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Women’s Leadership Summit
Date & Time
Event Location
Join The Daily Record for our annual Women’s Leadership Summit convening Top 100 Women, Leading Women and women professionals from across the state to learn from each other and build a network to create change.
SUMMIT DATE
Oct. 22, 2024
Agenda
12 p.m.: Registration, Exhibits & Lunch
12:30-1:05 p.m.: Fireside Chat:
1:20-2:20 p.m.: Choice of Panel Discussions
2:20-2:30 p.m.: Break
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Choice of Panel Discussions
3:30 – Networking Reception
For sponsorship information, contact [email protected].
If you have questions about this awards event, please email [email protected].
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2023 Speakers
Fireside Chat
partners, people and communities more effectively address a wide range of issues.
Joining the bank in 1993, Currie graduated from Bank of America’s management training program and went on to manage several banking centers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. In 1997, she was appointed to consumer market executive for the Metro Baltimore region. She was later appointed to national banking group support executive, where she led seven operations business groups nationwide. After assisting Bank of America with the Fleet merger, Currie returned to the sales line and has held leadership roles in Consumer Mortgage, Wealth Management, and Consumer Banking.
Suzanne Fischer-Huettner:
Suzanne Fischer-Huettner serves as managing director of eight news outlets for BridgeTower Media: Central Penn Business Journal, Lehigh Valley Business, Long Island Business News, NJBIZ, PetAge, Rochester Business Journal, The Daily Record MD and The Daily Record NY.
She began her media career in 1996 when she was hired by The Daily Record in Baltimore in sales. Four years later she was promoted to associate publisher, and vice president of sales was added to her title in 2002. This new title brought with it the day-to-day oversight of various revenue producing departments including advertising, circulation and marketing.
Between 2001 and 2012 she led the creation of a profitable event division to grow visibility and revenue for the brand. Nine new statewide awards events grew under The Daily Record’s umbrella.
Fischer-Huettner was promoted to publisher of The Daily Record in 2010, the first woman publisher in the company’s 122-year history. As publisher, her responsibilities included developing a successful team to achieve The Daily Record’s annual business plan, growing the company’s market share, increasing revenue and profit, lobbying in Annapolis for public notice interests, and providing the best news, information and services possible to readers, advertisers and subscribers.
In 2015 her publisher role grew to include The Daily Record NY and one year later, Rochester Business Journal. Fischer-Huettner successfully led the process of transitioning the RBJ team from a family-owned business to part of a larger media organization.
She was promoted to group publisher for BridgeTower Media in 2017. As a group publisher, various acquired titles were added to her brand portfolio including Central Penn Business Journal and Lehigh Valley Business.
In 2023 Suzanne’s role was expanded once again to managing director of BridgeTower Media for the East Division. Long Island Business News, NJBIZ and Pet Age joined her group of successful business media brands.
Married with a daughter in college, Fischer-Huettner lives in Maryland but spends a great deal of time in her various markets. She is committed to excellence at all her companies and believes in giving back to each of the communities they serve. She holds various nonprofit board positions. To access her full profile, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfischerhuettner/.
Panel Discussion: Equity in The Workplace
Moderator Tom Baden:
Thomas Baden Jr. has been editor of The Daily Record since March 2014.
Previously, he was editor of The News-Times of Danbury, Conn.; editor of The Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, Conn.; executive editor of The Salt Lake Tribune; and managing editor of The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa. He also was a national political writer, White House correspondent and congressional correspondent for the Newhouse News Service.
He has taught journalism at Penn State University and Fairfield University, and was on the board of visitors at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.
Diane Forbes Berthoud:
Diane Forbes Berthoud, Ph.D., MA, is the chief equity, diversity, and inclusion officer and vice president at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and a professor at UMB’s Graduate School. She has led UMB’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategy, implementation, and accountability since July 2021.
During her UMB tenure, Forbes Berthoud has formed the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; implemented a dashboard to track EDI progress in areas such as presence, recruitment, retention, and promotion; created a Faculty of Color Network to support the success of faculty from underrepresented groups; and launched the University’s inaugural diversity strategic planning process.
Through her research, scholarship, and service, Forbes Berthoud has been a champion of women’s leadership and racial equity in organizations. She has more than 25 years of experience working for higher education, nonprofit, and government entities, with a proven record of success in organizational change management and development, strategic planning, and assessment.
