Monday, February 12, 2018

A speed coaching and networking event powered by bizwomen.

MentorsColleen Affeldt | Managing Director, RGT Wealth AdvisorsColleen Affeldt serves RGT as a Managing Director. She joined RGT in 2014, having spent over 15 years managing her own consulting practice. Her expertise encompasses executive leadership development, integration for companies in the mergers and acquisitions process, strategic planning, succession planning, and directional alignment targeted towards increasing the value proposition of an organization.Valued for her thought leadership, Colleen has served as a visiting faculty member at the SMU

Cox School of Business, Texas A&M Mays School of Business and the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine. She continues to be a highly sought-after speaker for large conferences and corporate events.Colleen is generous in lending her time to worthy causes. Her affiliations and board positions include: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Scottish Rite Hospital, The Family Place, St. Baldrick’s Children’s Cancer Foundation, and the Nancy Lieberman Foundation. Colleen is also the Founder of COREIntersections, a program supporting returning veterans in transition and integrating into the private sector workforce. She is considered a national thought leader on this issue.

Catherine Awtrey | President and owner, Texas Roof Management Catherine Awtrey has been the President and owner of Texas Roof Management INC (TRM) for more than 14 years. She began running the company after the unexpected passing of her husband, TRM’sfounder, Wayne Awtrey. Catherine stepped into the primarily male dominated industry of commercial roofing. Under her direction, TRM has experienced significant growth and is now recognized as a top tier commercial roofing company throughout the United States. Locally, her company has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies “the Dallas 100” by

SMU’s Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship and is annually recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as one of the largest Women–Owned businesses in North Texas. Catherine is affiliated with many industry-related and business organizations such as, Building Owner and Management Association (BOMA), North Texas Roofing Association (NTRCA), National Association of Professional Women, Richardson Chamber of Commerce, and others.

Barbara Baffer | Vice President, Government & Industry Relations, Ericsson North AmericaBarbara Baffer has spent the last 27 years with Ericsson working in a number of different roles and is currently the Vice President, Government & Industry Relations, for Ericsson North America. For 10 years, she was the Head of its Washington DC office in Washington DC and six years ago relocated to the Ericsson HQ office in Plano to take a corporate executive role. Currently, she is focused on Ericsson’s regulatory and legislative advocacy efforts and leads the teams in Washington

DC and Ottawa. She is responsible for execution of Ericsson’s North America Influencing Plan as well as the Ericsson Global Influencing Plan. She is the 2018 Chairman of Tech Titans, serves on the Board of Directors to CTIA-the Wireless Association Foundation, represents Ericsson on the Board of the Information Technology Industry Council, participates as a member of the Dallas Executive Women’s Roundtable (EWR) and is a Board Member of the Collin County Business Alliance. Baffer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Government from the College of William and Mary and an MBA from Lynchburg College. In 2015, she won the Dallas Business Journal’s “Women in Technology Award.”

Brenda Boehm | Chief Strategy Officer, Telecommunications Industry AssociationBrenda Boehm has made her career in bringing new innovative technology to the marketplace. Most recently as the Chief Strategy Officer for Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) where she was responsible for the overall strategic direction for the global technology product organization. Brenda’s deep industry expertise is based upon her successful leadership roles at both the executive and board levels with various innovation-focused technology companies from

entrepreneurial start-ups; Starent Networks, Tango Networks, and Cyphre to Fortune 100 leaders; Cisco, Nortel, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia. This uniquely broad set of experiences and skills have equipped her with the insight to create a market vision that recognizes industry disruption, an ability to harness change for innovation, develop global market reach and ensure the most successful operational best practices. In addition to her leadership in the IT / Telecommunications industry, Brenda is active in promoting women in technology, mentoring programs, and STEM initiatives. She feels strongly that it does impact young women personally, it is also critical to support and mentor the next generations in order to support a strong diverse workforce, and consequently, a healthy economy. She was recognized by Dallas Business Journal as a nominee of Women in Tech for 2015, and serves on advisory panels to promote women in technology. Brenda Boehm holds a Masters of Science (MS) from SMU’s School of Engineering in Telecommunications and a Bachelors (BA) in Computer Information Systems (CIS) from the University of Louisiana. She also attended Stanford’s prestigious Graduate School of Business Executive Program, recently completed the Advanced Computer Security Certification Program.

Gillian Breidenbach | Senior Vice President, Dallas/Fort Worth Local Market Delivery Manager, Enterprise Business & Community Engagement, Bank of America Gillian Breidenbach is a Senior Vice President and the Local Market Delivery Manager for North Texas. She is accountable to the Market Presidents for Business Integration & Leadership; Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Impact; and Corporate Reputation.She manages the Bank of America Charitable Foundation in North Texas which contributes

nearly $3 million annually to address local community needs regarding economic mobility with a focus on workforce development, education and basic needs. In addition, she negotiates, leverages and executes local sponsorships and community activities, including the Dallas Arboretum, State Fair of Texas, Byron Nelson Championship, Dallas Festival of Ideas, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and various other sport and arts sponsorships. As an executive sponsor for the North Texas Bank of America Community Volunteers, she helps to guide more than 150,000 volunteer hours annually from more than 15,000 local associates at 300+ events annually.She has been with Bank of America since 1990 in various capacities within Corporate Marketing & Communications. Prior to this role, she was responsible for national media relations for the Consumer Bank, with specific focus on sponsorship marketing, multicultural initiatives and the national banking center expansion efforts. Throughout her career, she has supported state presidents in Texas and the Southwest, and managed the media relations efforts surrounding the bank’s sponsorship of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the Bank of America Colonial and many crisis management situations including Y2K efforts, Hurricanes Andrew, Allison & Katrina, 9-11 disaster, and the July 7, 2016 shootings in Downtown Dallas. Ms. Breidenbach serves on the board of directors for the SMU Athletic Forum; Children’s Medical Center Women’s Auxiliary; Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts Advisory Board; North Texas Commission; AT&T Performing Arts Center- President’s Advisory Council; and the Junior League of Dallas Community Advisory Board. She is member of the Dallas Assembly and is a graduate of Leadership Dallas and Valley Leadership (Phoenix).She also served on the board of directors for TACA, Mi Escuelita Preschools and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. She is a past DIFFA Style Council member in 2012 and 2015. Breidenbach received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University in 1990.

Beth Bull is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Communities Foundation of Texas. Since 2008, she has been responsible for Accounting, Finance, Investments, Human Resources, IT, and Facilities for CFT, one of the largest community foundations in the nation. Beth was honored to be named Nonprofit CFO of the Year by the Dallas Business Journal in 2013 and Outstanding CFO of a Nonprofit Organization by D CEO in 2016. In the community, Beth has served as first vice president and finance committee chair for the Girl Scouts of NorthEast Texas since 2013. She is also currently a board member and treasurer of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance and a member of the Endowment board. Previously, she was a board member, audit committee chair, and foundation board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star for over ten years. Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, Beth had a 26 year career at Texas Instruments, where she worked in Houston, Dallas, and Midland, Texas, as well as Taipei, Taiwan. Her last six years at TI were as Treasurer. Beth is a frequent panelist on topics ranging from financial management to organizational transformation and process improvement, and is an avid mentor to many. “If you stay in your comfort zone, you’ll never grow.”

Beth Bull | Senior Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Communities Foundation of Texas Beth Bull is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Communities Foundation of Texas. Since 2008, she has been responsible for Accounting, Finance, Investments, Human Resources, IT, and Facilities for CFT, one of the largest community foundations in the nation. Beth was honored to be named Nonprofit CFO of the Year by the Dallas Business Journal in 2013 and Outstanding CFO of a Nonprofit Organization by D CEO in 2016. In the community, Beth has served

as first vice president and finance committee chair for the Girl Scouts of NorthEast Texas since 2013. She is also currently a board member and treasurer of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance and a member of the Endowment board. Previously, she was a board member, audit committee chair, and foundation board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star for over ten years. Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, Beth had a 26 year career at Texas Instruments, where she worked in Houston, Dallas, and Midland, Texas, as well as Taipei, Taiwan. Her last six years at TI were as Treasurer. Beth is a frequent panelist on topics ranging from financial management to organizational transformation and process improvement, and is an avid mentor to many. “If you stay in your comfort zone, you’ll never grow.”

Paula Calise | Principal, LINKED Paula specializes in filling hard to fill positions, completing over 450 searches since founding Linked Executive Search. Paula is known for rapidly finding talent to fill key positions that fit the company, culture and team effortlessly – delivering quality candidates who can step in and immediately produce positive results. Across many professions and industries, Paula often fills jobs that have been open for 6 weeks to 6 months, with others having tried to fill these roles prior to Paula being invited to do so.

As a hiring manager by profession, Paula fills jobs like her clients would themselves, if they had the time. With years of leadership in sales and marketing from Viscem, TXU Energy, LexisNexis and IBM, she brings a wealth of placement experience and knowledge to every client Linked Executive Search serves.Paula earned an undergraduate degree in HR from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the University of Houston. She is actively involved in community volunteerism and leadership. Paula serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the University of North Texas College of Business, and she is an instructor in the Cox Business School’s Business Leadership Center and the Executive MBA program at Sothern Methodist University. She is a board member of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Retail Executive Association, co-founder of Dallas Executive Women’s Network Group, a founding member and Vice President of The Board Connection, and an Assistant Vice President of Southwest Higher Education Authority.

Mentors

Dr. Suzanne Carter | Executive Director of TCU’s Executive MBA program, TCU Neeley School of Business Suzanne M. Carter, Ph. D., is the Executive Director of TCU’s Executive MBA program. Currently on faculty at TCU’s Neeley School of Business as Professor of Professional Practice in Strategy within the Management, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership Department, Dr. Carter teaches strategy courses at the EMBA, MBA and undergraduate levels. She has also been faculty on global study abroad courses in China, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Greece, India, Peru, Panama, Morocco, Spain, and the

UAE. Her research focuses on strategic leadership, top management teams and corporate reputation. Dr. Carter received her M.B.A. and Ph. D. in strategic management from the University of Texas at Austin and her B.S. in accounting from the University of Illinois – Champaign/Urbana. She previously served on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame as an assistant professor and as an assistant instructor at the University of Texas at Austin. Founding principal of Carter & Associates, (agilestrategicthinking.com) she has consulted with many organizations and boards of directors, including companies such as GameStop, Cook’s Children, and Lea+Elliott regarding vision and strategic direction. She also taught classes and conducted workshops on innovative social enterprise strategies to encourage sustainable business models in the non-profit sector. Dr. Carter has published numerous articles and book chapters in such business publications as the Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Journal of Business Ethics and Corporate Reputation Review. Currently on the editorial board of Corporate Reputation Review she continues to research within the reputation and strategic leadership areas.

