Agenda - June 19, 2018

Caitlin Baggeroer is a Regional Manager within the Client Engagement Center (CEC) of Putnam Retail Management. She is responsible for managing an internal sales force covering the Mid-Atlantic region.

Caitlin assists the team in professional development, sales, and marketing of all Putnam products, including mutual funds, variable annuities, 401(k)s, 529 college savings, and retirement plans. Previously at Putnam, Caitlin has held various roles, including Dealer Marketing Services Supervisor, a Regional Marketing Associate, and a Dealer Marketing Services Representative. She has been in the investment industry since she joined Putnam in 2011.

Caitlin earned her B.A. degree in Rhetoric & Communication Studies from the University of Richmond in Richmond, VA, where she was also co-captain of the swim team.

Caitlin also holds her Series 6, 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses with FINRA.

Kim Bilawchuk is committed to getting young professionals "unstuck" and helping them find the career of their dreams. If you are looking for a proven professional who can help you identify what you're good at and what interests you, create a plan to get you where you want to be and help you develop the skills and tools you need to achieve your success, you've come to the right place.

Kim has 20 years of corporate and academic counseling experience working with amazing clients with similar worries and concerns and guiding them to achieve remarkable success. Her mission is to help EVERYONE find their dream careers.

She holds an MBA from Boston College, an M.Ed. in counseling from Boston University and a B.B.A. from UMass Amherst.

www.kbcareercoach.com

Prof. Meg Bond is the Director of the Center for Women and Work and a professor of psychology at UMass Lowell. She is also the director of the university's National Science Foundation-funded ADVANCE institutional transformation grant, Making WAVES (Women Academics Valued and Engaged in STEM). The primary focus of the five-year, $3.5 million grant is to address microagressions through bystander interventions.

Meg is a community psychologist by training, specializing in the dynamics of workforce diversity and the prevention of workplace sexual harassment. Her work adopts a social ecological framework, and her book "Workplace Chemistry: Promoting Diversity through Organizational Change" (2007, University Press of New England) chronicles a long-term organizational change project focused on issues of gender and race/ethnicity.

Meg has received career awards for her mentoring of ethnically and racially diverse professionals and for her contributions to understanding diversity in community psychology. She has also served in national leadership roles with the Society for Community Research and Action, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues and the American Psychological Association.

Lorna Boucher is managing director and chief marketing officer of Instinet Holdings Inc., the innovative equity trading arm of the Nomura Group. She serves on Instinet's executive committee, the global firm's most senior management organization.

Lorna has always embraced the challenges of leading a company at a major pivot point in its marketing or branding strategy. She launched her marketing career as part of an academic project while still a student at the Manning School of Business at UMass Lowell by proposing a marketing plan to help the small businesses in downtown Lowell compete with the shopping malls nearby. Her program was so well received that she was offered an internship and then her first full-time professional job with The Lowell Plan, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to transformative projects for the city. Over the next 20 years, Lorna went on to more senior roles in marketing and brand management, ultimately relocating to New York City in the early 1990s to work for major global financial services firms including Bankers Trust Company, UBS and KCG Holdings.

In November 2017, Markets Media, a financial services industry media company, honored Lorna with the Women in Finance Award for Excellence in Marketing, also known as the "Marketing Maven" award.

Lorna currently serves on the Manning School's Advisory Board.

Kristen Brown is vice president of Global Talent Acquisition for Kronos Incorporated, the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Kronos has over 5,000 employees worldwide and does business in more than 100 countries. Brown is responsible for leading Kronos' global efforts to attract and hire the best talent in the technology industry. In her time at Kronos, she has led strategic recruitment efforts to support the company's growth to over $1 billion in annual revenue.

Before joining Kronos in 2011, Brown served as the director of talent acquisition for ULTA Beauty during a significant growth period for the company. Brown's team successfully supported the 150%+ increase in ULTA's retail store base during her tenure. Prior to ULTA, she led recruitment efforts for Staples U.S. Retail organization, which also experienced significant growth at that time.

Brown holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from the School of Management at Simmons College.

