Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran to Keynote Bay Path Women’s Leadership Conference

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University announced that real-estate legend, investor, best-selling author, entrepreneur, producer, and Shark Tank shark Barbara Corcoran will be the keynote speaker at the 27th Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC), taking place at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield on Thursday, April 4.

“Our conference theme this year is ‘Break Through,’ and Barbara Corcoran embodies this powerful concept of digging deep, pushing yourself beyond obstacles, and breaking through,” Bay Path University President Sandra Doran said. “If you’re a fan of Shark Tank, you’ve seen her dynamic blend of business acumen, storytelling, and humor. Her drive, work ethic, and the lessons she’s learned along the way will undoubtedly resonate with our attendees.”

Corcoran has been an investor/shark on ABC’s four-time Emmy award-winning show Shark Tank for 10 seasons, investing in more than 80 businesses to date. She chronicled her rise from waiting tables in a New York diner to heading a $5 billion real-estate company in her bestselling book, Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business! She’ll bring her personal brand of no-nonsense wisdom and supportive advice to the more than 1,600 attendees who are expected to attend this year’s WLC.

The WLC will also feature lunchtime speaker Amy Purdy, a three-time Paralympic medalist in snowboarding for Team USA. Throughout her life, Purdy has taken on obstacles and broken through, making her way into the upper echelons of athletics, onto the dance floor of Dancing with the Stars, and onto the New York Times bestseller list as the author of On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life. She co-founded Adaptive Action Sports for athletes with disabilities and is the host of the critically acclaimed podcast Bouncing Forward! Her work has led her to be labeled a “hero” by Oprah Winfrey and has made her one of the most in-demand motivational and corporate speakers on the globe.

This year’s conference will also feature breakout sessions led by business experts and authors, including Yvonne Camus, the former COO of SPINCO, Canada’s largest indoor cycling brand and the only female to outperform the Navy Seals in the multi-terrain adventure race known as Eco-Challenge. In addition, the WLC will welcome Sylvia Baffour, an author, podcast host, and emotional-intelligence coach recently ranked by HubSpot among the top 15 female motivational speakers. Additional keynote and breakout session speakers will be announced soon.

Now in its 27th year, Bay Path University’s Women’s Leadership Conference has brought more than 27,000 attendees together, along with prominent speakers such as Barbara Walters, Queen Latifah, Maya Angelou, Robin Roberts, Tyra Banks, and Gloria Estefan. For further information on the 2024 conference, sponsorship information, and ticket sales, visit baypath.edu/wlc.