Workshops

WORKSHOPS
Meet Our Presenters and Plan Your Path

We are pleased to present these interactive sessions for you to choose from as you get ready for an inspiring day of Leadership over Luck

7:30am - 8:15am - REGISTRATION / BREAKFAST
8:15am - 9:15am - Welcome and Keynote: Holly Hoffman
ROOMS	Belonging and Authentic Connection	Communication and Boundaries	Entrepreneurship, Side Hustles, and Wealth Building	Leadership and Professional Growth	Professional Networking, Visibility, and Professional Growth
Session I 9:30am -10:20am	Nancy Hart Wicker, MD An Introverted Outsider's Guide to Community Involvement	Lori Portzer Own the Room: Replacing Apology with Authority	Angela Christopher 3 Google Tools to Shift Priorities and Scale Your Business	Kris Burris From Knowing to Doing: The GROW Model for Confident Leadership Decisions	Chelsey Ashford Cultivating Community: The Power of Connection, Visibility, and Mentorship
Session II 10:30am - 11:20am	Cortney Curtis Circle of Influence: How to Generate a Leadership Philosophy for Ourselves and Our Team	Lakeya Wilson Email Etiquette: Ten Easy Tips to Improve Workplace Communication	Ally Shaw Embracing The Pivot: Learning To Reinvent Yourself Without Starting Over	K. Renee' Robertson, D.Min., PhD Leading Through Life's Interruptions™ How to Thrive When Life Doesn't Go According to Plan	Antonette Montalvo Authenticity: The Key to Being a Visionary Leader
Session III 11:30am - 12:20pm	Cady Keener Leadership Isn’t Luck: Build Your Personal Board of Directors	Rachel Manner Protect Your Purpose: How High-Impact Leaders Prevent Burnout	Melissa Bane Real Talk- Practical Answers to Your Financial Questions	Danielle Shroyer What Does Strategic Even Mean?	Raylyn Johnson Beyond the Business Card: Digital Strategies for Women Leaders
12:20pm - 1:30pm - Lunch with Networking & Exhibitors (Food Trucks)
ROOMS	Belonging and Authentic Connection	Communication and Boundaries	Entrepreneurship, Side Hustles, and Wealth Building	Leadership and Professional Growth	Professional Networking, Visibility, and Professional Growth
Session IV 1:30pm - 2:20pm	Angelina Mojica, MS, CFLE Leadership Over Luck: Building Resilience, Relationships, and Purpose-Driven Leadership	Alice Nelson-Sidibe Setting Boundaries Without Guilt: A Restoration Room Reset for Women Leaders	Sara Hellman Retirement by Design	Latia Gary Leading in the Age of AI: A Practical Playbook for Women Leaders	Tori Good Creating Your Own Luck: Crafting a LinkedIn Presence
Session V 2:30pm - 3:20pm	Natasha Johnson Women Friend or Foe	K. Renee' Robertson, D.Min., PhD The Collaboration Advantage™ Transforming Workplace Conflict into Collaboration, Innovation, and Business Success	Alice Nelson-Sidibe The Visibility Compass: Build an Authentic Leadership Brand Through the Four Directions	Deb Petrucelli Leadership Over Luck: The Power of Becoming	Nicole Fuller From Guidance to Influence: Leading Without Authority
3:30pm - 4:30pm - Panel Discussion and Closing Remarks

Alice Nelson-Sidibe

Setting Boundaries Without Guilt: A Restoration Room Reset for Women Leaders

High-capacity women leaders often struggle with boundaries not because they do not care, but because they carry the mental load of everyone around them. Using the Restoration Room framework, participants will identify what is creating overwhelm, distinguish cognitive overload from burnout, uncover what they are carrying alone, and use the Release–Renegotiate–Share approach to create a practical, guilt-resistant boundary reset.

The Visibility Compass: Build an Authentic Leadership Brand Through the Four Directions

Many capable women leaders are over-prepared and under-positioned. Using the Four Directions of Leadership—Leading Self, Leading Others, Leading Across, and Leading Forward—participants will map an authentic leadership brand, identify where visibility may be limited, and create practical actions to strengthen their message, relationships, peer presence, and upward influence without feeling performative.