Ellen Castro | Chief Energizing Officer A captivating powerhouse, Ellen Castro is your answer to thriving in today’s competitive, puzzling and ever-changing landscape. With her authenticity, warmth, experience and inside-out confidence, Ellen is a valued partner in 18 industries ranging from high tech to entertainment to education to government and non-profits to start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. Clients include Adobe, American Airlines, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Deloitte Consulting, Ericsson, Fidelity Investments, Frito-Lay, Head Start, Mary Kay, McAfee, Southern Methodist University, Texas Instruments, United

Way, Univision and Verizon. Always constructive, pragmatic and solution-focused, Ellen’s proven framework for results makes a tangible lasting impact on her clients’ long-term success.As a globally recognized leadership and business consultant, whatever the business challenge and opportunity, Ellen’s innovative approach helps management teams break through the barriers to success. With her laser beam focus and business savvy she gets to the root cause and helps formulate a comprehensive strategic action plan that moves critical initiatives forward. By rebuilding working relationships, accelerating trust and strengthening leadership muscle, the all-important success components of teamwork, innovation and engagement become a reality. As an executive coach, Ellen transforms managers into trusted leaders who the workforce loves to follow. Credible, engaged leaders are the solution to reversing the bottom line impact of the 51% US workforce that are actively seeking new positions. Ellen facilitates individuals becoming the best version of themselves which inspires and motivates others to achieve excellence through example. Authenticity is irresistible! Good leaders are good business. As a best-selling, award winning author, Ellen unleashes the potential and power of the human spirit. Her latest book, Happy in Spite of People, received glowing reviews around the world for its common-sense approach to embracing all personality types on the job and in life. The third edition of her classic, Spirited Leadership: 52 Ways to Build Trust, received an International Latino Book Award. Now in its fourth edition, this timeless resource continues to be used by thousands of leaders to revitalize their teams with trust. Ellen’s personal corporate experience includes leading a $90 million profit center with 500 employees for Exxon and directing the merger/acquisition and leadership development and education programs for a national healthcare alliance start-up as it grew from 1,000 to 5,000 employees. As an entrepreneur for 28 years, Ellen’s commitment to excellence, service and adding tangible value has resulted in 100% of her business being generated through referrals and repeat clients. It’s All About TRUST™.

Sheryl Chamberlain | Chief of Staff, Linux Foundation Sheryl is responsible for overseeing operational activities for The Linux Foundation and is the point of contact between executive management and stakeholders in its numerous influential open source projects. In addition she drives collaboration across projects and teams in order to ensure members receive the maximum benefit from working with The Linux Foundation.Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Chamberlain was a Partner Vice President in Capgemini Group Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships leading alliance strategies and overseeing execution of go-

to-market activities with Dell Technologies. She began her career in finance with a succession of increasingly higher level positions at Deloitte, Norton Simon (now Beatrice Foods) and PepsiCo Bottling. Prior to joining Capgemini, Ms. Chamberlain worked at EMC in a variety of roles, including COO Corporate Office of the CTO.Her leadership has been recognized in winning Dallas Business Journal Women in Technology Award, EMC Global Innovation Partner of the Year, the California YWCA Tribute to Women Award and the Diversity Council’s Leadership and Diversity Award. Ms. Chamberlain is a member of the Alliance of Chief Executives, an Advisor to the Dallas Entrepreneur Center and a MassChallenge Accelerator Mentor. She was on the Board of Silicon Valley Association for Corporate Growth, is on the Diversity Advisory Board for the Cloud Foundry Foundation and is the Chair of the Hult Prize Foundation Council.

Mentors

Tanis Cornell | CEO, EWF International Tanis Cornell is the CEO of EWF International, a leadership development company focused on women. EWF has a mission to increase the percentage of women in senior executive roles. EWF provides professional development programs for women through the life cycle of their career with a special focus on executive level leaders. Tanis is a certified Lumina Learning practitioner, an accredited Executive Coach, and a writer and frequent public speaker who is passionate about helping women leaders expand their career path, grow their businesses, increase their effectiveness,

gain access to the skills and knowledge needed to excel, and meet their personal and professional goals.Prior to EWF, Tanis held leadership positions in the information technology industry including serving as an equity partner and Board member of the private software company PhaseWare and holding an officer level position in the Fortune 1000 telecommunications company WilTel. She was a VP of sales for Level 3 Communications and led one of the largest service provider partnerships for Fortune 500 data management company, NetApp.Tanis sits on the Board of Directors for Tech Titans, the largest technology trade association in Texas. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Alliance of Women and Technology, and the Business Advisory Council for Oklahoma Christian University. She is also a mentor for the nationally known startup incubator Tech Wildcatters. She is a current member of Executive Women of Dallas and has previously served on the Board of Directors for Sales & Marketing Executives International, the Dale Rogers Training Center serving adults with mental disabilities, and the Red Cross.

Lori Darley | CEO/Founder, Conscious Leaders, Inc. As founder and CEO of Conscious Leaders LLC, Lori brings nearly two decades of experience as a transformational coach and consultant to the conscious business movement. She is also the author of the book, Dancing Naked: Claiming Your Power as a Conscious Leader which made the Amazon Best Seller in Women in Business category and #2 in Hottest New Releases on launch day.Lori is seasoned in the needs of a full range of decision makers, and works extensively with C-suite executives in many industries. She coaches organizations from multi-national corporations, such as

Ferro Chemical and a Fortune 500 “Class One” rail transportation company, to entrepreneurial ventures and individuals in non-profits, manufacturing, financial services, management consulting, commercial real estate and the arts. She also serves as Senior Consultant with Blue Case Strategic Partners.Lori has presented at numerous conferences including Conscious Capitalism’s national conference, the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (a U.S. State Department program invitational of over 250 Latin American entrepreneurs) and the Social Venture Network. She has also spoken at the SVN Europe conference, been a panelist the local Dallas chapter of Conscious Capitalism and presented at Renaissance Weekend.Lori is a certified somatic coach, recognized by the Strozzi Institute, and a certified Peak Potentials trainer. Additional certifications include Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership, Gallup Strengths-Finder, EQi-2 (an Emotional Intelligence assessment and 360 feedback model) and the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorLori co-founded a professional modern dance company, in which she also served as Artistic Director, choreographer, and a highly acclaimed dancer. She was a professional dancer with her company until the age of forty-three, when she emerged from that stage of her career as a leader in the arts community. Lori now brings the wisdom gleaned from years of non-profit leadership and artistic directorship to the halls of business.Lori believes that within the heart of everyone lives a creative genius, and that each of us yearns to connect authentically with one another so we can make a positive difference in the world.

Dawson Thompson joined Dallas Women’s Foundation as president and CEO in July 2011. A lifelong advocate for women and girls, she moved from a 25-year career as owner of a national marketing communications firm to leading Dallas Women’s Foundation, where she had been a passionate volunteer and donor since the organization’s inception. Dallas Women’s Foundation is the largest regional women’s fund of the 120 women’s funds worldwide. Through money raised from a broad base of dedicated donors, the Foundation conducts its gender-focused work in research, advocacy and grant making to advance women and girls in North Texas and beyond. Under Dawson Thompson’s leadership, the Foundation has undertaken ambitious strategic initiatives to impact women’s economic security and women’s leadership. During Dawson Thompson’s tenure, the Foundation has increased its assets from $28 million to $34 million, and its grants benefiting women and girls from $2.5 million to $4.5 million. Since inception in 1985, the Foundation has invested more than $37.6 million to improve women’s education and quality of life, give voice to issues affecting women and girls, and cultivate women leaders for the future. Dawson Thompson is a strong advocate and frequent speaker on women’s leadership, women’s philanthropy, gender equity and the impact of gender lens investing on women’s empowerment. She is a member of the board and former chair (2015-2017) of the Women’s Funding Network, the global association of women’s foundations. Locally, she serves on the board of the Dallas Regional Chamber, the executive board of the Circle Ten Council of Boy Scouts of America, the board of the Dallas Chapter of International Women’s Forum, and the Junior League of Dallas Community Advisory Board. She is a recipient of the Maura Women Helping Women Award and an honoree of Dallas Business Journal’s 2014 Women in Business. Dawson Thompson is married to Rex Thompson, professor of finance at SMU’s Cox School of Business. Their family includes three grown children.

ROSLYN DAWSON THOMPSON President & CEO Dallas Women’s Foundation

Roslyn Dawson Thompson | President & CEO, Dallas Women’s Foundation Dawson Thompson joined Dallas Women’s Foundation as president and CEO in July 2011. A lifelong advocate for women and girls, she moved from a 25-year career as owner of a national marketing communications firm to leading Dallas Women’s Foundation, where she had been a passionate volunteer and donor since the organization’s inception. Dallas Women’s Foundation is the largest regional women’s fund of the 120 women’s funds worldwide. Through money raised from a broad base of dedicated donors, the Foundation conducts

its gender-focused work in research, advocacy and grant making to advance women and girls in North Texas and beyond. Under Dawson Thompson’s leadership, the Foundation has undertaken ambitious strategic initiatives to impact women’s economic security and women’s leadership. During Dawson Thompson’s tenure, the Foundation has increased its assets from $28 million to $34 million, and its grants benefiting women and girls from $2.5 million to $4.5 million. Since inception in 1985, the Foundation has invested more than $37.6 million to improve women’s education and quality of life, give voice to issues affecting women and girls, and cultivate women leaders for the future.Dawson Thompson is a strong advocate and frequent speaker on women’s leadership, women’s philanthropy, gender equity and the impact of gender lens investing on women’s empowerment. She is a member of the board and former chair (2015-2017) of the Women’s Funding Network, the global association of women’s foundations. Locally, she serves on the board of the Dallas Regional Chamber, the executive board of the Circle Ten Council of Boy Scouts of America, the board of the Dallas Chapter of International Women’s Forum, and the Junior League of Dallas Community Advisory Board. She is a recipient of the Maura Women Helping Women Award and an honoree of Dallas Business Journal’s 2014 Women in Business. Dawson Thompson is married to Rex Thompson, professor of finance at SMU’s Cox School of Business. Their family includes three grown children.

