MC Chamber Women's Leadership Conference: 2021 A Year for Recovery & Discovery

2021: A Year for Recovery & Discovery, Women's Leadership Conference.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce invites you to the 2021 Women's Leadership Conference focused on A Year for Recovery and Discovery. We are proud to announce the 2021 Women’s Leadership Conference will be held on April 28 from 12:10 pm – 4:40 pm.*

The deadline to register for this program is Wednesday, April 21st at Noon.

We are now accepting nominations for the Women's Leadership awards through April 7, 2021. 

• Woman Business Leader of the Year
• Emerging Business Woman of the Year 
• Community Builder Award
• 2021 Spirit Award

To complete a hard copy nomination form, click here. 
*Download form before completing
Submit hard copy nomination forms to Jami Frazier at programs@montgomerycc.org. 

Our 2021 Theme really resonates with us; a year for recovery and discovery. How did you spend 2020? Our guess is – not as you had initially planned! Some of us did the following:

• Homeschooled our children
• Co-officed with our spouse or partner (and kids and pets)
• Mastered the art of virtual meetings
• Missed gatherings with friends
• Missed large family gatherings or gathering with grandchildren
• Missed seeing our friends
• Washed our hands A LOT
• Wore less make-up
• Only dressed up from the waist up (and wore jeans from the waist down)
• Wore masks and wear masks and have created fashion statements around mask-wearing
• Walked more and spent more time outside
• Laughed more
• Saved money on hair-cuts and highlights
• Cried more
• Read more books
• Gained weight
• Learned to garden
• Yelled more
• Learned to cook
• Started a business
• Lost a loved one
• Closed a business
• Remodeled your home
• Redecorated your home
• Learned the importance of supporting the local businesses
• Lost a champion of women’s rights
• Saw a woman elected to the office of Vice President
• Divorced, separated, married, gave birth, …

All of this to say… OUR LIVES CHANGED!!!!!
In 2021, what have we learned? It is truly a time for us to sift through the changes and seek to rise again. Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” She also shares words about self-respect and confidence, and to all of us, she says, “she will rise to any occasion.”
This year, our conference will allow us time to analyze what we learned last year and how we can find the positives. How can we move forward with grace and confidence? And where do we go from here?
Nneka Logan, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the School of Communications, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, will be our keynote this year. Nneka spoke three years ago, and we loved her and her message. She will help us understand what we have learned and the impacts upon us. She will help us navigate our communications and gatherings as women for the future.

Our four breakouts will include the following:

Round 1 Breakout: 2:00 - 2:50 p.m.

• Managing our Professionalism: Emotional Intelligence – Danylle Kunkle, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Radford University and Founder of Fully Engaged.
  • Danylle has navigated a career in sales, management, and leadership development while raising a family. She says those who are successful leaders have high Emotional Intelligence. EI or EQ is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, trust, creativity, and influence. Learn how to manage EI.
• Mindfulness and Gratitude: Increasing Positivity – Sara Yun, Board Certified Hypnotherapist and Yoga Instructor, Neurolinguistic Programming Coach, Licensed Massage Therapist, B.S. HNFE and Owner of Yun Yoga and Hypnotherapy.
  • Sara’s own story is one of navigating recovery and discovery as she conducted a significant life pivot last year. Studies have shown an indisputable link between a positive outlook and health benefits like lower blood pressure, less heart disease, better weight control, and healthier sugar levels. Even when faced with an incurable illness, positive feelings and thoughts can significantly improve one’s quality of life. Sara will share how we can come to understand mindfulness as an essential part of whole-body health.

​Round 2 Breakout: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

• Life Overload: What Does Balance Look Like Tomorrow – Amy Pruden, Ph.D., W. Thomas Rice Professor in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering at VT and  former Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary Graduate Education in the Graduate School.
  • Amy is a renowned engineer by training, but she is also known in some circles as the woman at Virginia Tech who championed and spoke passionately and honestly about the challenges of being a woman in academia when you teach and research and have children. What should balance look like for women today and tomorrow? How do we navigate this challenge of having it all? Amy will share her thoughts and help us discover how to move forward.
• Open Minds: Lifelong Preparation – Sharon Scott, Ph.D. and Executive Director for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce
  • Sharon has shared her circuitous route to being a Chamber Executive in previous conferences, but how has professional development helped with this navigation. How do you prepare for your next career move? How do you prepare for your next personal move? How do you prepare for opening a business? Sharon will share how learning prepares you for the NEXT BEST THING.
• Added Session this year – YOUNG WOMEN ONLY: Ages 12-17
• Discovering Opportunities: How Do You Know What You Don’t Know – Megan Atkinson, local educator, and Leadership New River Valley graduate.
  • The pandemic has had a significant effect on employment in nearly every industry over the past nine months. However, the future of work looks positive and exciting. How do young women know what great jobs look like? How do they know what is needed in our community or other areas of the state or country? Megan will guide your daughters, granddaughters, neighbors, and friends through an energetic presentation on the value of education, career planning, and entrepreneurship.

*We care about our members and women in our community. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic environment, we have made the decision (with input from our stakeholders) to host this conference on a virtual platform. We share your desire to be in-person, but we know this decision is the right decision for us at this time.