Dr. Alice Nelson-Sidibe is a life strategist, executive coach, educator, and founder of ClarionPoint Advisors. With more than 18 years of experience in leadership development and talent strategy, she helps women founders and experienced leaders navigate complexity with clarity, emotional intelligence, and intention. She also serves as a lecturer at the Wharton School.

Ally Shaw

Embracing The Pivot: Learning To Reinvent Yourself Without Starting Over

Reinvention does not have to mean starting over. Through the highs and lows of life’s pivot points, this session explores how to navigate change with greater grace and confidence while strengthening your personal leadership brand, emotional intelligence, and approach to what comes next. Participants will leave with practical tools and resources for navigating their next chapter.

Ally Shaw is a fierce survivor who has reinvented herself multiple times after devastating loss. Shaw is a cancer survivor, award-winning entrepreneur, author, and speaker whose career has included opera, business ownership, and professional speaking. She and her husband previously owned a multi-state Domino’s franchise recognized with eight Gold Franny awards. Ally is the author of Chasing Tigers in the Dark and speaks about resilience, reinvention, and surviving life’s hardest seasons.

Angela Christopher

AI Mastery Playbook: 3 Google Tools to Shift Priorities and Scale Your Business

In the AI age, scaling your business is not about replacing your team—it is about freeing people to focus on higher-value work. This interactive session introduces three practical Google AI strategies to reduce tedious tasks and increase leadership capacity, including stronger prompting, custom Google Gems as virtual assistants, and tools to help sort, prioritize, and draft daily communications.

Angela Christopher is the founder of Angela Christopher Consulting and brings more than 30 years of executive management, project leadership, nonprofit, and small-business experience to her work. A natural “many hats” leader, she helps business professionals build capacity, streamline workflows, and confidently use modern technology. To date, Angela has shipped four AI products.

Angelina Mojica, MS, CFLE & Elizabeth M. Darrah, LMSW, CPM

Leadership Over Luck

Success may look like being in the right place at the right time, but effective leadership is rarely the result of luck. Through reflection, discussion, and practical exercises, participants will explore how personal experiences, meaningful relationships, resilience, and intentional habits create opportunities for growth and influence, then build an action plan they can apply in their careers, organizations, and communities.

Angelina Mojica is a leadership professional, speaker, author, founder of Empower H.E.R. Steps, and Associate Vice President at Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries. With more than a decade of experience in child welfare, trauma-informed care, and organizational leadership, she helps people move from survival to purpose and lead with resilience and authenticity. Co-presenter Elizabeth M. Darrah, LMSW, CPM, serves as Director of Training at Connie Maxwell and brings a practical, engaging approach to leadership growth, workforce development, and creating environments where people can thrive.

Antonette Montalvo

Authenticity: The Key to Being a Visionary Leader In Person

Authenticity is more than a leadership style—it helps shape trust, voice, vision, and legacy. This session explores how showing up authentically can deepen professional relationships, strengthen your unique voice, and bring greater alignment to the brand, mission, or vision you are leading.

Antonette Montalvo is the owner of Antonette Montalvo Consulting and Coaching Services, where she serves as a Vision & Purpose coach, consultant, health advocate, educator, motivational speaker, and author. She is also founder of the Visionary Nurse® brand and co-founder of Montalvo International, LLC. Antonette thrives on motivating and encouraging others to “dare to be influentially visionary..

Cady Nell Keener

Leadership Isn’t Luck: Build Your Personal Board of Directors

Leadership opportunities can look like luck from the outside, but intentional relationships, preparation, visibility, and courage often create them. Participants will build a personal board of directors by identifying the champions, connectors, truth-tellers, experts, collaborators, and grounding voices they need, then practice making clear, confident requests for advice, support, collaboration, or connection.

Cady Nell Keener, MBA, CFRE, is Executive Director of the Greenwood Genetic Center Foundation, where she connects people, purpose, and philanthropy to advance genetic research, clinical care, and education. She loves building authentic relationships, launching big ideas, and finding the right people to help make them happen — usually with a plan, a phone call, and plenty of enthusiasm.