Mentors

Janet DeBerardinis | Chief Information Officer, Caliber Collison Centers Janet is the Chief Information Officer of Caliber Collision Centers, the largest collision repair company in the United States. Located in Lewisville, TX, Caliber currently has 545 locations across 17 states. Caliber’s projected 2017 revenue is $2.4 billion through the efforts of more than 10,500 associates servicing more than 800,000 customers. Responsible for Caliber’s enterprise-wide information technology strategy, architecture, and operations, Janet transformed the organization’s technology in less than 18 months from homegrown legacy systems to industry- leading database and

management platforms across more than 120 locations. Janet positioned the company for hyper-growth by building a strong technology foundation, enabling the growth from 86 locations in two States when she joined, to 545 (and growing) locations in seventeen States to date.Prior to joining Caliber, Janet was Vice President of Information Technology at Goodman Networks, one of the largest end-to-end telecom integration solutions providers in the United States.Over her illustrious career, Janet has held key technology management positions at numerous Fortune 500 companies including TGI’s Friday’s parent company Carlson Restaurants, Samsung Telecommunications, National Semiconductor Corporation, and the Raytheon Corporation.Janet started her career in the United States Air Force as Space Systems Chief of Training in 1982. She was responsible for signal analysis, data processing, and orbital dynamics training for an Air Force special project in Italy and San Antonio, Texas. Janet’s contributions to her country were recognized with two Meritorious Service Medals, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, and Air Force Overseas Long Term Medal.Janet received her Bachelor of Science and Masters of Business Administration degrees in Information Technology from Capella University and has been featured in numerous technology publications including Toggle Magazine, CIO Magazine, CIO Review, and Hospitality Technology Magazine. Most recently, Janet and her team received the 2017 Tech Titans Technology Adopter Award recognizing Caliber’s continued investment in technology as an enabler to business. Janet was recognized as one of 25 women by the Dallas Business Journal and TeXchange DFW as the North Texas Top Women In Technology in 2014. She is also PMI (Project Management Institute) certified and a graduate of the Centers for Creative Leadership Development program. She sits on the ATW Advisory Council promoting and supporting women in STEM careers. A 4th generation Italian from Pennsylvania, Janet is an avid reader and gardening enthusiast who also enjoys shooting sporting clays around the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex with her friends and co-workers.

Melisa Denis | Partner-in- charge of the Global Mobility Services, KPMG LLP Melisa is the partner-in- charge of the Global Mobility Services (GMS) practice in Dallas and Denver with more than 30 years of business experience providing international and human resource tax consulting assistance to consumer markets and retail clients. Melisa was named the National Tax Leader for Consumer Goods practice for KPMG in the US. Melisa serves as overall leader of our Consumer and Retail industry for Dallas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Melisa has extensive knowledge in helping large, multinational companies solve complex issues

related to their global workforce. She helps navigate the tax and regulatory requirements for companies sending executives around the world. Her experience crosses many industries including Consumer and Industrial Markets. She served as America’s lead and CFO on KPMG’s global expatriate management board helping form KPMG’s global IES strategy. Melisa was instrumental in the creation of KNOW – (KPMG’s Network of Women) established to help recruit and retain more than 600 females in the Dallas office. Melisa is passionate about mentoring and helping women. Taking this passion of helping women outside of KPMG, she began a non-profit organization to navigate executive women to the boardroom. In addition, she serves as Chair of Women’s Corporate Directors (WCD) in Dallas/Fort Worth, a member of KPMG’s Women’s Advisory Board, and a member of the advisory boards for Enactus and the newly created WCD Foundation.she has a B.S. degree in accounting, University of North Texas, M.S. degree in taxation, University of North Texas and is a Certified Public Account (CPA), licensed in Texas.

Valerie Freeman | Founder and CEO, Imprimis Group, Inc. Valerie Freeman is the founder and CEO of Dallas-based Imprimis Group, Inc., a leading supplier of staffing, recruiting, human resource and outsourcing services. Imprimis operates under the brand names Imprimis Staffing, BravoTECH, Human Capital Solutions, Freeman+Leonard, and Third Party Pay. Valerie is also a founder and owner/member of ANSERTEAM, LLC, a national staffing company. She is also a founder of Texas Women Ventures where she serves on the Investment Committee and PrimeWomen.com, an online lifestyle magazine for women over the age of 50.

Valerie and her companies have received many awards including Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alliance of Technology and Women; Maura Award from the Dallas Women’s Foundation; Tech Titan Community Hero Award from the Tech Titans Technology Trade Assn.; Women’s Business Enterprise Hall of Fame; Athena Award from the Dallas Regional Chamber; Woman of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts; Greater Dallas Business Ethics Award and various Inc. 500/5000, Dallas 100, WPO 50 Fastest Growing, and Cougar 100 recognitions over the years.She currently serves on the Boards of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Board for the Alliance of Technology and Women, The Dallas Foundation and the Executive Women’s Roundtable. She is a member of Leadership Texas Alumni Assn., Young Presidents’ Organization Gold, Dallas Assembly, Dallas Summit and the International Women’s Forum. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education from the University of Houston where she was honored as a Distinguished Alum.

Mentors

MentorsCourtney Edwards | Director, Francisco+CoCourtney Edwards, Dallas Associate is a professional with fifteen years of experience in the marketing, public relations and event planning fields notably in the medical and hospitality industries. Her resume includes volunteering and event planning for many local charities in the Dallas community. She has a passion for working with people and making every event something to remember.Courtney holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Administration from Stephen F. Austin State

University and a Master’s of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Dallas.Before working for francisco+co, Courtney worked for ten years in corporate marketing for SportsCare USA, Fairmont Hotel Dallas, MedSurge Advances, Osyris Medical USA and MEDHOST. She specialized in tradeshow and event planning, branding, marketing campaigns and community relations.She has been involved with local Dallas charities which include The Elan Circle of the Dallas Symphony Organization, Friends of the Park, Lee Park Junior Conservancy, Young Texans Against Cancer, Dallas Museum of Art Junior Associates. She is currently involved in Junior League of Dallas and The Friends of the Warren Center.She served two consecutive terms as the VP of Communications for the Elan Circle of the Dallas Symphony and has served as the Silent Auction Co-Chair for the Elan Circle’s black tie event, Savor the Symphony, Events Chairman for the Lee Park Junior Conservancy’s “Day at the Races” derby event and Co-Chair for Light Up Lee Park, co- chaired Family Gateway’s Celebrity Waiter Kickoff Party and Friends of the Park Spring Fling in 2013.With a love for writing, Courtney authors the Ask Ellie Blog and her personal blog Where Wear in the City with her sister Allison. She has also written for Pink Memo, CBS DFW, Arts & Culture DFW, The Quick and 360 West Magazine Wedding Edition.

Janelle Friedman | COO, Philanthropist, Civic Leader, Author, Inventor, Mother Of SixJanelle Friedman manages the day-to-day business operations of Friedman & Feiger Attorneys At Law, an award-winning, Dallas-based law firm. She has been the law firm’s Chief Operating Officer since 1986 and is also a certified paralegal.As Chief Operating Officer, she also manages the business operations of Friedman & Feiger’s law office in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Janelle handles all business aspects of the company from marketing and new business development to revenue and finances as well as personnel and day-to-day problem solving.She has invented a beauty product called Kiss My Lash, which is a magical mirror that allows the user to see both upper and lower lashes from all angles. Applying make-up, false lashes and extensions has never been easier. She has also developed a product line of organic products for women that she will launch in 2018.Janelle is the author of You Are Invited which takes readers through some of Janelle’s biggest parties including a destination wedding, a fundraiser for one thousand guests and her “One Night Only” event filled with celebrity entertainers plus open houses and family holiday celebrations.She is founder of a professional group of female business leaders called Essential Energy. Essential Energy’s mission statement is to share wisdom between successful women through personal friendships and business networking with a spirit of fellowship, enthusiasm, harmony and devotion to the power (essential energy) of the group.Janelle is an active member of the Dallas community and generously donates her time to worthwhile causes. Janelle and Larry Friedman will be honored this year at the Dallas Can Academy Cares For Kids luncheon. The couple is being honored for generously contributing personal time, resources, event planning and fundraising skills to many worthwhile causes.The F&F Foundation was founded by Janelle and Larry as a charitable organization which benefits children. Each year, Friedman & Feiger Attorneys At Law donates time and fund-raising for notable charities. Millions has been raised through the F&F Foundation for worthy charities such as Wednesday’s Child, Children’s Medical Center and the Salvation Army’s Gene and Jerry Jones Center For Children, among others.She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center and the Dallas Opera. She has also served as a Stradivarius member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. She was also Co-Chair for the Opening Ceremonies of the Dallas Macabee Games, Co-Chair of the opening of Congregation Anshai Torah Synagogue and is a KidneyTexas lifetime member,She commits her time, talent and monetary donations to the Wheel To Survive benefit to find a cure for ovarian cancer, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Gilda’s Club, Paws Cause, the SPCA, the Fur Ball, the Epilepsy Research Foundation, Dallas Can Academy, the Jewish Community Center, the National Kidney Foundation and Women That Soar, among many others.KidneyTexas honored Janelle with the 2014 Sue Goodnight Award in appreciation of her passion for KidneyTexas and her efforts to help charities. She was also awarded the Women That Soar award and the NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin Playmaker Community Service Award. The Dallas Business Journal named Janelle “a business leader to watch.”A native of Dallas, Janelle was raised in a large family in which “good manners, great style and the highest integrity are our most important values.” She attended Hillcrest High School and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin. Today, Janelle lives in Dallas with her husband. They have six children and two grandchildren.

Carla Gale | Senior Vice President and Trust Advisor, Regions Private Wealth Management Carla Gale is a Trust Advisor for Regions Bank Private Wealth Management group in Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX. She is a Senior Vice President who administers and manages trusts and investment accounts for Regions Private Wealth clients. Carla is actively involved in the implementation of her client’s financial and estate plans, utilizing various entities such as trusts, investment agencies, family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, traditional and Roth individual retirement

accounts. Her responsibilities also include compliance oversight, service on internal discretionary trust and risk management committees, and new business development for Metro Texas.Carla graduated at the top of her class from The University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications (Magna Cum Laude, 1982, named UA Outstanding Senior and Mortar Board President), followed by a Law Degree at UA (1985). She initially practiced law in Orlando, Florida and became involved early in her career in trust advisory work. She has been a Trust Advisor for some of Regions’ largest trust relationships including individual, family and institutional relationships. Carla formerly served as head of Regions’ Endowments and Foundations line of business, and was named Outstanding Professional Advisor of the Year at National Philanthropy Day in Birmingham prior to moving to Dallas with her family in 2014. She has served in leadership positions on several Boards in the Birmingham area including The King’s Home, Restoration Academy, Birmingham Estate Planning Council, Vestavia City Schools Foundation, UAB Professional Advisory Council, and Leadership Birmingham. Carla is currently a resident of Dallas Texas, and serves on the Board of Governors for the Dallas Estate Planning Council. She enjoys bicycle riding, running and playing golf.

