our 2021 keynote speakers
Kimberly Hildebrand
Opening Keynote: Sept 15th 1:00 -1:50
Kimberly Hildebrand, MFT graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA, in 2012 with a Masters in Clinical Counseling and her track was marriage and family therapy. Upon graduation, Kimberly began working as a clinician both in an office setting and intensive outreach in the community. She was thriving in her career until she became gravely ill. She was admitted into the hospital in Philadelphia. She underwent painful spinal taps, seven days in the ICU with a chemical-induced coma, and numerous procedures to help with the pain. Kimberly was losing her ability to move, and there seemed to be no hope. During one of her hospital stays, she had an eye-opening experience that changed how she saw her situation. This mind shift was the beginning step to changing her life and take back control. Her comeback and determination are both inspiring and educational. Kimberly has developed her own business as a life coach, motivational speaker, and writer.
Amy Blansit
Opening Keynote: Sept 16th 9:00 -9:50
Amy Blansit serves as program director for RISE (Formally know as the Northwest Project), a poverty alleviation initiative in Springfield, Mo. In addition, she is chairman of the Drew Lewis Foundation and operates The Fairbanks, a renovated grade school that now serves as a center for community betterment programs in Springfield’s Grant Beach neighborhood. Initially based at The Fairbanks, the Northwest Project uses a community-driven development model that couples family support with neighborhood development and sustainability to help families overcome the challenges that have kept them living in poverty. Blansit founded the Drew Lewis Foundation in memory of her husband, who shared a vision of community betterment. Focused on asset-based urban development, the Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in underserved neighborhoods. In addition to her leadership role on the Northwest Project, Blansit is an instructor in the Kinesiology department at Missouri State University. She completed her doctorate in Health Science from A.T. Still University. She received a master’s degree from Adelphi University and a bachelor’s degree from Drury University.
Victoria Learned-Fenty
Closing Keynote: Spet 16th 2:00-2:50
Victoria is an Indiana University Graduate with over 9 years of insurance industry experience. She began her career on the Excess & Surplus side of business as a Wholesale Generalist/Professional Liability Broker with Burns & Wilcox, a Kaufman Financial Group company. She joined Chubb North America Financial Lines Midwest team as a Senior Private/Non-Profit Management Liability Underwriter in 2019. Most recently she was promoted to join the Chubb Global Insurance Corporate Learning & Development team as a Financial Lines Learning Facilitator. Prior to this role, she was a Management Liability Underwriting Specialist at Selective Insurance as a member of their corporate underwriting team and remotely managing the Heartland Region (which includes 7 Midwest states). Victoria also continues to be engaged within the industry across various leadership roles within the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) and is currently serving as a National Big I Diversity Council Agency Best Practices committee volunteer. Additionally, she was named 2019 PIA of Indiana Company Person of the Year and is serving as President of the NAAIA Indiana Chapter. She was named NAAIA Indiana’s Young Professional Of the Year in 2016 by her peers. Victoria was also selected in 2016 as one of Insurance Business America’s Young Gun award recipients. She has been formally acknowledged in Rough Notes Magazine for philanthropic nature and good works within her respective companies & the NAAIA organization. Her dynamic background and industry awareness drive her passion for Diversity, Inclusion & Equity with the Insurance, and her local Indianapolis community. It is her lifelong pledge to stand for civic duty and social justice. In December 2020, she was announced as IBA’s Hot 100 Insurance Professionals who made an impact on the industry during the year of 2020.
our 2021 speakers
We’ll start by discussing marketing funnels and target market. With this info, each participant will define a micro-moment that can help bring in leads for their business.
That micro-moment will be turned into a blog post or “article” blueprint. I’ll give suggestions on what to include in the article and how to write so Google will notice it. Keyword research, voice, images, and a few more subtopics will be covered as well.
Most of us are really good at doing the thing we do — after all, we wouldn’t be here if we weren’t committed professionals. But sometimes we’re faced with things we have to do, and we may not always know how. Communication is frequently in this category.
My session will be about the development of your personal and professional growth. Teaching women to be vulnerable while making emotional connections within their community, workplace and as well as in their life in general. Many women always have one foot out the door or stay clear of other women to avoid drama. We are quick to judge someone based of status or appearance. This exercise allows women to see the other valuable things in women – teaching them that moving forward they can be vulnerable and make great connections.
Most business owners have no clue what website requirements exist let alone if their website has these features. In this presentation I will break down the most important parts of a website. We will focus on the usability of your website, features to make your website accessible to individuals with disabilities and security of your website.
I’ll talk about branding in the form of images. Headshots, product shots, behind the scenes – anything that is shared online today needs to be branded and beautiful. Images and video is what catches the eye of potential viewers and you need to divulge as much about yourself as you can.
A global pandemic showed us how quickly a major business interruption can occur. Businesses who are able to resume operations with minimal downtime will be much more likely to recover financially and maintain jobs for their employees in the long-term. This training addresses a business’s immediate economic and operational recovery in the event of a major disruption after employees and their families are safe.
So I am a woman owned company, now what? Should I consider selling my product and/or services to the government? And if I do decide to sell to the government, what does this entail? This session will discuss the basics of government contracting at various levels but more importantly it will discuss how to leverage being a female owner through various certifications that the government offers.