Chelsey Ashford

Cultivating Community: The Power of Connection, Visibility, and Mentorship

Strong networks, authentic relationships, and a clear personal brand can open doors to advancement, leadership, and meaningful growth. Through guided exercises and peer discussion, participants will clarify their unique value, strengthen professional visibility, use LinkedIn and social media more strategically, and explore how mentoring relationships can support success as both a mentee and a mentor.

Chelsey Ashford is a commercial, branding, and lifestyle photographer with 17 years of experience helping businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals tell their stories through visual content. A lifelong learner who values connection and community, she is launching Heylo Studio in the West Greenville Arts District as a space for workshops, collaboration, and creative growth. She loves connecting people and helping others grow their visibility, confidence, and professional impact.

Dr. Cortney Curtis

Circle of Influence: How to Generate a Leadership Philosophy for Ourselves and Our Team

Leadership is not defined by title, but by influence, authenticity, and alignment with core values. In this highly interactive session, participants will look inward to define what they stand for, then shift outward through live polling and guided discussion to build a shared team philosophy in the room. Attendees will leave with their own leadership philosophy and a repeatable approach for creating a more people-first, values-driven culture.

Dr. Cortney Curtis is a veterinarian, educator, and leader dedicated to helping others grow through leadership, professional development, and well-being. A South Carolina native and former U.S. Army veterinarian, she joined Clemson University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to teach Professional Development and equip future veterinarians with the leadership, communication, resilience, and wellness skills they need to thrive.

Danielle Shroyer

What Does Strategic Even Mean?

What does “strategic” actually mean? Rather than treating it as a vague personality trait or title, this workshop breaks it into three observable behaviors: communication, influence, and visibility. Participants will diagnose the gap between tactical and strategic behavior, practice reframing their language in real time, and identify one shift that can help them move from being consulted after decisions to shaping them earlier.

Danielle Shroyer has spent more than 20 years in corporate HR leadership with companies including Volvo and General Dynamics. At Volvo, she led a six-person team responsible for mass hiring during the start-up of the Ridgeville, South Carolina manufacturing facility, ultimately supporting a 1,500-employee operation. Growing and developing her team was where Danielle thrived, and today she brings that same energy to her own firm, Engage HR.

Deb Petrucelli

Leadership Over Luck: The Power of Becoming

Extraordinary leadership is not something we stumble upon—it is something we intentionally choose and develop. Through heartfelt stories, reflection, and a hands-on activity, participants will explore authenticity, faith, resilience, hope, and gratitude while considering how challenges can become opportunities to lead with greater purpose, confidence, and grace.

Deb Petrucelli is an inspirational storyteller, healthcare executive, and leadership coach with four decades of experience advancing the human experience in healthcare. She serves as Director of Human Experience and Professional Development at Self Regional Healthcare and holds multiple coaching and patient-experience credentials. A seven-year cancer survivor, Deb brings purpose, resilience, hope, and intention to the way she leads and inspires others.

K. Renee’ Robertson, D.Min., PhD

The Collaboration Advantage™ Transforming Workplace Conflict into Collaboration, Innovation, and Business Success

Conflict is inevitable in business and the workplace, but division does not have to be the outcome. Through storytelling, real-world scenarios, role-playing, and The Velvet Hammer Leadership Framework™, participants will practice balancing strength with grace, empathy with accountability, and relationships with results—turning tension into stronger collaboration, teamwork, and business outcomes.

Leading Through Life’s Interruptions™ How to Thrive When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan

Leadership is easy to celebrate when life is going well. The real test comes when life changes unexpectedly. Through storytelling, reflection, and discussion, participants will explore resilience, healthy boundaries, and practical ways to keep leading through illness, grief, caregiving, career transitions, and other interruptions—without losing themselves in the process.

K. Renee Robertson, D.Min., PhD, is an executive leader and strategic partnership architect known in corporate America as “The Velvet Hammer” for delivering results through principled leadership and collaboration. Her experience spans corporate leadership, national nonprofit work, and international service, and she now serves as President & CEO of the McCormick County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center while helping scale her family’s 45+-year-old plumbing business.

Kris Burris

From Knowing to Doing: The GROW Model for Confident Leadership Decisions

Even highly capable leaders can get stuck searching for the perfect answer or trying not to disappoint others. Using the GROW coaching model—Goal, Reality, Options, and What/Will—participants will work through a real leadership or professional decision, clarify the outcome they want, evaluate competing priorities and options, and leave with a specific next step and accountability plan.