Beth Garvey | Chief Operating Officer, BG Staffing, Inc. Beth Garvey joined the BG Staffing team through the Company’s acquisition of InStaff in 2013. Starting at InStaff in 1998 as Director of Human Resources, Garvey quickly rose through the ranks – serving as Director of Operations, VP of Operations, Senior VP of Operations, COO and ultimately CEO upon acquisition. She was Division President of two BG Staffing divisions - InStaff and Donovan & Watkins, until being promoted to Chief Operating Officer of BG Staffing, Inc. in August 2016. She now oversees all four staffing divisions: Commercial, IT, Finance/Accounting and Multifamily.

Beth is currently on the Advisory Board for the Dallas Regional Chamber, and she also serves as President of the Dallas Executive Women’s Roundtable. In 2016, D CEO listed Garvey as one of the top Dallas 500 Business Leaders. In 2010, Garvey was a Dallas Business Journal ‘Women in Business’ honoree recognizing outstanding local women business leaders, who not only make a difference in their industries, but also in their communities.

Karra Guess | CFO, ESRP Real Estate As Chief Financial Officer, Karra’s responsibilities include managing all financial aspects of the business, reporting financial results to partners, selecting, setting up, and utilizing all ERP sys tems, and projecting, budgeting, and treasury. Karra is married to Dan and has two daughters and one son.Karra spent 15 years as a full-time commercial real estate broker at The Staubach Company and at Transwestern. She has completed millions of square feet of complex real estate transactions. Karra

served as Chief Operating Officer of The Staubach Company - Southwest for five years, as Chief Financial Officer of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas for thirteen months, and as a managing director at Transwestern for three years. Karra is a licensed CPA who received a BBA in accounting and marketing from Southern Methodist University and has dual MBAs from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and London Business School.

Diane Hartley | President, The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing Vice President, Colibri GroupAs a business growth strategist and leader, Diane consistently and predictably delivers results for startups and turnarounds in highly competitive markets. Diane is currently the President of The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, one of seven portfolio companies for the Colibri Group. Diane also contributes to the Colibri Group as Vice President of Strategy and Development for the four real estate education companies in the portfolio. The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing

is the premier independent authority in training and designation for real estate professionals working in the luxury residential market. She joined The Institute most recently from Travis Wolff, LLP (now Armanino), a professional services firm that works with successful companies and families. While there, she conceived and conducted the firm’s first-ever client loyalty survey, enabling an innovative, high yield new client acquisition plan based on data mining. Prior to the firm, Diane spent a number of years in publishing at Belo, where she was responsible for launching the first-ever User Generated Content strategy for community news as Publisher of neighborsgo. She also built a sales and distribution strategy for F!D luxe, a magazine for the Dallas Morning News, and making it one of the most successful product launches in company history. Diane enjoys giving back to the community in her roles with non-profit organizations that focus on children and animals. Her last board position was with Junior Achievement of Dallas, where she chaired one of the most successful fund-raising events for the organization. Diane is married and has lived in a variety of Dallas neighborhoods for the last twenty years, always accompanied by at least two pets!

Mentors

Sophia Johnson | Founder and President, ABI Sophia Johnson is founder and president of ABI, a Dallas-based advertising and marketing firm. Launched in 2003, the firm has grown to become a leading agency for transportation, education and healthcare industries and non-profit organizations. Previously, Johnson was Vice-President for a Dallas-based institutional investment firm, overseeing all marketing and public relations. There she co-authored several papers on trends and issues affecting the financial advisory industry.

Johnson is Board Chair of FRIENDS of Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, a board member of AT&T Performing Arts Center and Chair of the Education and Community Outreach Committee, Immediate Past Chair of The Concilio, board member of the Trinity River LGC for the City of Dallas, a board member of Café Momentum and a marketing committee member of Dallas Museum of Art.

Marilyn Kibler - Colón | President, DFW*ATW (Alliance of Technology and Women)Throughout her extensive 25-year career, Marilyn has been translating complex digital technology solutions to business value. As a Senior sales and marketing leader and high achiever, Marilyn helps companies drive revenue growth and increase profitability. She has served in various leadership roles at Sabre, IBM, Xerox and Fortune 1000 companies and has built a significant roster of Fortune 500 and mid-market customers across multiple industries such as Travel and Transportation,

Manufacturing, Financial Services, Media and Entertainment, High Tech and Oil and Gas.Her specialties are in innovation, digital transformation, sales and go-to-market strategy, consultative solution selling, technology advisory services, executive account planning, strategic alliances engagement and P&L management. She has broad domain expertise in e-Commerce, Digital Solutions, cloud-based ERP, CRM, Portals and Content Management technology. Using her proactive, adaptive leadership style, broad collaboration and communication skills, she has helped customers through digital transformation initiatives and has mobilized global, high performance teams to accelerate product adoption and usability, increase customer satisfaction and enhance the customer experience.Marilyn currently serves as President of DFW*ATW (Alliance of Technology and Women), a non-profit volunteer organization that provides educational programs, networking and professional development to empower women in technology. ATW’s community outreach GREATMINDS program targets young girls to encourage them to enter the field of STEM. She has served as a board member and co-chair for the Membership Committee for Tech Titan’s and as a mentor on the SMU Associate Board Mentor Program. Marilyn received a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Melody Lenox | Vice President of Operations, Axxess Melody Lenox is vice president of operations at Axxess, the fastest growing home healthcare technology company in North America. She is responsible for advancing global growth strategies, improving operational excellence and managing talent strategy, human resources (HR), facilities management, procurement and AxxessDDE, the company’s revenue cycle management solution.Melody joined Axxess as HR manager in 2012. She was instrumental in increasing the workforce by 85 percent within the first year and has played a key role in doubling employee growth every

subsequent year.Prior to Axxess, Melody worked in entrepreneurial, mid-sized, and national and multi-national Fortune 500 firms in healthcare, manufacturing, retail, distribution, state and municipal government and higher education, including Blockbuster, ConAgra Foods and Beverly Enterprises, now Golden Living.She is a member several civic and community organizations and very involved and committed to the advancement of the HR profession. Melody volunteers at schools and community centers, teaching life-skills trainings and speaking to youth on preparing for life after high school and college. She also serves as a mentor with Health Wildcatters, The Dallas Entrepreneur Center and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas.Melody is a member of the Forbes HR Council, Leadership Dallas Alumni Association, Dallas Friday Group, Society of Human Resources Management, Dallas Human Resources, Junior League of Collin County, The First Tee of Dallas, and she is a charter member of the Jesse D. Hawkins Lion’s Club in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She has served on the Executive Roundtable for McKinney Chamber of Commerce, numerous committees for the Central Arkansas Human Resources Association and served on the boards of the North Collin County Habitat for Humanity, Sisterbration and the Women and Children First Shelter.She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award, LEAD (Leadership Excellence And Development) Top Corporate Leader Award and the National Women’s Council Top 15 Business Women of Dallas Award.

Mentors

Kathy Leonard is Co-founder, President and CMO of Freeman+Leonard, a Dallas-based firm that provides a full suite of marketing and advertising services designed to give marketers powerful and innovation new talent solutions for today’s fast-changing markets – the talent you need when, as and how you need them, and not when you don’t.

Kathy’s background entails brand strategy and advertising, promotional marketing and retail/shopper marketing. She built her career in advertising with more than 25 years in account service and executive management at Omnicom-owned agencies including TracyLocke, DDB and The Integer Group. She has worked with such iconic brands as Clorox, Frito-Lay, MasterCard International, Nokia Mobile Phones, Cingular/AT&T, Pepsico and more.

In addition to being an award-winning advertising executive, Kathy is an accomplished speaker who often consults with business leaders and organizations on marketing, lead generation, brand development, business growth strategies and shopper marketing.

Kathy holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Organizational Communications from Oklahoma State University and serves on several non-profit and university boards of directors to include Make-A-Wish of North Texas, The Turtle Creek Chorale, The Masters in Marketing Board at Texas A&M University, and the Gaylord School of Journalism Board of Visitors at the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of the board of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Executive Women’s Roundtable and a member of the Women President’s Organization.

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Kathy Leonard | Co-founder, President and CMO, Freeman+Leonard Kathy Leonard is Co-founder, President and CMO of Freeman+Leonard, a Dallas-based firm that provides a full suite of marketing and advertising services designed to give marketers powerful and innovation new talent solutions for today’s fast-changing markets – the talent you need when, as and how you need them, and not when you don’t. Kathy’s background entails brand strategy and advertising, promotional marketing and retail/shopper marketing. She built her career in advertising with more than 25 years in account service

and executive management at Omnicom-owned agencies including TracyLocke, DDB and The Integer Group. She has worked with such iconic brands as Clorox, Frito-Lay, MasterCard International, Nokia Mobile Phones, Cingular/AT&T, Pepsico and more. In addition to being an award-winning advertising executive, Kathy is an accomplished speaker who often consults with business leaders and organizations on marketing, lead generation, brand development, business growth strategies and shopper marketing. Kathy holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Organizational Communications from Oklahoma State University and serves on several non-profit and university boards of directors to include Make-A-Wish of North Texas, The Turtle Creek Chorale, The Masters in Marketing Board at Texas A&M University, and the Gaylord School of Journalism Board of Visitors at the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of the board of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Executive Women’s Roundtable and a member of the Women President’s Organization.

Tanya Little | Founder and CEO, Hart Advisors Group Tanya Little is the founder and CEO of Hart Advisors Group, L.L.C., a real estate advisory company based in Dallas, Texas. Since Hart’s inception in 2009, Ms. Little and her team have completed more than $6.5 billion of commercial loan work-outs and loan assumptions.Ms. Little is also CEO of Hart Commercial, which provides landlord and tenant representation services, as well as investment sales. In addition, Ms. Little is the co-founder and Chairman of VistaPointe Partners, an advisory firm that specializes in arranging debt and raising equity for

commercial real estate transactions on behalf of developers, investors and owners. Tanya supports a team of capital markets experts who have extensive experience with structured finance, joint ventures, and all forms of subordinated capital. Drawing on over two decades of experience in real estate finance, Ms. Little has built Hart on a proven business platform, leveraging lean process management, marketing and a strong, experienced team.She is a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s 2012 Women in Business Award, Real Estate Forum Magazine’s Woman of Influence Award and the 2015 Enterprising Women of the Year Award recognizing top women entrepreneurs. In addition, Ms. Little was the first recipient of the Individual Career Advancement for Women recognition from Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) in Dallas and is a past Board Member of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). Ms. Little currently served on the 2013-2015 Real Estate Council Board of Directors and executive committee, the Dallas leadership team for 4Word, and was on the 2014-2016 Board of Directors of the Foundation for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth. Ms. Little holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing, the Certified Property Manager designation given by IREM (CPM®), and a Texas and Florida Real Estate Broker’s license.

