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SheLeads Conference to Focus on This Powerful Force

By
Women in Businesss

Agents of Change

Change.

In most respects, it’s right there with death and taxes when it comes to constants in life. And in business as well.

“We process change, but since COVID, change has just accelerated, and it’s going to continue to accelerate exponentially. And how do we manage through that in both our businesses and our professional careers?” asked Moe Belliveau, executive director of the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, noting that change — and coping with the many aspects of it — will be the broad theme running through the third annual SheLeads women’s conference series this fall in the PeoplesBank Conference Room at the Kittredge Center of Holyoke Community College.

Change applies to the conference as well, she told BusinessWest, noting that, in a departure from years past, when the conference was a day-long event, it will now be a series running over four days, starting Sept. 13.

“We process change, but since COVID, change has just accelerated, and it’s going to continue to accelerate exponentially. And how do we manage through that in both our businesses and our professional careers?”

“We think this might fit people’s schedules better; it might be a little easier to manage,” she said, adding that a full day is a rather difficult commitment for many to make.

Programs will begin at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast; proceed with a ‘world café,’ an informal setting whereby participants can explore issues by discussing them in small table groups; then feature a guest speaker, followed by a guest panelist one-on-one interview and discussion facilitated by Belliveau.

Programs will be wrapped up by 10 a.m., and they will be taped as part of the chamber’s Mind Your Own Business podcast.

Again, the common thread running through each program will be change, she said, adding that there are myriad subtopics, including managing conflict during change, leading staff through change, managing burnout through change, vulnerability during change, and authenticity during change.

“We look forward to change, but there’s also some fear that gets generated around that,” she said. “How does it affect your business? How does your own fear affect your business? How do you lead people through change? How do you avoid burnout?”

Answers to these and other questions will be sought at the SheLeads conference, she went on, adding that, over the years, the sessions have drawn women from all sectors and at all stages of their careers.

Belliveau said each of the four speakers has dealt with change on many levels and has gained insight and lessons to share with participants.

“Each one of our guests has a different perspective coming from a different business sector and from a different life-experience perspective,” she went on. “Each one will have their own offerings on different stages of their lives and careers.”

The four sessions are:

Marissa Kulig Crow

Marissa Kulig Crow

• Sept. 13: The series will kick off with a program led by Class A LPGA professional Marissa Kulig Crow, owner of Marissa Golf Movement and creator of the Golf Fore Women program. Kulig Crow had to reinvent her business and career in some respects due to COVID.

Burns Maxey

Burns Maxey

• Sept. 19: The featured speaker is Burns Maxey, who, in addition to owning and operating a small business, BurnsMax Creative, is also an artist, illustrator, designer, and social entrepreneur. Named a Difference Maker by BusinessWest in 2023, she also serves as president of CitySpace, a nonprofit located in Easthampton that restores and manages the historic Old Town Hall as a vital and affordable center for the arts.

Gen Brough

Gen Brough

• Sept. 26: The featured speaker is Gen Brough, president of Finck & Perras Insurance Agency in Easthampton and Florence. Brough began her career in the insurance industry in 1994 as a customer-service representative for Gifford & Perras Insurance Agency. In 2004, after working in various capacities within the industry, she became a partner with Finck & Perras, and in 2015, she purchased the agency from the three other partners to become the sole owner.

Mary Hamel

Mary Hamel

• Sept. 27: The featured speaker is Mary Hamel, owner of Glendale Ridge Vineyard in Southampton. Hamel and her husband, Ed, who manages the vineyard, started the business in 1992 after purchasing Sankey Farm. In 2017, the Glendale Ridge Vineyard brand was born, featuring a variety of estate wines including Cabernet Franc, Vidal, Traminette, and Corot Noir, as well as producing unique wines using grapes carefully sourced from vineyards on Long Island and in the Finger Lakes region.

“We’re thrilled to evolve our women’s professional-development conference into a series, amplifying opportunities for our female leaders to forge connections and glean insights from the tapestry of successful women within our region,” Belliveau said. “With each installment, the series becomes a roadmap for professional advancement, empowering them to thrive in every facet of their careers.”

Attendees can purchase a package of all four sessions in the conference series or customize their professional development and purchase sessions individually. The series package is offered at $119 for members of the chamber ($199 for non-members), and individual sessions are $35 for members ($55 for non-members).

A business showcase sponsorship opportunity is also available at $350 for members ($600 for non-members), affording participants the opportunity to showcase their products and services to attendees. The sponsorship is available per session and includes three complimentary tickets to that session.

For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or email [email protected].

—George O’Brien

Chamber of Greater Easthampton to Host sheLEADS Women’s Leadership Conference

By
Daily News

EASTHAMPTON — The Chamber of Greater Easthampton announced its upcoming women’s leadership conference, sheLEADS, to be held on Friday, June 16 at Williston Northampton School, 19 Payson Ave., Easthampton.