Kris Burris is Founder and Leadership Coach of Pink Prestige, LLC, and Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management at College of The Albemarle. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in higher education and nonprofit organizations, she helps women make confident decisions and lead with intention. Her work blends coaching, executive experience, and a focus on legacy-centered leadership.

Lakeya Wilson

Email Etiquette: Ten Easy Tips to Improve Workplace Communication

Email is one of the most-used tools in the workplace, yet small habits can make a big difference in how a message is received. This practical session shares ten easy tips for writing with greater clarity and conciseness, maintaining a polite and professional tone, and strengthening everyday workplace communication.

Lakeya Wilson is the English Department Chair at Piedmont Technical College and has spent the past 16 years teaching composition, serving on college committees, and supporting campus life. A USC Upstate and Clemson University graduate, she has received numerous teaching, advising, service, and leadership honors. Outside the classroom, Lakeya loves cheese, cupcakes, rainy days, and her husband, First Lieutenant James Willson III.

Latia Gary

Leading in the Age of AI: A Practical Playbook for Women Leaders

Artificial intelligence is changing how leaders work, and the women who learn to use it well will not have to rely on luck to stay ahead. This hands-on session moves from awareness to application, showing participants how widely available AI tools can save time, strengthen communication, support planning and meetings, and improve decision-making while maintaining smart boundaries around privacy, bias, accuracy, and ethics. No technical background is required.

Latia Gary holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Kettering University. After more than two decades in engineering, quality assurance, construction, and manufacturing with companies including General Motors and Westinghouse Electric Company, she founded LG Solutions, LLC. She also serves as South Carolina State Chair of Million Women Mentors, championing STEM opportunities for youth.

Lori Portzer

Own the Room: Replacing Apology with Authority

Empathy and humility matter, but habitual phrases like “I’m sorry,” “just,” or “I think” can unintentionally minimize expertise. Through real-world examples and practical exercises, participants will learn to replace unnecessary apologies and minimizing language with communication that reflects confidence, ownership, and authenticity—without sacrificing kindness or collaboration.

Dr. Lori Portzer is an educator, researcher, and leader passionate about evidence-based teaching, authentic leadership, and effective communication. With experience in higher education, program leadership, and exercise science, she helps students and professionals build confidence, think critically, and reach their potential. Her workshops pair research with practical, interactive strategies participants can put to work immediately.

Melissa Bane & Callie Roper

Real Talk – Practical Answers to Your Financial Questions

Bring your financial questions to a safe, judgment-free conversation designed to make money topics easier to navigate. Attendees will explore seven common financial questions and receive a take-home booklet with practical answers to help them make more informed financial decisions.

Melissa Bane is a Senior Private Client Advisor and Principal at Greenwood Capital, where she provides holistic financial planning and personal service to high-net-worth individuals and families. She joined the firm in 2013 as its first female advisor and first CPA, and she is one of few women in South Carolina to hold both CPA and CFP® designations. Today, she directly manages $270 million in client assets.

Nancy Hart Wicker, MD

An Outsider’s Guide to Community Involvement

You do not have to be an insider to make a difference in your community. This session explores practical, doable steps for getting involved by starting with the relationships, interests, skills, talents, and commitments already in your life—and finding opportunities to serve in ways that fit your current season, values, and personal limitations.

Nancy Hart Wicker, MD, HMDC, FAAAHPM, is a hospice and palliative care physician who serves as CEO and Chief Medical Officer for Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont. She believes healthier communities are built through high-quality, nonprofit, locally governed healthcare — and that every person deserves compassionate, expert care.

Natasha Johnson & Jessica Pearson

Women: Friend or Foe?

Are women friends or foes? This workshop explores how competition, comparison, insecurity, fear, and past experiences can shape relationships among women—and how intentional collaboration can change them. Participants will focus on authentic communication, vulnerability, trust, mentorship, advocacy, and practical ways to create environments where women can support one another and succeed together.