Chelsea J. Crawford:
A journalist-turned-litigator, Chelsea Jones Crawford joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy in September 2015 and has extensive experience representing individuals and entities in civil matters, including wrongful conviction and police misconduct, personal injury and wrongful death, complex civil litigation, and commercial disputes.
At Brown, Goldstein & Levy, Crawford has worked on some of the largest wrongful conviction and police misconduct cases in the State of Maryland. In 2021, she obtained a $6.5 million settlement on behalf of the family of Eric Sopp, an unarmed man in distress who was shot and killed by a Baltimore County police officer. It was one of the largest settlements in state and county history. In 2020, she helped obtain a nearly $8 million settlement for two men who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned after plainclothes Baltimore Police Department officers planted drugs in their car. In 2018, she was part of a team that obtained a $9 million settlement on behalf of man who was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for 21 years after Baltimore homicide detectives concealed exculpatory evidence.
A former journalist covering daily news, Crawford brings a passion for storytelling to every case. She has experience practicing before administrative agencies, courts across Maryland and in the District of Columbia, and in federal courts nationwide.
Prior to joining Brown Goldstein & Levy, Crawford clerked for the Honorable Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the Honorable Stephanie A. Gallagher on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
During law school, Crawford served as the executive articles editor of the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class; vice president of the Black Law Students Association; and member of the law school’s National Moot Court Team. She received the 2013 Elizabeth Maxwell Carroll Chesnut Prize, known as the “Dean’s Award,” for her scholarship, personal drive, and excellence in writing and was awarded Order of the Barristers.
Before law school, Crawford spent several years working in broadcast news. She began her career at KYW-TV in Philadelphia, where she worked the news desk. She later joined National Public Radio’s flagship afternoon program, All Things Considered, as an assistant editor.
Crawford is active in several bar associations and organizations in Maryland. She is co-chair of the Leadership Committee member for the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service’s Community Advocacy Network and a member of the Executive Board of the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys of Maryland. Previously, she served on the Young Lawyers Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Executive Board of the Monumental City Bar Association, the oldest and largest specialty bar association in Baltimore City.
Anna-Maria Gonzalez Palmer:
Anna-Maria Gonzalez Palmer joined GBMC HealthCare in May 2017 as vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer.
Gonzalez Palmer is an accomplished leader who has served in the human resources field with a number of organizations including McCormick and Company and Textron. Prior to her hire at GBMC, she held the position of senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Compass Pointe Healthcare System in Baltimore.
Gonzalez Palmer earned her Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University and her Master’s Degree in administrative science, human resources development from Johns Hopkins University.
Panel Discussion: The Struggle is Real
Moderator Shelonda Stokes:
Shelonda Stokes is the president of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the executive director of the Downtown Management Authority. She leads these two multimillion-dollar organizations with the common goal of making downtown Baltimore a destination of choice.
Under Stokes’ leadership, Downtown Partnership has more than doubled the organization’s revenues and served as a catalyst for the State of Maryland’s relocation of 12 agencies and $50M commitment to the central business district. An engineer by degree, Stokes’ appreciation of data led the organization to implement analytics in the service delivery model yielding more efficient and effective outcomes. She is also credited with the creation of a new minority business program that fosters small business growth while increasing equitable occupancy in vacant storefronts. Titled, BOOST (Black-Owned and Occupied Storefront Tenancy), this initiative supports the long-term success of minority-owned, Baltimore-based businesses in Downtown storefronts.
Stokes played an integral role in Baltimore City’s COVID-19 recovery. She co-chaired the Small Business Recovery Taskforce and Mayor Brandon Scott’s Business, Workforce, and Neighborhood Development Transition Committee. She was recently tapped to co-chair a taskforce responsible for evaluating development incentives.
Prior to her role at Downtown Partnership, Stokesspent twenty years as the president and CEO of greiBO, a full-service marketing and entertainment agency. greiBO was recognized with numerous communications awards and provided services to industry leaders in global markets. greiBO’s impressive client list was the result of her management and keen eye for undeniable call-to-actions. Notable clients include: State Farm, Hewlett Packard, Under Armour, Smithsonian, and Coca Cola.
Stokes is the recipient of more than 85 community and professional awards. As a respected thought-leader, she serves as a critical advisor to an elite list of Fortune 100 CEOs, elected officials and other dignitaries.