Diane McNulty |Associate Dean for External Affairs/Corporate Development, Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT DallasDiane Seay McNulty, PhD, serves as Associate Dean for External Affairs and Corporate Development in the Naveen Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas. In her capacity as associate dean and a Clinical Professor of Business Policy, Dr. McNulty coordinates the School’s PR/marketing and community and corporate relations strategies. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of MANAGEMENT, the Naveen Jindal School of Management bi-annual publication,

and teaches at all levels.Active in the non-profit community, she was chosen for the ‘Outstanding Leadership in Education Award’ in 2016 by the US-India Chamber of Commerce DFW. In February 2018 she will receive the American Heart Association’s ‘Sandi Haddock Community Impact Award’. She was recognized as one of Dallas Business Journal’s ‘Top Women in Business Award 2011’ recipients. She currently serves on the board of the Public Affairs Council in Washington, D.C., the executive committee of the board of Texas Business Hall of Fame, and governance committee of the World Affairs Council of DFW.

Mentors

Deepa Menon | Managing Director, CBIZ Valuation Group Ms. Menon is a managing director in the Southwest Region of CBIZ Valuation Group in its Dallas, Texas office and is responsible for client service and business development related to financial valuation. Ms. Menon has 23 years of financial valuation experience, specializing in valuation consulting, financial advisory, transfer pricing, and the valuation of business enterprises and intangible assets for tax, international tax, financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance and related purposes.

Ms. Menon has undertaken numerous assignments for transactions, transfer pricing, international tax and corporate tax matters, economic damages, ESOPs and various other purposes. She participates in all phases of project management for the firm. Ms. Menon’s prior experience also includes solvency opinions and fairness opinions for various transactions. A majority of Ms. Menon’s valuation and consulting projects have focused on the healthcare and life sciences industries.Ms. Menon adds to the firm an extensive knowledge of financial markets, security analysis, economics, statistics, tax and accounting aspects of valuation issues. She also bears significant experience in executive compensation analyses. With a diverse background that includes finance, math and pure sciences, she has performed extensive valuation work in the health care and life sciences industries. Ms. Menon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, math and biology; a Master of Arts degree in social sciences; and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Sandi Mitchell | CEO, APEX Leadership Mastery Sandi Mitchell is CEO of APEX Leadership Mastery and APEX CLO (Chief Learning Officer – fractional training & development), firms dedicated to building extraordinary leaders and high performing teams. She founded the APEX Leadership brand in 2013 after more than 20 years in corporate America. Before APEX, Sandi was the Dean of a corporate university she built at Sabre Holdings, training over 4200 employees in more than 46 countries.Sandi and her team work with leaders from nonprofits, small and midsized businesses, and

major corporations to help improve and/or accelerate in areas such as: communication, leadership, team alignment, strategic planning, emotional intelligence, negotiations, work place stress and employee engagement. Her clients have included: Accenture, Alliance For Children, Edward Jones, IBM, IEEE, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, KPMG, NAWBO, Raytheon Women to Watch, Rockwell Collins Leadership Association, SWE World Conference, Women’s Economic Forum and more. Sandi is an award winning trainer, a certified executive coach, an international speaker, and best-selling author. She has been quoted in the New York Times and Sandi’s latest book is entitled Coloring Outside the Lines: A Grown-Up’s Guide to Increasing Emotional Intelligence. She has an MBA from Texas Wesleyan University and a BFA from the University of North Texas. While Sandi is the CEO of her business, her pups – Coco and Chanel – definitely rule the house!

Debbie Mrazek | Founder and President, The Sales Company Debbie Mrazek coaches and consults with Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, business startups and family businesses, helping her clients to identify their toughest business challenges and guiding them through the process of developing and devising a clear, concise plan; a road map to achieving their vision and exponentially growing by working “smarter not harder”. She is passionate about bringing the “fun” back to selling. Additionally, Debbie is the author of “The Field Guide to Sales” and is a prolific writer and speaker sharing her

wealth of experiences and sales growth expertise to numerous organizations and publications. www.The-Sales-Company.com Also, recently honored by Dallas Business Journal - 2016 Women In Business Award Winner.Currently Debbie is serving as: UTD Board of Advisors, Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ATW - Alliance of Technology and Women, Board of Advisors www.dfwatw.org, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Faculty - Sales/Marketing, TexChange Board of Directors www.TexChangeDallas.com

Mentors

Mary Nelson | Chief Delivery Officer, AlkamiMary Nelson is the Chief Delivery Officer with Alkami. She joined Alkami in 2015 bringing a deepbackground in global operation, customer service and technology leadership to the role. Mary leads implementations and add-on projects, 24x7 application support and account management functions for Alkami’s cloud-based digital banking solutions. She also serves as the executive sponsor of Alkami’s Customer Advisory Board.Alkami was ranked by Inc. Magazine in their annual Inc. 500/5000™ list of the 2017 fastest growing

private companies in the US as #176 overall, 11th in the US in the software industry and 1st in Texas in the software industry. Additionally Alkami was ranked 66th on Deloitte’s 2017 Fast 500TM awards for the fastest growing technology companies in North America. Further, Alkami was recently ranked 3rd in Tech Titan’s Fastest Growing Companies in North Texas 13th on Southern Methodist University (SMU) Cox Dallas 100TM. Alkami was also recognized as one of the top 10 Coolest Tech Companies to Work for in Dallas in 2017 by DevMountain. Prior to joining the Alkami team, Mary served as the Senior Vice President of Client Services for Monitise (acquired by Fiserv) as a mobile-minded, digital technology leader helping financial institutions to power their businesses through digital transformation. Other experience includes leadership roles with MBlox (acquired by CLX Communications), the largest independent cloud-based mobile messaging provider in the world and with New Edge Networks (an Earthlink company) helping to build and manage private IP-based wide area networks.Mary earned a Master of Business Administration from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Portland.Beyond her role with Alkami, Mary is a member of professional organizations including Executive Connection and PS Village. Mary has also served as the Board President of Mission Learning Center, a children’s literacy non-profit. She currently supports many of Alkami’s community programs with Alkami Cares Together (ACT) .

Lin O’Neill | Lead Faculty, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Lin O’Neill is a speaker who inspires radical transformation and an accomplished consultant with expertise in the development and implementation of strategic plans for businesses of all sizes, structures and revenue levels. Working with clients, she demonstrates and guides the incorporation of strategic plans into the everyday decisions of their organization. She has both led and participated as a member of strategic planning teams for Fortune 100 companies and non-profits, coached multiple CEO’s and E.D.’s in strategic plan development, facilitated strategic planning as part of major

contract negotiations and aided small businesses and organizations as they work to develop their strategies and incorporate this process into their day-to-day operations.Lin’s experience spans numerous industries and includes Operations, Consulting and Human Resources: She is a former Vice President and Corporate Officer for Continental Airlines, where she operated a $300MM division with responsibility for several thousand employees and a former HR Director for TRW where she had both national and international responsibility. While living in California, Lin founded Futures Consulting and Sakred Cow Enterprises. Since returning to Texas, she has founded Entrepreneurs Dallas, Entrepreneurs Fort Worth and re-branded Futures Consulting as Oneill Enterprises. In addition to her speaking and consulting, Lin is currently serving as: Lead Faculty for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at DCCCD and for the National (Blended) 10,000 Small Businesses Program, DFW Instructor for the SBA’s Emerging Leaders (e200) and ISC for Interise’s 9-city Alumni Pilot Program, GDHCC’s Instructor for the ScaleUp program, Advisory Board Member for IEEW’s Peace Through Business Initiative, Advisory Board Member for Bold Entity and CVAL Innovations LLC, Member, S.M.U.’s Associate Board, Member, Board of Governors, Tower Club Dallas, Board Member, TeXchange Dallas.Lin has a B.S. in sociology, an M.B.A, and, also, is licensed as an Assisted Living Administrator. For two years, she conducted a weekly talk show regarding career and career transition challenges for a Los Angeles F M radio station. In 2007, Lin published her first book in The Simple Series, Managing High-Maintenance Employees. Her second and third books (Leaders in Drag, all the news about fake leadership and Status Quo is Not a Happy Place) are scheduled for publication. Recently, she completed Seth Godin’s AltMBA.

Mentor

Adrienne Palmer | Founder & President, Insite InteractiveAdrienne Palmer is a proven, accomplished entrepreneur. She frequently creates, manages and participates in global initiatives to unite entrepreneurs from various parts of the world in the pursuit of increasing entrepreneurial success, job creation, economic stability and cross-cultural understanding. Adrienne founded Insite Interactive, one of Dallas’ leading digital agencies, in 1998. She served as President and CEO for nearly 19 years, providing business management and leadership to the Insite

team, helping clients hone their strategies, and communicating Insite’s vision and capabilities to the marketplace. Since transitioning from an active management role, Adrienne continues as a Board Member and external Ambassador of the company.Adrienne is also a Co-Founder and CEO of World Citizens Guide, a citizen’s diplomacy movement committed to increased awareness and understanding of cross cultural cues that create the negative impressions of America. By bringing light to the source of the struggle, the WCG hopes to build improved relations and improved global travel experiences. Adrienne served on the Global Board of Directors of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (2013-2016), a global organization representing over 12,000 members in 52 countries. She has been an active member of Social Venture Network, Entrepreneurs for North Texas and Peace Through Commerce. She also served on the Board of Business for Diplomatic Action until its cessation in 2010. Adrienne studied Marketing and Public Relations at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, Texas, and is a graduate of EO’s Entrepreneurial Masters Program at MIT. She served an adjunct professor at SMU’s Temerlin Advertising Institute (2004-2007), developing curriculum for and teaching the school’s first Interactive Media course. Adrienne has been featured numerous times in the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Business Journal and DFW TechBiz Magazine for her entrepreneurial achievements, and her company, Insite, has been internationally recognized for its work with top industry awards. She was recognized as one of Dallas’ Top Women in Business by the Dallas Business Journal in 2013, and as one of the DBJ North Texas Women in Technology in 2014. Adrienne frequently speaks at conferences focused on entrepreneurship’s role in the global economy, ways to support entrepreneurs and empowering women entrepreneurs.