Natasha Johnson, BSHIM, RHIT, is a healthcare leader with experience in quality improvement, population health, regulatory compliance, and operations. She is passionate about developing people as much as processes and helps women recognize their value, embrace vulnerability as a strength, and build relationships that support lasting growth. Co-presenter Jessica Pearson is a Greenwood County native with more than 20 years of management experience across nonprofit, business, and healthcare settings; her leadership philosophy is rooted in strong foundations, transparent relationships, visible goals, and her grandmother’s motto: “Forward ever, backward never.”

Nicole Fuller

From Guidance to Influence: Leading Without Authority

You do not need a formal title to lead. This session helps participants recognize where they are already influencing others, apply practical strategies to gain buy-in and move ideas forward, and navigate resistance and difficult conversations with greater confidence.

Nicole Fuller is the Assistant Director of Advising Services at Piedmont Technical College, where she leads work focused on student success, coaching, strategic advising, and team development. A proud first-generation college graduate, she especially enjoys helping students build the confidence to excel in their future careers. Nicole and her husband, Steven, are the proud parents of Caden and Ada.

Rachel Manner

Protect Your Purpose: How High-Impact Leaders Prevent Burnout

In high-impact roles, the very work that drives us—our purpose—can also deplete us. Moving beyond traditional self-care, this session explores how leaders can protect both mission and energy through strategic priorities, boundaries, delegation, and the PROTECT Framework. Participants will leave with a practical Leadership Sustainability Plan designed to help them sustain their impact over time.

Rachel Manner serves as Executive Director – Foundation & Development for Carolina Health Centers, where she leads development, strategy, and community engagement. With experience in healthcare leadership, public relations, and grant strategy, she specializes in turning mission-driven ideas into funded, measurable initiatives. Rachel is passionate about helping leaders connect purpose with sustainable impact.

Raylyn Johnson

Beyond the Business Card: Digital Strategies for Women Leaders

Leadership no longer stops at the office door—or at the business card. This interactive session explores how LinkedIn, AI tools, short-form video, and virtual collaboration can help women leaders build an engaging professional presence, showcase expertise, strengthen connections, and create new opportunities through intentional digital engagement.

Raylyn Johnson is a Career Coach at Lander University who is passionate about meeting students where they are and helping them build confidence, meaningful connections, and successful careers. A Certified Career Services Provider with a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs, she values lifelong learning, servant leadership, and intentional support that helps others grow personally and professionally.

Tori Good

LinkedIn “Luck:” Curating an Online Presence that NetWORKS

LinkedIn stumps plenty of people, but it is also a free opportunity to curate the professional version of yourself. Learn how to create your own leadership “luck” by sharing your expertise and successes, strengthening your profile, and showing up more intentionally online. Designed for beginners through casual users, the session includes practical posting ideas and real-time opportunities to connect with others in the room.

Helping others be successful is Tori Good’s passion. As Dean of Career Development at Converse University, she thrives on making meaningful connections, approaching solutions creatively, and helping people recognize and develop their strengths. Her extensive work with and research on Generation Z leaves her inspired and heartened by what is ahead.

Bonus: Post-Conference Virtual Workshops

Bency Beals

Becoming a Woman of Influence

Leadership influence extends far beyond title or position—you already carry it. In this high-energy, interactive session, participants will explore four levels of influence—Modeling, Motivating, Mentoring, and Multiplying—identify beliefs that may be limiting their voice, create a personal Power Statement, and consider what they want to be known for through the way they lead.

Bency Beals is the founder of Ignite Leadership Solutions and an Executive Director with the John Maxwell Leadership Team. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, including a successful career at Verizon, she delivers high-energy workshops and keynotes that challenge people to lead from wherever they are. Drawing from her own story of resilience and reinvention, Bency brings warmth, authenticity, and practical insight to every stage she steps on.

Casey Cline

Leading Differently: Practical Creativity for Everyday Leadership

Creativity is not just for artists—it is a practical leadership skill. Participants will explore techniques for breaking habitual thinking, encouraging innovation within teams, and approaching everyday leadership challenges differently, then leave with a personal Creative Leadership Action Plan they can put into practice.

Casey Cline, LCAT, ATR-BC, LPC, GCDF, is a creative arts therapist and Director of Workforce and Career Development at Lander University with more than 15 years of experience in higher education. Across every role, Casey has found ways to weave creativity into supervision, program development, leadership, and student engagement — demonstrating that creative practice can strengthen people, teams, and organizations.