As an executive coach for more than a decade, Deb Busser partners with C-suite level leaders who are committed to their own evolution. Prior to founding Energy Spring Leadership in 2003, Deb was with Fidelity Investments for 10 years. At Fidelity, she held management roles in corporate HR and product marketing. Deb was also a partner at an executive career management firm and managed several profit centers for an international employment firm.

Her client list includes Fortune 500 companies, pre-IPO startups, professional service firms and nonprofit organizations. She also provides individual leadership coaching and group facilitation for several Harvard Business School Executive Education programs.

Deb has been a co-chair of the peer mentoring program at The Boston Club, an organization whose mission is the advancement of women to top leadership roles. She has been published or quoted in multiple publications on issues related to leadership, talent management and workplace trends.

Deb has a B.S. in business administration-marketing and a master's in community social psychology from UMass Lowell, where she taught Dynamics of Interpersonal Relations as an adjunct. The university recognized Deb as the 2010 Outstanding Psychology Graduate Alumna for her contributions to enhance and promote human development and wellbeing.

Michele Courton Brown is a seasoned executive with more than two decades of experience in leading, managing and providing strategic direction to philanthropic, corporate and nonprofit organizations.

Currently Michele is chief executive officer of Quality Interactions, a leading provider of cultural competency training for the healthcare industry. The company trains healthcare professionals to communicate with and care for diverse patient populations to improve patient experience, health outcomes and financial results. Prior to joining Quality Interactions, she was chief operating officer of The Efficacy Institute, a national education reform organization, where she oversaw operations and was engaged in program expansion, client relations, marketing and the formation of strategic partnerships.

In the realm of philanthropy, Michele was a senior vice president and national practice director for Bank of America’s Philanthropic Management Group, where she provided advice to high net-worth clients and served as a subject matter expert. Also at Bank of America, Michele served as a market director, leading a multi-state team of professionals who served the client service, fiduciary, administrative, and philanthropic advisory needs of high net-worth individuals, families, foundations, and non-profit institutions, with combined assets of $6 billion.

Michele was president of the FleetBoston Financial Foundation, which contributed over $25 million annually to charitable endeavors. Previously, she was executive director of Corporate Contributions for BankBoston and executive director of The Travelers Insurance Companies Foundation. A frequent writer and speaker on charitable giving, Michele co-authored "Just Money: A Critique of Contemporary American Philanthropy."

Michele currently serves as vice-chair of the board of the Judge Baker Children's Center, vice-chair of Health Resources in Action’s board of directors, and as a director of YouthBuild USA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. Previously, Michele served as Vice Chair of MassPro, a federally designated healthcare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), and as a trustee of Faulkner Hospital.

Michele earned a B.A. in Economics from Boston University, where she is completing a M.S. in Health Communication. She currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her husband Philip Brown and their two sons.

Maureen Crawford Hentz is vice president of human resources at A.W. Chesterton Co. Maureen has more than 20 years of experience in talent acquisition, talent management and career strategy leadership in a variety of settings, ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to manufacturing companies and environmental nonprofits. Maureen's expertise covers a range of career topics, including millennial psychology, networking, disabilities in the workplace, business etiquette and recruiting issues. She has been quoted by The New York Times, Newsday, Elle, The Boston Globe, U.S. News and World Report and National Public Radio. She is a Quintessential Careers "Career Mastermind" and a regular contributor to the webzine quintcareers.com.

When she's not speaking, writing or reading about career strategy issues, she can be found critiquing job descriptions on LinkedIn - for fun - and giving career advice to grocery store cashiers, bank tellers and joggers going past her house.

Francine Crystal is president of Crystal Clear Consulting. She is an insightful coach, a seasoned Organization Development Consultant and a valued strategic thought partner to leaders throughout higher education and social benefit organizations. She draws on 30 years of work experience and a commitment to her own continuous learning to bring her clients new perspectives, expanded options and a pathway for reaching their desired futures.