Stokes was most recently designated as a 2022 Influential Marylander by The Daily Record. She is the designee of the 2022 Whitney M. Young Award for the Urban League and Boy Scouts of America. The BBJ honored her as a 2022 Power of 10 CEO, and she was inducted into The Daily Record’s Circle of Excellence, for being recognized as a three-time Top 100 Women honoree. Last year The Baltimore Sun insightfully recognized her as one of the 2021 Faces to Watch.
Veronica Cool:
After 20 years in the corporate sector, Veronica Cool launched Cool & Associates LLC, a management consulting firm that connects organizations to the Hispanic community, offering strategy, training, community outreach, event support, marketing and communications, & language services.
She has merged her financial expertise and operational experience with extensive nonprofit activities to drive organizational engagement and growth. Her expertise includes community & coalition building, business operations, financial analysis, and sales management, developed while working with Wells Fargo and Bank of America, and leading and operating the state-wide Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Additionally, she has forged a niche in customized employee engagement and culture programming, specializing in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, leveraging stakeholder-provided input to shape policy and organizational changes from a practical perspective. Related projects include conducting audits and training for Chesapeake Employers Insurance, developing a customized training series for Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, as well as several projects tied to Hispanic Access and Employee Engagement. Recently, she’s spearheaded multiple projects centered on Hispanic engagement and access with the MD Emergency Management Agency, Census 2020 and the State Board of Elections.
She’s received various awards including the 2020 Latina Style Entrepreneur of the Year, 2019 Powermeter 100, NFL 2018 Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, 2018 BBJ Leaders in Diversity, 2017 Innovator of the Year, Shift University Presenter Champion 2017, Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch in 2016, Top 100 MBE, US Hispanic Chamber Corporate Leader of the Year, Daily Record’s MD Top 100 Women-Circle of Excellence and the US Hispanic Chamber Ultimate Latina Award. First Lady Michelle Obama recognized Cool for her commitment to youth mentoring.
She holds a BS from Kutztown University in business administration, and a Master of Science in finance from Loyola University of Maryland. A native of Dominican Republic, she is the past board chairman of the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and served on various governmental transition teams including Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman and Governor-elect Martin O’Malley’s focusing on MBE and small business. Cool serves on the boards of MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Maryland Latinos Unidos, Maryland Association for Nonprofits, and the Women’s Caucus Foundation. Additionally, she is a proud member of the Hispanic Leaders Association, Latino Providers Network, Latinas Think Big and ALPFA.
She lives near Baltimore, in Carroll County, with her husband and two college-age kids, keeping busy with writing, reading and donating firetrucks.
Greta Engle Kessler:
In a career spanning 30 years, Greta Engle Kessler has developed her expertise within employee benefit plan consulting, risk financing, pharmacy benefit management, employee engagement strategies, and regulatory compliance.
The journey has been one of calculated risk taking, embracing change, and living a lifetime devoted to learning and curiosity.
Kessler is a results-driven professional whose personal mission is to improve the health care and benefits experience of all her employer clients. She achieves this by identifying root causes to a variety of issues within the financial arrangements and clinical experience of health plan participants. Her focus to remove financial conflicts of interest in the insurance industry and reducing risk support this mission. Her approach to employee engagement delivers better value for employees and their families by leveraging proven clinical programs to reduce preventable disease and support for health plan participants managing chronic illnesses.
Kessler’s passion for employee benefits and workplace policy extends to legislative advocacy. She has testified in Annapolis and on Capitol Hill representing various client positions for SHRM, CHRA, the Maryland Chamber, and the Maryland Retailers Association. While serving as the Director of Government Affairs for the Maryland SHRM State Council, she contributed to the passing of the “Workplace Violence Prevention – Peace Orders” legislation, which was signed into law by Governor Hogan. The law is another tool that assists employers in maintaining workplace safety. Kessler’s work as the Director of Government Affairs helped Maryland SHRM earn a coveted national Pinnacle award. This was the first time Maryland SHRM had received this recognition.
At this phase of Kessler’s career, she is focused on giving back to our community and elevating professionals around her with aspirations of future leadership. This includes in her work on the board of Executive Alliance and serving in their mentor program.
She is a graduate of Leadership Baltimore County, a past Vice President of the House of Ruth Maryland board, a living kidney donor and supports numerous animal rights initiatives and visits the elderly with her adorable French Bull dog, Lily.