This session will be full on podcasting FUN for 50 minutes! As a podcast advocate, I’ll walk the attendees through 4 reasons every business should have a podcast. From building deeper relationships with their customers to being able to repurpose their content to possibly monetizing their show – we will cover a LOT of podcasting ground!
Many businesses make small changes that have a massive impact on how customers perceive their business. By being aware of the little things we are able to make a huge impact in our customers lives and provide all around better experiences for our customers that leaves lasting loyalty to your business.
In a recent study, 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. However, only 6% say they have mastered it according to an article in Forbes. In this session, we are going to learn how to master networking by covering do’s, don’ts, a few real-life examples, and even a practice session. Networking efficiently saves you time, money and hardship by meeting with wheel-spinners. While it is based on relationships, there is a way to optimize your ability to get results from it. Besides, what’s easier? Cold-calling, prospecting or getting a warm referral from a friend or colleague?
What if engagement was our legacy?
Being able to keep and retain loyal, happy employees as well as attract new employees is part of the path to achieving great things in your business- employee engagement is a key to building a healthy, thriving business. In this workshop, we will discuss 12 questions you can use to develop a game plan and a starting point for employee engagement
Women are much more likely than men to turn down speaking opportunities or dismiss compliments on their work. When they do agree to speak, they often include multiple disclaimers in their presentation that either attribute the knowledge they are sharing to someone else or express doubt in its validity. Over the years, I’ve attended and planned hundreds of continuing education classes. I have observed these tendencies in others and I have struggled with them myself.This session is designed to help us all find ways to express confidence in our own knowledge and be better at promoting ourselves in professional settings.
This interactive session will cover the six parts of a company’s operational structure, what goes into each section, and how they work together.The session will provide an overview of a business operations structure.
The conclusion of the presentation discusses how setting up this Operational Structure can free up time for the business owner or CEO to work “on” the business rather than “in” the business.
My session covers the basics of the why and how of Profit First accounting method. We start by introducing the whys of Profit First, Why is it important, why does it work, Why its set up the way it is. Then we move on to the how of implementation, how do I figure out my allocation percentages, How do I set up my bank accounts, how do I apply this to my current system.
Realizing Your Vision – A systematic approach to discovering who you are, what you want, when you’re going to get there, where you want to go, why it matters, and how you’re going to do it.
In this interactive session participants will be able to explore 5 self-discovery tools that have been proven to help leaders realize their visions.
This session will consist of a power point presentation with a 10-15 minute Q&A at the end. The presentation will inform members of the audience about how to effectively employ older foster, high risk and vulnerable youth/young adults through the power of mentored support in the workplace. Studies show that there are significant benefits of mentored support for teens and young adults. For foster, low SES, and other vulnerable youth, mentorship can be the bridge they need in order to feel safe, seen, valued, and confident enough to succeed in the workforce. Audience members will be familiarized with common behavioral patterns and barriers to job retention that may present when employing vulnerable youth. Additionally, attendees will learn the basics of creating a class conscious and trauma informed workplace.
This session will be about informing small business owners on the types of financing that is available to them as well as what is needed in order to obtain said financing
This session will be about informing small business owners on the types of financing that is available to them as well as what is needed in order to obtain said financing
n this interactive workshop, business owners will learn about the Goals & Strategy Flywheel, a framework that ensures profitable business growth in line with company goals. By the end of the session, you will walk away with clear goals, the strategies to achieve them, and how to execute on them.
You will walk away with a sample roadmap on how to go back and engage your team with your vision, goals and targets that are measurable, the strategies you will use to achieve them, and the KPIs you will track to measure your progress.
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Profit & Cash is a fun and engaging way to learn how to understand the Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow statements. Over 600,000 people have been through this course and everyone who attends reports improving their financial knowledge and their ability to relate the numbers to everyday work situations.
Do any of you lie awake at night thinking about taking your business to the next level, losing key employees, potential lawsuits, protecting yourself and your business? If you do, you’re not alone. As someone who runs a business of my own, I understand the financial challenges we face and how they can wear on you. It’s made me passionate about helping other business owners plan for both their company and their personal financial security, so they can sleep better at night. In this interactive session I’m going to talk about some planning strategies that could help you and your business
Do you spend too much time working IN your business and not ON your business? In this session, learn how strategic consultants think through business situations and how you can apply these ways of thinking on a daily basis. You will also learn how to create or refine your strategic focus. Learn easy practices that you can do daily that can help you start to think about your business just as a consultant would. Building a consulting mindset can help your business avoid and overcome potential problems, grow your customer base, and maintain your strategic direction. You too can learn to work ON your business more by “Thinking Like a Consultant.”
How to release and accept the power and strength that awaits to emerge, to manifest the life of our dreams. To live in the now with gratitude, self-love, and joy. Learn how to build self-trust and honor your emotions. (That’s the Soul Talking). Learning the power of silence to release fear and anxiety and put things in perspective. Practicing mindfulness, loving-kindness, and learning to LET Go to access contentment and satisfaction in life.
Are you a small business or researcher conducting R&D on innovative technology that has commercialization potential? The SBIR/STTR federal research grant program may be a great pathway to help determine feasibility and to access funding to bring your product or service to market. Join us to learn more about the $3.7 billion dollar program (FY19) and how it may be applicable to your project(s). In this session you’ll learn about:
SBIR/STTR Program Structure
Agency Differences
Eligibility Requirements
Topic Identification
SBIR Proposal Writing Grants
