UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Women interested in networking with industry leaders and learning about career-developing topics can still register for the annual Powerful Women Paving the Way Conference scheduled for April 3-4 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
Registration for the event closes Friday, March 21.
The annual event empowers women from students to professionals and business leaders to network and discuss industry trends. Anyone is welcome to attend and participate.
In line with this year’s theme, “Leading the Future Forward,” the annual event empowers women in all stages of their career to push their personal and professional growth through networking opportunities, keynote speakers and various activities.
The conference kicks off at 6 p.m. April 3 with dinner and the first keynote speaker.
Three keynote speakers will be sharing their stories and giving advice to the audience throughout the conference.
The first speaker, Allison Minutillo, founded her own strategic workshop and marketing consultancy, Maestra. As the former president and COO at the Rebel Interactive Group (now The Rebellion Group) and current chief marketing officer of Primacy, her experience in business and storytelling speaks to her expertise in leadership, marketing and organizational strategy
The conference will start again the next day at 8 a.m. with breakfast and then jump into the next keynote speaker at 9 a.m.
Monique Coleman, the former "High School Musical" actress, served as a United Nations Youth Champion. She will share her story of leadership and impact to motivate students and professionals to pave their own way and advocate for a better tomorrow.
After Coleman’s speech, morning breakout sessions will cover a range of professional and social topics:
- Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Strategies for advancing women in leadership
- Empowered Goal Setting: Achieving success across all stages of your career
- Allyship 101: Building a foundation for inclusive leadership
- Leading with Empathy: The power of emotional intelligence
After lunch, Ally Berdan, a senior consultant at Deloitte and founder of (un)explore, LLC, will speak. No stranger to education, she earned her undergraduate degree at Penn State, master’s at Villanova and certifications at Brown University. She believes in creating a holistic life will help professional success.
Next, attendees will jump into afternoon breakout sessions:
- Mitigating Bias in Candidate Evaluation: Strategies for ensuring fair and objective hiring practices
- Sustainable Leadership: Leading for a better future
- Financial Vision: Advanced management skills
- Harmonizing Leadership: Strategies for inclusive team leadership
The conference will conclude with closing remarks and prizes, ending at 3:45 p.m.
The Women in Business student organization creates and facilitates the conference. The organization believes in the pillars of leadership, community service, networking and professional development.
"Powerful Women Paving the Way is an opportunity for young women to understand the challenges that await them in their professional journeys, but also provide tangible and intentional ways to build your own personal power and enter the workforce with an open mind and an optimistic outlook," said Lindsay Peoples, editor-in-chief at the Cut and former editor-in-chief at Teen Vogue.