April N. Richardson:
April N. Richardson is a distinguished individual who holds a prominent position as a Top 100 Woman, a Top 24 Leader in Law, an Emerging Leader in Manufacturing, and a TOP 100 MBE. She boasts an extensive career spanning over two decades, primarily as an accomplished Attorney, Real Estate Developer, and Food Entrepreneur. Her journey in the culinary world was driven by a desire to foster opportunities for her own company and fellow culinary enthusiasts.
Within the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region, Richardson is the proud proprietor of two highly regarded retail bakeries, DC Sweet Potato Cake and Baked In Baltimore. Additionally, she operates a thriving baked goods manufacturing company that supplies renowned establishments such as Starbucks, Nordstrom, Wegmans, Safeway, QVC, and numerous other retailers. Committed to addressing the dearth of opportunities for people of color in the food industry, she pioneered and managed the nation’s inaugural African American food hall.
In her current role, Richardson focuses on the development of food halls and the creation of vibrant, community-enhancing spaces for developers across the region. She takes on the pivotal role of project manager and lead consultant for The Millon North, Baltimore’s inaugural food hall situated on the Westside. Her most recent real estate project involves securing the rights to acquire and develop a historic 15,000-square-foot mansion from the City of Baltimore, a building that stands as one of Maryland’s oldest historic landmarks.
Richardson’s legal career includes serving as a prosecuting and investigative attorney at both local and federal levels, with a specialization in cases involving bank, business, and real estate fraud. Her contributions extended to a position as deputy chief investigative counsel for the Department of Treasury, where she spearheaded major fraud investigations and prosecutions, and she served as senior counsel to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, where she played a crucial role in managing bank fraud in financial institutions and she assisted in bank closures during the 2008 economic crisis. Her expertise led her to design and deliver mortgage fraud training programs for esteemed agencies such as the Secret Service and the FBI, an effort recognized as a “Best Practice” by the Department of Justice.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Richardson is a gubernatorial appointee to The Judicial Selection Commission, and she is an active member of several significant boards, including The MD Food Authority, The Dept. of Commerce Manufacturing Advisory Board, The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, The Regional Manufacturing Institute, and the Neighborhood Culinary Alliance. Her overarching mission is to bridge the gap for marginalized individuals, connecting them with the opportunities that abound in the real estate, business, and food industries.
Panel Discussion: Legislative Update
Moderator Jodi Finkelstein:
Vanessa E. Atterbeary:
Vanessa Atterbeary was elected to a third term in the Maryland General Assembly, to represent District 13, Howard County (where she was born and raised), in 2022 and was sworn in on Jan. 11, 2023.
After only having served one term in the Maryland General Assembly, Atterbeary was appointed by Speaker of the House Michael Busch to serve as vice chair of the Judiciary Committee, where she served for three years. In 2021, Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones appointed her as chair of the Ways and Means Committee. In addition to serving as chair, she serves on the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, The Domestic Violence & Fatality Review Team, Legislative Black Caucus, and the Howard County House Delegation, in which she served as chair in both 2016 and 2019.
The Daily Record named Atterbeary one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2020 and 2023. In addition, The Baltimore Sun named her one of the Top 25 Women to Watch in 2018 and one of the Fresh Faces of Power in the 2019 Maryland General Assembly. She recently earned the 2022 Excellence in Public Service Award from the Arc of Howard County.
For her successful passage of landmark legislation, The Repeat Sexual Predator Prevention Act of 2018, and continued efforts to protect victims, hold enablers accountable and prosecute predators, Atterbeary has received: the 2018 Leadership Award by the Women Legislators of Maryland and the Women Legislators of Maryland Foundation; the 2018 State Legislator Leadership Award from the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City; and was honored on May 10, 2019 by the Baltimore Child Abuse Center as a “Hero.” Most recently in the 2022 session, she won her seven-year battle by passing legislation to prevent child marriage in Maryland, the first of its kind in the state.
In the General Assembly, she has been successful in passing legislation to keep guns out of the hands of abusers; strengthening prosecutors’ ability to convict sexual predators; increasing circumstances under which a protective order may be granted; and altering how Howard County elects its school board members.
In addition to serving in the Maryland General Assembly, Atterbeary serves as corporate counsel for KRA Corporation, a company headquartered in Fulton providing workforce development and health consulting services. She is a member of the Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Columbia Chapter; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Omega Eta, Omega Chapter; The Links, Inc., (Columbia MD) Chapter; and, The Maryland Bar Association.
