live their “dash” and get the most out of life. With inspiring success stories backed with proven methods for implementation, audiences walk away with immediate take-home value. Her “SEAT of Success” keynote reminds people to change their seat to change their life. No more settling for balcony seats or even seats in general admission. It’s time to join other high performers in the front row!

Forbes.com named Marilyn’s latest goal-setting book as one of the top leadership books for new managers. There’s a reason why she’s on several top speaker lists and is a top keynoter in the industry! She is a proud member of the National Speaker’s Association Speaker Hall of Fame. Her programs have been described as inspiring, motivational, content-rich and life-changing.

Marilyn is a graduate of Washington State University and for the last 18 years has called Las Vegas her home. For more information and free Front-Row Friday videos delivered to your inbox, go to https://www.MarilynSherman.com.

Michelle Singletary

Nationally syndicated personal finance columnist for The Washington Post and author of award-winning column, "The Color of Money."

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Michelle Singletary is a nationally syndicated personal finance columnist for The Washington Post. Her award-winning column, "The Color of Money," is carried in dozens of newspapers nationwide.

She is the author of three books:

• "The 21 Day Financial Fast: Your Path to Financial Peace and Free" (Zondervan)
• "Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich" (Random House).
• "Spend Well, Live Rich: How to Live Well With the Money You Have" (Random House)

In January 2012, Singletary was part of the cast for "The Revolution," a daytime program on ABC. She was the show's financial expert and did regular money segments. For two years, Singletary was host of her own national television program "Singletary Says" on TV One.

In 2011, "Spend Well, Live Rich with Michelle Singletary," an hour-long program, premiered on the PBS station WNED-TV Buffalo/Toronto.

For several years, Singletary was a regular personal finance contributor for National Public Radio's afternoon program "Day To Day." She is also a frequent contributor to various NPR programs including "1A" and American Public Media's "Marketplace Money." She is a frequent contributor to CNN. She has appeared on all three major networks, NBC, ABC and CBS. She has prepared personal finance segments for local and national news programs, and for several cable and nationally syndicated programs, including "Oprah," NBC's "Today Show," "The Early Show" on CBS, MSNBC, and "The View." She has also appeared on "Meet The Press."

As part of her commitment to community service, Singletary volunteers as the director of "Prosperity Partners Ministry," a financial program she founded at her church, First Baptist Church of Glenarden (FBCG), in which women and men, who handle their money well, mentor others who are having financial challenges.

Singletary and her husband, Kevin, also volunteer in Maryland prisons to teach financial literacy to male and female prison inmates involved in a prerelease program. At FBCG's The Institutes, Singletary and her husband teach a class called "Mastering Money In Marriage." In 2010, Singletary was named Ministry Leader of the Year at FBCG, one of the largest churches in Prince George's County with more than 15,000 members. She was recognized for her direction of Prosperity Partners and her prison volunteer work.

Singletary has written for the flagship "O, The Oprah Magazine." For a time, she was the personal finance columnist for "O at Home" magazine. The quarterly magazine was a spinoff of the monthly "O, The Oprah Magazine."

Gretchen Sussman

Strategic Advisor & Principal Consultant, Leading Women

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Gretchen Sussman is Strategic Advisor and Principal Consultant for Leading Women, a division of Leading NOW (“LN”), where she develops LN’s program content.

She honed her keen business sense through diverse career positions spanning 30 years, gaining all-encompassing experience in strategy creation and deployment, revenue optimization, leadership development, and change management. Gretchen’s decades of executive experience in developing high-performing teams, successfully leading transformations, and delivering exceptional results across multiple business sectors and industries make her a valuable asset to LN’s business and clients alike.

Prior to joining LN Gretchen led key IPO (Initial Public Offering) initiatives for two start-up companies; pioneered online commerce and international expansion for a North American logistics company; renovated the strategy, organizational structure and customer partnerships for two global B2B organizations; reinvented the volunteer and revenue model for a premier leadership development association; and led the retail and hospitality practice for a change management consultancy – while advising senior management teams of Fortune 500 companies around culture, talent, and business transformation.

As an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), Gretchen quickly connects purpose, strategy, and actions with the necessary behavioral shifts to bring about immediate and lasting performance improvement for companies and the people who lead them. She is a skilled facilitator and requested speaker on the topics of gender equity, DEI, and leadership.

Gretchen attended the University of Wisconsin ‒ River Falls; earned an Executive Leadership Certification from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management; and is a certified Executive Coach.