Susan Paul | Vice President, Pariveda Solutions Susan Paul leads the Dallas office for Pariveda Solutions, a company creating and delivering technology and management consulting solutions. Pariveda specializes in solving complex problems at the edge of business and technology. Susan has more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles at mid-sized to large consulting firms, starting her career at Accenture before moving to manage a mid-sized Microsoft technology partner, and on to manage regional sales for Avanade, then building out their North American sales operations function. She has been with

Pariveda for ten years and during her tenure, she has become known for her ability to lead change. Susan initiated Pariveda’s alliance partner program, launched the Strategy Practice and created the diversity and inclusion program. In her current role, she has been leading her team through a culture transformation to lay the foundation for the company’s next level of growth. This includes re-structuring the to distribute decision making authority, maturing processes for financial management, streamlining performance management processes and implementing programs to maintain community in a fast growing environment. In her current role, Susan places special emphasis on honoring the company’s commitment to developing talent. She does this through mentoring and strategic thinking workshops with a strong commitment to developing community for the women of Pariveda. Susan has a strong passion for creating lifelong relationships which span clients, partners and business colleagues. Susan has written a monthly column for Software Magazine, published a white paper on business capabilities, and presented at Your Executive Symphony Conference and the Society for Information Management SIMposium. She is a member of the Dallas Executive Women’s Roundtable (EWR), founding underwriter of DallasCIO and chaired the technology committee of The Family Place. She has received recognition from CRN as a ‘Woman of the Channel Power 50’ and in September of this year, she won the Dallas Business Journal’s ‘Women in Technology Award’. She earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School and a BS with dual majors in Biochemistry and Economics from the University of Michigan.

Mentors

Veronica Perez-Thomison | President, MPR Source, Inc. In 2000, Veronica Perez-Thomison launched MPR Source, Inc. (www.mprsource.com), a bilingual marketing communications and public relations agency with Hispanic market expertise. MPR Source caters to companies and organizations that want to leverage the media to increase their visibility in the marketplace – locally and/or nationally. Veronica has leveraged her bilingual (Spanish/English) skills to manage strategic public relations campaigns in the U.S., Latin America and Canada for companies in the high-tech, healthcare,

manufacturing, education, restaurant, non-profit and service industries for more than 20 years. During this time, she has worked with well-known companies like Samsung Telecommunications, Texas Children’s Hospital, Nortel Networks, Pollo Campero and Dale Carnegie Training, as well as countless start-ups and small to mid-sized companies. She has also supported non-profit organizations such as The Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic 100. Veronica has facilitated thousands of articles, feature stories and interviews for clients in print, online, radio and television including: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, Fortune, Business Week, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Business Journal, D Magazine, Telemundo, Univision and Good Morning Texas – just to name a few. In 2015, Veronica received The Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber’s La Cima Entrepreneur Leader and Quality and Excellence Groundbreaker Awards. In 2013, MPR Source received the SBIEC Texas Excellence Award. Veronica has served on the Boards of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Women’s Leadership Exchange and Family Gateway. She is currently serving her third term on the Hispanic 100 Board.

Toni Portmann | CEO & Executive Chairman, DHISCO Toni Portmann is currently CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board of DHISCO, a provider of technology that serves the hospitality industry. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in executive management, Toni has spent her career in technology companies, ranging from software and hardware to support and services. She brings a wealth of management skills with expertise in M&A, strategic planning, process improvement and innovative sales solutions. Toni’s corporate leadership includes holding the position of chief

executive officer at Stream, Inc.; CEO of CAS Partners/Riverstone multi-family property management; and CEO of LockIN/Memory Science, a SaaS e-learning company. Throughout her career she has held executive positions at IBM Corporation and Diebold, Inc. and has served on public, private and non-profit boards. Toni is an member of Women Corporate Directors and is an investor in Texas Women Venture Network serving as a member of their Portfolio Advisory Board.

Shanthi Rajaram | President & CEO, Amazech Solutions LLC As an entrepreneur, owns and successfully manages a software and consulting services company for the past 8 years. Company has grown 50% on average year after year over the last 5 years. A company with one employee when it started, has grown to 40 employees. As a Healthcare product development consultant for 15 years managed multiple product releases during 20 years of career in IT. • Nov 2007 – Present – President and Co-founder at Amazech Solutions LLC.

• Jan 2004 – Dec 2013 – Independent Healthcare product consultant• Nov 1999 – Dec 2003 – Project Lead/Business Analyst/Programmer Analyst at I & J Solutions• Nov 1998 – Nov 1999 – Sr. Software engineer at IBM India and Hinditron Informatics Ltd.• Feb 1996 – Oct 1998 – at Infosys Technologies Ltd, as Software Engineer.• Apr 1994 – Jan 1996 - as Civil/Design Engineer in Construction and Civil Engineering Fields.

Heidi Rasmussen | Co-founder and COO, fresh benies After 27 years in the retail industry, Heidi took on a new challenge. From corporate life to entrepreneurship. From fashion retail to the employee benefits industry. At 15 years old, Heidi started at JCPenney where she went from a sales floor associate to Divisional Vice President at the corporate office. As a manager, she was promoted 14 times, received multiple awards & led the largest brand launch in JCPenney history.As co-founder and COO of freshbenies, she developed the brand from zero members to Inc. 5000

fastest growing companies in America for three consecutive years (#117 in 2015, #255 in 2016 and #903 in 2017).

Mentors

Holly Reed | Managing Director, External Affairs, Texas Central Partners, LLC Holly Reed is the Managing Director, External Affairs for Texas Central Partners, LLC. Holly leads all of our outreach, government relations and communications activities. Holly spent 25 years at AT&T and its predecessor companies, most recently as Regional Vice President of External Affairs. In this role, Holly was responsible for government affairs, working with local, state and federal officials on diverse business and technology issues and outreach to civic groups on the company’s commitments to local communities.

Holly has also held leadership positions in customer service, finance operations, data center operations, marketing and advertising.

Erma Saracho Sr. Coordinator -Small Business Initiatives City of Dallas Office of Economic Development Erma is a Senior Coordinator for the City of Dallas Economic Development Office, where she is responsible for the contract management of the two small business loan programs. As a community development expert, she is experienced in building strong relationships with the community with the ability to achieve the desired results. The strategic objective of this function is to identify and promote economic development opportunities that create jobs, business growth and expansion, and increase in property taxes and the city's tax base. Erma also serves as a liaison on behalf of the City of Dallas with the community of small businesses and non-profit organizations to align and promote economic development initiatives in the City of Dallas. Prior to joining the Office of Economic Development in 2006, she worked as a Community Development Officer and Small Business Lender for JP Morgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Banco Popular and Bank One. She brings 30 years of community development experience and is Actively engaged with organizations that focus on women's and girls' issues in Dallas. She currently serves and advocates for the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Umphress Terrace, WiNGS, United Way, Hispanic 100 and the Dallas ISD - District 4 2015 Bond Advisory Board. Erma is dedicated to serving as a catalyst to increase the promotion of Hispanic women in employment, education, acquisition and social issues and more recently was sworn in as a CASA (Court Appointed Child Advocate).

Erma Saracho | Sr. Coordinator - Small Business Initiatives, City of Dallas Office of Economic DevelopmentErma is a Senior Coordinator for the City of Dallas Economic Development Office, where she is responsible for the contract management of the two small business loan programs. As a community development expert, she is experienced in building strong relationships with the community with the ability to achieve the desired results. The strategic objective of this function is to identify and promote economic development opportunities that create jobs, business growth and expansion, and increase

in property taxes and the city’s tax base.Erma also serves as a liaison on behalf of the City of Dallas with the community of small businesses and non-profit organizations to align and promote economic development initiatives in the City of Dallas.Prior to joining the Office of Economic Development in 2006, she worked as a Community Development Officer and Small Business Lender for JP Morgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Banco Popular and Bank One. She brings 30 years of community development experience and is Actively engaged with organizations that focus on women’s and girls’ issues in Dallas. She currently serves and advocates for the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Umphress Terrace, WiNGS, United Way, Hispanic 100 and the Dallas ISD - District 4 2015 Bond Advisory Board.Erma is dedicated to serving as a catalyst to increase the promotion of Hispanic women in employment, education, acquisition and social issues and more recently was sworn in as a CASA (Court Appointed Child Advocate).

www.cfosuite.com

Kathy Schrock, Managing Partner

Background:

Kathy is a Managing Partner with the CFO Suite, LLC, a professional services firm.

Formerly the National Leader of Tatum’s Internal Control and Risk Solutions Practice and a Managing Partner and SOX Practice Leader with The Controller Group (TCG). In addition to Internal Controls and SOX initial and ongoing compliance services, her numerous consulting engagements over the years include process improvement, integration support and project management, IPO readiness and support, audit preparation, and other accounting & finance and internal audit related services across multiple industries including Real Estate, Restaurant, Retail, Service, Manufacturing, Distribution, Medical, Energy, and Technology.

She also spent ten years with the Assurance and Advisory practice of Ernst & Young, serving both public and private audit clients in a variety of industries. She was a team leader for the design, development and deployment of Ernst & Young’s firm-wide education on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the global education on internal controls documentation and testing. She also participated in the creation and instruction of numerous E&Y accounting and auditing training courses for global audiences at all personnel levels. In addition, she served as Director of Planning and Control for The Associates (now Citigroup), a financial services company; and has industry work experience in technology, healthcare and real estate.

During her tenure at Tatum and TCG, she was recognized as an Internal Controls and Sarbanes-Oxley (“SOX”) Subject Matter Specialist and was a frequent speaker, panelist, and contributing writer on the subject. She has contributed to articles in Compliance Week, Synygy Magazine, and American Venture Magazine. Her webinars and presentations included Thomson Reuters, the Dallas Bar Association, TSCPA, IIA, Andrews Kurth, as well as those hosted or co-hosted by TCG and Tatum.

Schrock graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington “UTA” and was an Honoree in the 2003 YWCA Tribute to Women in Business. She is a licensed CPA in good standing in the state of Texas and a member of the UTA Department of Accounting Advisory Board.