Since 2003, Francine has provided executive coaching, team development, strategic facilitation and customized human resource development strategies to dozens of organizations. Whether coaching a leader in a new executive position, working with an entire leadership team or guiding an organizational change process, Francine is known for quickly establishing trusting working relationships, providing compassionate straight talk and encouraging creative solutions.

Ellen Duffy is a Certified Financial Planner™ and owner of Parkway Wealth Management, an independent firm offering investment advice and financial planning services that has offices in West Roxbury and Wellesley. Its website is www.parkwaywealth.net.

Ellen's career in financial services began more than 25 years ago when she accepted an entry-level customer service role with a mutual fund company. She vividly recalls an early training session about investing, saving for retirement and the power of financial literacy. Ellen was astonished to learn that people have choices and some control over their financial well-being. While she felt empowered, she thought of her own mother, a registered nurse who was not involved with the household finances – and suffered as a result. Ellen decided to advance her own knowledge and earned Certified Financial Planner™ professional certification in 2006.

After spending 20 years in investment management with downtown firms, Ellen started Parkway Wealth to serve clients in an authentic way and offer unbiased financial advice. Her business focuses on helping women feel more confident and informed.

Ellen lives in West Roxbury with her husband, Tim Turley, and their three children. She serves on the board of the Parkway YMCA and is involved with several local organizations, including West Roxbury Business Professionals Association, Boston Women Inc., Families In Need and Relay for Life. She is a member of Holy Name Parish.

Elana Feldman is an Assistant Professor of Management in the Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where she currently teaches Organizational Behavior. Her research explores how the temporal and relational elements of organizations shape people's experiences, work, and personal development. She is a founder of and Steering Committee member for the Positive Relationships at Work Microcommunity. Elana holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University (Magna Cum Laude). Prior to joining UMass-Lowell, Elana worked as a market analyst in the pharameutical/biotech industry, and as a consultant in the areas of leadership and talent management.

Linda M. Gadsby is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Scholastic Inc., the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. She has been with the company since 1997. In her current role, Linda advises the company's Management Executive Team members regularly, is responsible for handling all labor and employment law matters, serves as the primary attorney for the company's Education, Book Fairs, and National Service Organization divisions, handles the company's immigration and employee benefits law areas, and serves on the company's Administrative Committee. Linda values giving back to her community, especially in support of youth, education, and women. She is a member of numerous community service organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, The Links, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.. Linda is also an active alumni leader at her alma maters: Cornell University, where she serves on the Board of Trustees, NYU School of Law, where she is on the Board of the NYU Law Alumni Association and Co-Chair of the Awards Committee, and Stuyvesant High School, where she is one of the founding members of the Stuyvesant High School Black Alumni Diversity Initiative. Linda has been widely honored for her professional achievements and community service by the Consulate General of Barbados in New York, Chambers USA, NYU School of Law, Girl Scouts of Greater New York, Young Barbadian Professionals Society, Savoy Magazine, The Network Journal, and Diversity MBA Magazine.

Prof. Monica Galizzi is chairwoman of the Department of Economics and a senior associate of the Center for Women and Work at UMass Lowell.

Previously, she worked at the Workers Compensation Research Institute and at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She has published numerous monographs and articles in peer-reviewed journals. At UML, she has been involved as a primary or co-investigator on several interdisciplinary projects, including some federally funded research grants.

Monica teaches classes in principles of micro- and macro-economics, labor economics and health cconomics. In 2007, she won the Eckstein Prize, awarded biennially for the best article in the Eastern Economic Journal. In 2008, she received the Teaching Innovation Program Certificate of Achievement awarded by the American Economic Association Committee on Economic Education. In 2012, she was nominated a new member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.

Monica was born and raised in Piacenza, Italy, and came to the United States in 1987 to further pursue her studies. She holds an Italian doctorate of research in economic policy as well as a Ph.D. in economics from Boston University.