Atterbeary is a 1993 graduate of Atholton High School, a 1997 graduate of the College of William and Mary, with a B.A. degree in Government and a 2000 graduate from Villanova University School of Law. She resides in Fulton with her family and is a loving mother to her three young children, Grayson, Holden and Victoria.
Erin Bradley:
Erin Bradley serves as vice president of public affairs at Planned Parenthood of Maryland and executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
She has over 15 years of experience in the areas of strategic communication, public policy, lobbying and public affairs. Throughout her career, she has held multiple roles in local government and has worked in the public health space at both governmental and private sector organizations.
Bradley holds a Master of Public Administration degree focused on state and local government and policy implementation.
Amanda K. Rodriguez:Panel Discussion: Confidence Code, Psychological Safety
Moderator Rebecca Snyder:
Rebecca Snyder seeks to change the conversation about executive women in Maryland’s workplaces.
Through Executive Alliance, which advocates for women’s representation in the C-suite and in the boardroom, Snyder helps to connect women to each other in peer networks, provide professional development and board opportunities, and assists with the Effective Impact Mentoring Program.
Executive Alliance also publishes the Annual Census Report for Women’s Representation and At the Table: The Women’s Resource Guide.
Adrienne Allgire:
Adrienne Allgire is vice president of operations at SECU, Maryland’s largest state-chartered credit union with more than $5 billion in assets and over 260,000 members. She has over 30 years of experience in the banking industry, where she gained vast financial services experience in retail banking, banking operations, customer experience, ATMs and ITMs.
In her current role as vice president of operations, she ensures that daily business practices meet operational goals, produce maximum efficiency, and meet the current and future needs of the organization while improving the member experience. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about helping others and strongly believes in the Girl Scout promise to “make the world a better place.”
She is an executive sponsor of SECU’s Women in Leadership Affinity group and SECU’s EPIC (Engaging People in Creativity) committee, which is a member-centered, employee-focused group whose goal is to provide a vehicle for employees to promote fun activities to celebrate successes, improve teamwork and build relationships. Allgire serves on the Board of the CUNA Operations and Member Experience Council, and is a member of the Executive Alliance group.
Allgire holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia.
Julia Jasken:
Julia Jasken is the 10th president of McDaniel College and the second woman in the college’s over 150-year history. She has dedicated nearly her entire professional life to higher education and most notably to McDaniel, where she taught as an English professor prior to serving in various administrative roles.
A champion of both the liberal arts and McDaniel’s student-centered mission, she has overseen many of the college’s strategic initiatives. Most recently, she launched the college’s five-year strategic plan, “Reaching New Heights: McDaniel College Strategic Plan 2022-2027,” to further position McDaniel as an innovative liberal arts college focused on student achievement and professional success. She also envisioned and designed the college’s signature McDaniel Commitment, which emphasizes experiential learning and alumni connections, and guarantees that every student, guided by a team of mentors, can construct and tailor their personal educational path, and has overseen the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
President Jasken is widely respected nationally for her contributions to higher education. In addition to her involvement with HERS National Women Leadership Network, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA) and Board of Directors for Baltimore’s CollegeBound Foundation, as well as the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.
The Daily Record named her a 2023 Influential Marylander and has included her on their Power 30 Higher Education list of the most influential figures in higher education in the State of Maryland. She was also selected among Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record and received the Baltimore Business Journal’s Enterprising Women of Excellence award.
Ellen Shiery:
Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch
Many thanks for another successful event. I liked this year even better than last year which I thought was exceptional. I appreciated the panel discussions. Thank you for supporting and highlighting female achievement and leadership in Maryland! I look forward to more events!
— Elizabeth Weglein, CEO, Elizabeth Cooney Care Network
I just wanted to let you know that the summit was fantastic. It was a renewal for commitment to. mentorship and service. I left feeling invigorated and inspired. Thank you.
— Valda Ricks, Deputy of Operations, Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City
Just wanted all of you to know what a stellar job you did on last night’s event. Our entire team LOVED everything about the night…the venue, food, drinks, awards presentation and the award itself. Thanks for always hosting such fun, entertaining and valuable programs and events.
— Stacey Smith, Executive Director, Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI)