Kathy Schrock | Managing Partner, CFO Suite, LLCKathy is a Managing Partner with the CFO Suite, LLC, a professional services firm.Formerly the National Leader of Tatum’s Internal Control and Risk Solutions Practice and a Managing Partner and SOX Practice Leader with The Controller Group (TCG). In addition to Internal Controls and SOX initial and ongoing compliance services, her numerous consulting engagements over the years include process improvement, integration support and project management, IPO readiness and support, audit preparation, and other accounting & finance

and internal audit related services across multiple industries including Real Estate, Restaurant, Retail, Service, Manufacturing, Distribution, Medical, Energy, and Technology. She also spent ten years with the Assurance and Advisory practice of Ernst & Young, serving both public and private audit clients in a variety of industries. She was a team leader for the design, development and deployment of Ernst & Young’s firm-wide education on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the global education on internal controls documenta-tion and testing. She also participated in the creation and instruction of numerous E&Y accounting and auditing train-ing courses for global audiences at all personnel levels. In addition, she served as Director of Planning and Control for The Associates (now Citigroup), a financial services company; and has industry work experience in technology, healthcare and real estate. During her tenure at Tatum and TCG, she was recognized as an Internal Controls and Sarbanes-Oxley (“SOX”) Subject Matter Specialist and was a frequent speaker, panelist, and contributing writer on the subject. She has contributed to articles in Compliance Week, Synygy Magazine, and American Venture Magazine. Her webinars and presentations included Thomson Reuters, the Dallas Bar Association, TSCPA, IIA, Andrews Kurth, as well as those hosted or co-hosted by TCG and Tatum. Schrock graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington “UTA” and was an Honoree in the 2003 YWCA Tribute to Women in Business. She is a licensed CPA in good standing in the state of Texas and a member of the UTA Department of Accounting Advisory Board.

Mentors

Nancy Shemwell | Chief Executive Officer of entegra technologies, inc. Ms. Shemwell, Chief Executive Officer of entegra technologies, inc., recruited to migrate this early stage, ruggedized tablet company to provider of fully integrated portfolio of cyber security solutions for mission critical, industrial control systems (ICS). With a 20 year track record of driving high performance transformational global organizations, Ms. Shemwell has been Ranked #93 in ExecRank’s Top CSO Rankings” from 15,000 Chief Sales Officers and C-Level executives in the United States, she has also been recognized as a Finalist for 2015 D

CEO M&A of the Year Award.Ms. Shemwell has previously held a variety of senior positions with global business responsibilities including assignments in Europe and North America. Her experience covers a broad spectrum of general management, sales and marketing roles in rapidly developing markets. Previous positions include that of Chief Operating Officer and owner of DataSpan, President and CEO of Multi-Link, President and CEO Jovial Test Equipment, EVP Extreme Networks, EVP at Symmetricom and a 16 year career with Nortel Networks where she held titles of President, Micom Communications Corporation (a Nortel subsidiary), Vice President Business Segments, Vice President Sales and Marketing Wiltel (Nortel’s largest enterprise distributor) and Director Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Ms. Shemwell holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and a Master of Science in Business Administration from Texas A&M. She was named to the VoodooVox, Inc. (VVX – TSX) Board of Directors in 2006, and the NTXRCIC in 2012. Ms. Shemwell also serves on the Associate Board at the SMU Cox School of Business and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and Women Corporate Directors.

Suzanne Slonim, MD Precision Vascular & Interventional, PLLC Interventional Radiologist She is the Past Medical Staff President and Director of Interventional Radiology at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Dr. Slonim is a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology and the American College of Radiology. While on staff at Stanford University Medical Center, she received the prestigious Outstanding Leadership award. She has authored over twenty publications and has been named for multiple years to the D Magazine “Best Doctor” and “Texas Super Doctor” lists. She currently focuses on two entrepreneurial fronts: 1) building her Fibroid Free practice, a center for non surgical treatment of uterine fibroids and 2) commercializing ZipRad, a digital solution for medical image ordering and insurance pre-certification.

Suzanne Slonim, MD | Interventional Radiologist, Precision Vascular & Interventional, PLLC

She is the Past Medical Staff President and Director of Interventional Radiology at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Dr. Slonim is a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology and the American College of Radiology. While on staff at Stanford University Medical Center, she received the prestigious Outstanding Leadership award. She has authored over twenty pub-lications and has been named for multiple years to the D Magazine “Best Doctor” and “Texas

Super Doctor” lists. She currently focuses on two entrepreneurial fronts: 1) building her Fibroid Free practice, a center for non surgical treatment of uterine fibroids and 2) commercializing ZipRad, a digital solution for medical image ordering and insurance pre-certification.

Kym Sosolik | SVP, Talent Development Consultant, Lee Hecht Harrison Kym Sosolik is SVP, Talent Development Consultant for Lee Hecht Harrison. Her approach is based on years of service working in corporations, academia, and family owned businesses. Lee Hecht Harrison’s focus is to help organizations build and develop talent mobility strategies as a key element of successful business execution. Previously Kym was the President of Allure Talent Consulting. Other roles include Vice President of Human Resources, Training, and Development. While at Southern Methodist University, Cox School

of Business Executive Education, she served as Director of Leadership and Organizational Development where she delivered high quality, contemporary, customer-focused leadership development programs focused on leadership, human capital, and organizational development within the business community. She served as the Mentoring Program Manager for the George W. Bush Presidential Center Women’s Initiative Fellowship Program to enhance leadership skills of women in the Middle East. Kym’s background also includes a 15-year track record in the pharmaceutical industry, where she served in a variety of roles including Training, Business Development and Sales Management.Community service is very important to Kym and she has served on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations in the Dallas community such as Empowering Women as Leaders, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women in achieving their highest potential through education, mentoring and networking and The Dallas HeartGift Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides lifesaving surgery to repair congenital heart defects in children who live in countries where this kind of medical care in not available. Most recently she was engaged in the Dallas Arts community.Kym received a Master of Arts degree in Professional Development from Dallas Baptist University and Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from Midwestern State University. This unique blend of science and organizational studies has enabled Kym to provide business solutions with a perspective of people development based on scientific knowledge. Her favorite thing to do is playing with her grandson, Leo.

Mentors

Jennifer Tobin | President, Junior League of Dallas Jennifer Clark Tobin the President of The Junior League of Dallas, Inc. She previously served on the Board of Directors and as the Finance Vice President.Jennifer is a Shareholder in property tax litigation section at Geary, Porter & Donovan, P.C. She assists property owners and their tax consultants at both the administrative and judicial level of appeals to ensure fair and equitable allocation and assessment of the property tax burden. Clients include some of the largest corporations and major property owners in the country.

Jennifer studied at Southern Methodist University and Oxford University. She was awarded Outstanding Young Lawyer of Dallas by the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers in 2009-2010.

Liz Trocchio Smith | Founder & CEO, The Trocchio Advantage LLC The “Liz Factor” blends intuition, deep business experience, and personal success that enables clients to pull themselves out of their comfort zones, find their “aha” moments, and rise to the occasion to get to the next level. Clients trust Liz and say that just working with her makes them want to be better than they are today.LIZ TROCCHIO brings irresistible energy, an optimistic and encouraging style, and a devotion to creating synergistic relationships that deliver results. With a successful and visible career in

commercial real estate, Liz has been a top executive of such well-respected companies as Cushman & Wakefield, the Woodmont Companies, and Hines. Her accomplishments have led to numerous awards and appointments to both internal and external Boards of Directors.Throughout her career she has coached and mentored high potential professionals who subsequently grew in their careers and established themselves as players in the industry, along with proven leaders continuing to help them grow in their positions of authority and power.Liz holds a MBA from Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business and a BBA in Business and Marketing from Dallas Baptist University. She is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation, the leading global organization for coaches, a Certified Executive Business Coach through the Coach Training Alliance, and a licensed Texas real estate broker. Liz is co-author with 17 other commercial real estate women of the best selling book titled Winning Ways in Commercial Real Estate. Liz is a frequent and sought after guest speaker at conferences, workshops, and seminars.

Betty Ellsworth Ungerman | Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Lennox International Inc. Betty Ungerman is Vice President, Deputy General Counsel of Lennox International Inc. (NYSE LII), a global leader in the heating, air conditioning and refrigeration markets, with approximately 11,000 employees. In this role Betty provides advice and counsel to senior management and oversees the lawyers responsible for all of LII’s business units, as well as leading the Company’s Intellectual Property activities. She is also the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for LII, and ensures that LII

follows best practices in this area. Betty joined LII in 2009, after serving two years as Assistant General Counsel at Hunt Oil Company, where she represented Hunt in a $3 billion international party financing in Yemen. Prior to Hunt, Betty was Counsel at Jones Day for seven years, working primarily in IP and IT transactions, licensing, trademark portfolio management, and patent litigation. Her background also includes eight years at Fina Oil and Chemical in various positions, including investor relations and corporate development, and two years as an associate at BakerBotts. She has been involved in a myriad of transactional work and litigation. Prior to law school, Betty was a petroleum reservoir engineer.Betty earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, an MBA from Oklahoma City University, and a law degree from the SMU Dedman School of Law. She is member of the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, Chair of the Texas General Counsel Forum (TGCF), and past chair of the TGCF Annual Conference and of the DFW Chapter. She is the Vice-President of (and a Master in) The Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn IP Inn of Court and past chair of the International Section of the State Bar. She is an active alumnus of the SMU Dedman School of Law, where she is a Community Fellow in the Inns of Court program, an adjunct lecturer, and the lead architect of a new program for female law students. She is also a member of the General Counsel Working Group of the University of Texas Center for Women in Law. She and her husband are past presidents of the West Point Parents’ Club of North Texas. They have two children, Meyer, who is a 2Lt in the US Army, and Megan, who freshman at Dartmouth College.

Mentors

Linda Valdez Thompson | Executive Vice President of Administration and Diversity, DFW International AirportLinda Valdez Thompson is the Executive Vice President of Administration and Diversity at DFW International Airport. Linda is one of the highest-ranking Latinas in the aviation industry. In her role, she is responsible for Business Diversity and Development, Corporate Communications, Human Resources, Procurement and Materials Management, and Risk Management. Linda is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is committed to

attracting an retaining a diverse workforce by implementing strategies that promote engagement and develop a culture of inclusion. She has established a leadership council, various employee resource groups, and networks. Linda established a mentoring program for women which has resulted in over 100 women participating. She also mentors through organizations such as Menttium, SMU COX Corporate Executive Development, and the Allies in Service, Warrior Mentorship (veterans) program. Linda oversees the Airport’s award-winning business diversity program which continues to create significant economic opportunity for North Texas’ small, minority and woman-owned businesses. These programs promote opportunities for diverse suppliers to participate in the Airport’s contracting and procurement processes. Linda has received several distinctions including being named Woman of the Year by Hispanic Business Magazine, and Ultimate Latina by the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She’s been the recipient of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Award and most recently, was listed as a Top Latino Leader in Texas by the National Diversity Council. She is also an alumni of the prestigious National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), and is a certified Diversity Professional/Advanced Practitioner from Cornell University.