Clarisa Thomas

I Thought It Would Feel Different: The Truth About Success, Pressure, and Leading Anyway

Sometimes success arrives and still does not feel the way we thought it would. This session creates space for women leaders to name that gap without judgment, unpack the pressure of being “the one”—the decision-maker, fixer, or example—and leave with a more personal definition of leadership based not on performance or perception, but on how they truly want to show up.

Clarisa Thomas, BSN, RN, PPM, is Founder & CEO of CRT Consulting Solutions and a healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience in medical management. She works with healthcare leaders, private practice owners, and clinical teams to strengthen leadership, operations, and patient-centered results. Clarisa also hosts the Preside + Prevail podcast and serves on regional healthcare leadership boards.

Eden J. Coates

Cultivating Your Reality: How Leaders Grow Success From The Inside Out

Success grows from the inside out. This session helps participants identify areas of opportunity, uncover limiting thoughts that may be holding them back, and create practical strategies for changing the way they think, act, and move toward greater success.

Eden J. Coates is the founder of Back 2 Eden Co., a life coaching program, and a Human Resources professional at Self Regional Healthcare. She is passionate about encouraging and empowering others to grow personally and professionally. Through Back 2 Eden Co., Eden uses her love of gardening as a powerful illustration of growth, transformation, and cultivating a life rooted in purpose and joy.

Josee Madison

WIRED TO WISE™ How Self-Awareness Creates Better Leadership Decisions Under Pressure

Great leadership is not about luck—it is about recognizing what happens when pressure takes over. Blending neuroscience, relatable stories, humor, and hands-on exercises, this workshop helps participants understand their reactions under pressure and practice the Catch It. Call It. Choose It.™ framework so they can pause, respond, and lead with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.

Josee Madison is a keynote speaker, founder of ÉLAN Alliance™, and creator of the WAM™ concept. Drawing on a career that spans government, the music industry, entrepreneurship, and leadership development, she helps leaders understand how pressure affects thinking, communication, and decision-making. Her presentations blend practical neuroscience with humor, relatable stories, and actionable tools.

Peggi Trusty

Beyond Hustle: A Practical Framework for Sustainable Leadership

Many women have mastered the art of getting things done—but sometimes at the expense of their time, energy, and well-being. Using the Balance Axis Framework™, participants will examine their leadership habits and explore practical approaches to planning, prioritization, and partnership, then identify ways to protect what matters most and make one immediate commitment toward more sustainable leadership.

Dr. Peggi Trusty is a wellness strategist, speaker, executive coach, and author who helps leaders pursue excellence without sacrificing their well-being. With more than 25 years of experience across healthcare, higher education, nonprofit leadership, and ministry, she equips individuals and organizations with practical strategies for sustainable leadership, intentional decision-making, and long-term success.

Rena Quillen

Leaving the Tomb: Breaking free from what’s holding you back

Leadership does not begin with a title—it begins with the decisions we make about ourselves every day. Through personal storytelling, reflection, and discussion, participants will identify five invisible barriers that can keep women from stepping confidently into leadership, explore how past experiences can become strengths, and develop a personal action plan for moving forward with greater confidence and intention.

Rena Quillen is a transformational speaker, author, storyteller, and founder of Wake Up With Rena. She helps women turn life’s hardest experiences into purpose and action through her signature “Leaving the Tomb” framework. Rena’s engaging style blends storytelling, reflection, and practical leadership tools that encourage women to move from self-doubt toward confident, authentic leadership.

Shoshanna Richek

Healthy Habits High Returns

Taking better care of yourself can create stronger returns in both life and leadership. This session explores how healthy daily choices, boundaries without guilt, and practical strategies for difficult circumstances can strengthen productivity, resilience, effectiveness, and overall well-being.

Shoshanna Richek is a Certified Functional Nutrition & Lifestyle Counselor and Advanced Belief Clearing Practitioner who helps individuals and organizations improve health from the inside out. Through holistic nutrition, nervous-system support, and gentle subconscious work, she guides clients toward lasting food freedom, energy, and resilience.