This year’s conference will feature a lineup of inspiring speakers who will share their personal stories and insights on leadership, career development, and understanding the power of knowing one’s worth.

This year’s conference features two keynote speakers: Sabrina Antoine Correia, vice president of Public Engagement and Corporate Responsibility for New England, JPMorgan Chase; and Lindsay Barron LaBonte, branch manager, Applied Mortgage. Correia will discuss “Advocating for Yourself and Your Ideas,” and LaBonte will discuss “How I Found My Worth.”

Other topics to be discussed during the conference include “Is Money Power,” a thought-provoking discussion featuring panelists Karen Curran of Curran & Keegan Financial, Diane Dukette of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Ashleigh Beadle of Sourcepass, and Joanna Ballantine of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Attendees will also participate in the interactive workshop “The RACI Side of Communication and Collaboration,” led by Tiffany Espinosa from Teal Executives, Mount Holyoke College.

The sheLEADS conference is designed to empower women in all stages of their careers by providing them with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to achieve their professional goals. This day-long experience offers opportunities to build networks and relationships and share insights with like-minded professionals from around the region.

“The Chamber of Greater Easthampton is proud to host the sheLEADS conference, which serves as a platform for women to connect, learn, and grow,” said Moe Belliveau, executive director of the chamber. “We believe that, by empowering women to lead and succeed, we can create a stronger, more prosperous community.”

Registration for sheLEADS 2023 is now open, and early-bird tickets of $99 are available through May 18. Starting May 19, tickets are $119. Click here for more information and to register.

Easthampton Chamber Slates Professional-development Conference

By Contributor
Women in Businesss

Putting the Focus on Leadership

 

It’s called the CliftonStrengths Assessment.

And that name pretty much says what it is. Created by Gallup, it’s a 177-question assessment designed to identify an individual’s strengths when it comes to leadership.

There are 34 such strengths, as identified after years of research by Don Clifton, and they include everything from communication and consistency to focus and positivity, said Colleen DelVecchio, founder of Colleen DelVecchio Consulting.

But identifying strengths is merely the first important step in the process toward becoming a better, more effective leader, said DelVecchio, who will lead an experiential workshop called “Activating Your Leadership Strengths” at the upcoming sheLEADS women’s conference being staged by the Chamber of Greater Easthampton.

Indeed, one’s strengths need to be … well, activated, she said, adding that her program, which she delivers several times a week on average to a wide range of audiences, is designed to help individuals put strengths identified by the assessment to full and effective use.

“Our focus is on providing attendees tools and connections that they didn’t have when they walked in.”

“We’ll look at these strengths and talk about how to aim them at your job; how do you aim your strengths at the things you need to do to become a leader?” she said, adding that attendees should leave the room with a clearer understanding of their five greatest strengths when it comes to leadership and, more importantly, how to apply them.

DelVecchio’s program is one of several components scheduled for sheLEADS, the rebranded professional-development conference launched by the Easthampton Chamber and then sidelined, as so many similar initiatives have been, by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The half-day conference, with the theme “Bold, Brave, and Beyond,” will also include a panel discussion, titled “The Language of Leadership,” featuring Pia Kumar, chief strategy officer for Universal Plastics in Holyoke; Lynnette Watkins, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton; and Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, CEO of Inclusive Strategies.

It will also include a keynote address, called “Be Great Where Your Feet Are,” from Robyn Glaser, senior vice president of Business Affairs for the Kraft Group (owner of the New England Patriots), made possible by the event’s speaker sponsor, bankESB.

The sheLEADS conference is slated for Friday, May 20 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Bolyston Room in the Keystone Building, 122 Pleasant St., Easthampton. For tickets and details, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org/events.

Moe Belliveau, executive director of the Easthampton Chamber, said the women’s professional-development conference has become an important annual event, attended by women in virtually every sector of the economy. Over the past few years, it has been a virtual event, but the chamber decided that, with COVID subsiding and the number of cases declining, it was time to return to an in-person format.

The chamber is, in many ways, easing its way back in with the conference, opting for a half-day format, rather than full day, followed by networking at Abandoned Building Brewery. Roughly 100 attendees are expected, and they are being spaced out in a nod toward safety during the pandemic. There is also a virtual component to the conference, featuring the keynote address and panel discussion.

Like DelVecchio, Belliveau said the conference is designed for women looking to find their voice when it comes to leadership and learn from others how to be a more effective leader — in the workplace, but also in the community.

“This is a high-energy day filled with professional development, relationship- and leadership-building opportunities,” Belliveau said. “Our focus is on providing attendees tools and connections that they didn’t have when they walked in.”