Michelle Vopni Assurance Partner EY Dallas Office Managing Partner EY Southwest Region Retail Consumer Product / Industrial Product Sector Leader Phone: 214-969-8907 / 214-926-2222 E-mail: michelle.vopni@ey.com As the Office Managing Partner, Michelle is responsible for leading day-to-day practice operations in one of the firm's largest markets, as well as working to provide a positive work environment for the office's more than 2,800 employees. Michelle also serves as the "face and voice" of EY in the Dallas community. She is the firm's spokesperson on a variety of topics with local professional organizations and at numerous community events that support the firm's commitment to education and mentoring. Michelle also serves as the Southwest Region Retail Consumer Product / Industrial Product Sector Leader which entails leading EY’s efforts in serving clients within those industries within the Southwest region. Michelle has been an EY partner over 13 years and has more than 25 years of experience serving large public and private clients in the retail, consumer product and industrial product industries. . Michelle’s experience includes activities related to public offerings, SEC reporting, and mergers and acquisitions with significant technical experience with inventory valuation, revenue recognition, lease accounting and restructuring charges. Current and previous clients include Neiman Marcus, Eagle Materials, Trinity Industries, Michaels Stores, Francesca’s Collections, and Zale Corporation.

Michelle Vopni | Dallas Office Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP As the Office Managing Partner, Michelle is responsible for leading day-to-day practice operations in one of the firm’s largest markets, as well as working to provide a positive work environment for the office’s more than 2,800 employees. Michelle also serves as the “face and voice” of EY in the Dallas community. She is the firm’s spokesperson on a variety of topics with local professional organizations and at numerous community events that support the firm’s commitment to education and mentoring. Michelle also serves as the Southwest Region Retail Consumer Product / Industrial

Product Sector Leader which entails leading EY’s efforts in serving clients within those industries within the Southwest region. Michelle has been an EY partner over 13 years and has more than 25 years of experience serving large public and private clients in the retail, consumer product and industrial product industries. . Michelle’s experience includes activities related to public offerings, SEC reporting, and mergers and acquisitions with significant technical experience with inventory valuation, revenue recognition, lease accounting and restructuring charges. Current and previous clients include Neiman Marcus, Eagle Materials, Trinity Industries, Michaels Stores, Francesca’s Collections, and Zale Corporation. Michelle serves on the board of directors for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Dallas Regional Chamber, American Heart Association and the Dallas Catholic Foundation. Michelle earned a BBA degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

Vera Wang | Founder & CEO, F8 Ventures, LLC Vera learned the art of survival as a single working mother. Divorced at a young age, she struggled to survive in the male dominated competitive fashion industry in an effort to provide for her children. She worked at top-level positions in a fortune 500 company and later built a million dollar business successfully from the ground up. As of today, she spends a significant amount of her waking moment living her dream by coaching and mentoring young and startup businesses withstrategy and planning, product sourcing and manufacturing, and creating cohesive branding

strategies to ensure business success.Vera is the Founder and CEO of F8 Ventures, LLC, which was commenced out of her passion for fashion and technology. F8 Ventures has two arms. Viviona focuses on fashion manufacturing and F8 Marketing Lab specializes in digital branding services. Vera holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor’s in English Language and Literature. Therefore, she is keen with digital marketing and a practicing expert in social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, and eCommerce. With cross-functional experiences in fashion manufacturing and fashion branding, Viviona assisted thousands of mid to start-up fashion companies with strategy, sourcing, manufacturing, launching and branding.Vera is involved in several startups including PoshPublic and Miss Fashion Week. Miss Fashion Week, an initiative started by Vera in 2016, is the very first organization that bridges modeling with pageantry and pioneers in showcasing petite and plus sizes. Miss Fashion Week has grown into a global business with 20 partners all across the globe in one year. Miss Fashion Week is a big advocate for positive self-image, self-love and self-confidence. So is Vera. She truly believes that only when we can embrace ourselves for who we are, we are able to connect with our inner self and be confident.

Mentors

Gail Warrior Suchy | Founder and CEO, CASPR Group Gail Warrior is an accomplished Senior Executive, Entrepreneur, Thought Leader, Certified Health Coach, Fitness Enthusiast, and Board Member with more than 25 years of success in the health and wellness, construction, and oil industries. Leveraging her experience in raising capital with investors and leadership guidance, Gail is a valuable asset for mid-to-late growth phase startups in any industry seeking strategic planning, team building, cash flow forecasting, and financial strategy. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, contract negotiation, team building, startups, public

speaking, PR, business development, marketing strategy, budgets, and project management. Throughout her executive career, Gail has held leadership positions with CASPR Group, Warrior Elements, Warrior Group, and Mobil Oil Corp. Currently as CEO of CASPR Group which offers indoor surface and air purification solutions for commercial use that rid environments of pathogens such as mold, bacteria and other infection causing agents such as MRSA, C-diff, etc. CASPR systems are designed to work in various industries such as hospitals, food storage facilities, hotels, and schools. Gail has built a dynamic leadership team to embrace the vision of the company, build key relationships with clients and execute on strategy.As Founder and CEO of Warrior Group, a commercial general contracting firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Gail developed the company into one of the largest woman/minority-owned general contractors in the U.S. and one of the country’s leading experts in permanent modular construction. Under Gail’s leadership and with her ability to build dynamic work teams and establish key strategies and work flow processes, Warrior Group was able to transform the industry as a whole. Her successful professional career has allowed her to have time for her other passions: fitness and motivating others to achieve their own personal greatness. Through Warrior Elements, Gail shares the Warrior360WayTM to women embarking on their lifelong journey of building a dynamic business life while maintaining a healthy lifestyle by “Cultivating the Warrior Within” Gail Warrior and the companies she has led have won more than 45 national, regional and local awards, and have been nominated for many others, including Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, INC magazine’s prestigious “INC 500,” and ranked 32nd in the Black Enterprise list of Top 100 Industrial Service Companies.Gail is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University with a B.A. in Accounting and earned an M.B.A. from the University of Dallas. She is married to Christophe Suchy. Together they have one teenage son, Corey. A frequently sought-after public speaker, Gail speaks on a variety of topics including “Growing and Scaling your Business”, “How to Determine if Debt Capital is Right for You,” and “Work-Life Balance.” She currently serves on the board of Accion, and has previously served on Boards of the Entrepreneur Foundation of North Texas, the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, University of Dallas Alumni Board, UNT Foundation of North Texas board, DFW Minority Business Development Council and the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Board. In addition, she founded Heart of a Warrior Charitable Foundation (HOAW), a public nonprofit, and the Young Warriors Summer Learning Program.

Sandra Wells Ernst & Young LLP Tax Managing Partner

Current Role and Responsibilities Sandra is a tax partner with Ernst & Young, LLP (“EY”) and currently serves as the Business Tax Services (“BTS”) Leader for the Americas, an area that includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and Israel. Sandra is responsible for the vision, strategy, execution and operations of the tax service offerings associated with Tax Performance & Advisory, Exempt Organizations, Private Client Services, Controversy, Partnerships, and Quantitative Services.

Sandra Wells | Partner, Business Tax Services Leader for the Americas, EY Sandra is a tax partner with Ernst & Young, LLP (“EY”) and currently serves as the Business Tax Services (“BTS”) Leader for the Americas, an area that includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and Israel. Sandra is responsible for the vision, strategy, execution and operations of the tax service offerings associated with Tax Performance & Advisory, Exempt Organizations, Private Client Services, Controversy, Partnerships, and Quantitative Services. With over 25 years of professional experience, Sandra has had a wide variety of experiences

with the EY. Prior to assuming the Americas BTS role, Sandra served as the Southwest Region BTS Leader and as the Southwest Sub-Area State & Local Tax Services Leader before becoming the Tax Managing Partner (TMP) for the Southwest Region. Sandra has performed a wide variety of tax services including the securing of significant federal and state tax credits, analyzing the implication of tax issues for the telecommunications industry, audit resolution of significant federal and state audit assessments, and identification of tax refund and credit opportunities for clients in various industries, including retail, service, manufacturing, and healthcare. Additionally, she has assisted clients in securing incentives for corporate relocations and expansions, employer related credits and other state tax credits. Sandra strives to make a significant impact in the community, especially as it pertains to the education and development of youth. She is active with Junior Achievement of Dallas and is currently on the Executive Board as the incoming Board President. She is also a Board Member for Vogel Alcove, an organization that provides children of the homeless with child care and social services, and serves on both the audit committee and the advocacy committee. She is also an active supporter of United Way and is a member of the Women of Tocqueville, which provides outreach to the community in a number of ways. Further, she is a member of Rockpoint Church, Flower Mound. Sandra is a CPA and a graduate of Texas A&M University.

Mentors

Tina Young | President & CEO, Marketwave Tina Young is an entrepreneur and integrated marketing expert who started Marketwave in 1998 and has consistently grown the business while producing award-winning campaigns for leading Texas-based brands such as Baylor Scott & White Health, Oncor, and American Heart Association. Marketwave has been ranked three times on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. and Tina is passionate about building a conscious company that lives its purpose. Her brand of servant leadership drives her to mentor and connect with young professionals, community causes

and fellow entrepreneurs to give back. Tina’s philosophy on branding includes a view of building a brand from the inside out and a consideration of every touch point of a business and how it contributes to the overall brand experience. Her agency helps clients tell their brand story in a way that is relevant and engaging to connect with target audiences. Her firm’s creative strategies play out in digital campaigns, website development, experiential marketing and PR programs that help businesses and organizations grow. Prior to starting her company, Young was a principal at GTT Communications, an Austin, Texas-based technology PR firm purchased by Edelman Worldwide in 1998. Before GTT, she was with Bustin & Co., an Omnicom affiliate firm focused on marketing strategy, and the Dallas office of Edelman Worldwide, a multi-national public relations firm, ranked in the top five of PR firms in the world. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Tina is on the Board of Directors of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Visit Dallas, Conscious Capitalism Dallas Chapter as well as the Advisory Board of UNT Mayborn School of Journalism. She is also a member of Women’s Business Council Southwest, American Marketing Association (AMA) and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Her company volunteers in the community through membership in the Entrepreneurs for North Texas (EFNT), a program of Communities Foundation of Texas and volunteers in the community through membership in Communities Foundation of Texas For Business (CFT4B).”

Mentors

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National Partners

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