Shayne Gilbert has been fueling the entrepreneurial community since starting Silverweave in 1994. Through Future Forward Events, Shayne creates exclusive programs for high technology and life sciences executives and investors including the Nantucket Conference and the Convergence Forum. Shayne is also the founder of Campseeker, a corporate wellness benefit that solves the school break challenge for working parents. Clients include Genentech, Wayfair and General Dynamics. Shayne started the Girl Hackathon in 2016 to create a positive environment for girls to use technology and seed a lifelong interest in the field. The author of "90 Days to Launch," Shayne and her work have been recognized in The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe and Wired. Shayne is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is an avid CrossFit enthusiast and competes annually in the CrossFit Open. Shayne lives in Boston with her husband and daughter.

Michelle C. Haynes-Baratz is an associate professor of psychology at UMass Lowell and a faculty associate of the Center for Women and Work. For almost two decades, her research has focused on workplace diversity issues, with a particular interest in the obstacles experienced by women and people of color and strategies for overcoming those obstacles. In her most recent work, she is focusing on microaggressions - subtle, everyday expressions of bias that are particularly harmful in their cumulative impact.

Michelle is the social science research director for the ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Project at UMass Lowell: Making WAVES (Women Academics Valued and Engaged in STEM), which is funded by a $3.5 million National Science Foundation grant. The goal of the project is to disrupt interpersonal and institutional microaggressions that undermine the productivity and well-being of women faculty in science, technology, engineering and math.

Michelle regularly publishes her work in top academic journals and her research has been cited in popular news outlets including The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Harvard Business Review, Los Angeles Times, NPR and Cosmopolitan.

She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wellesley College, a master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology from New York University and a Ph.D. in social psychology from NYU. She teaches courses in research methods and workplace diversity.

Dana Henry is currently director of the Organizational Development & Learning Solutions business unit at the UMass Donahue Institute.

She has more than 25 years of experience focused on the design, development and implementation of competency-based leadership development systems and custom learning solutions. She has led senior leaders through strategic planning and prioritization, developed change management skills in middle managers and built organizational bench strength through the development of emerging leaders.

Dana's most recent role was leading MassMutual's enterprise-wide learning and development program, which supported the company's goal of ensuring a workforce that is more engaged and talented than its competitors. She affected the ongoing development of all employees in MassMutual by providing learning and development resources and programs at the executive, manager and employee levels.

Dana has presented on diverse organizational development topics at conferences in the United States, Canada and Europe, and consulted across a wide variety of industries and organizations including BOSE, Eli Lilly, Lucent, ABB, Cisco Systems, CIGNA, Pitney Bowes, the CIA, the State of Florida, the State of Alaska and the United Nations.

She received her MBA in management information systems and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from UMass Amherst. She also holds numerous professional certifications in management and team assessment techniques.

Beth Humberd, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Management in the Manning School of Business at UMass Lowell, where she teaches Organizational Behavior to undergraduates and doctoral students. She is also a Faculty Associate with the UML Center for Women and Work. Dr. Humberd conducts research in the areas of gender and diversity in organizations, leadership and identity development, and relational dynamics at work. Her research is published in top academic journals and has received media attention from outlets including Time, Forbes, Fortune, New York Times & the Wall Street Journal. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Babson College, an MBA from Bentley University, and her Ph.D. in Organization Studies from Boston College's Carroll School of Management. Prior to her academic career, she worked for a number of years in various roles within Corporate Finance and Human Resources at a medical device company and a top accounting firm.

Isabelle Lousada is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit Amyloidosis Research Consortium (ARC). Isabelle, an amyloidosis patient, established ARC in 2015 to accelerate the development of and access to new and innovative treatments for a group of rare, systemic amyloidosis diseases. ARC has become a global leader in the rare disease field by building collaborations across industry, academia and regulatory bodies to align research strategies and advance the science and understanding of these diseases. ARC is focused on ensuring the successful approval, adoption and diffusion of valuable new treatments and diagnostic tests. Isabelle is active in the rare disease community. She serves on a number of boards and committees, and she speaks at key leadership meetings and conferences. Isabelle is a qualified architect and holds a master’s degree from University College, London.

Kande McDonald is vice president of Crystal Clear Consulting. Kande is an executive coach, trainer and facilitator with over 20 years' experience working in social benefit organizations and higher education, on staff and as an external consultant. She has developed unconventional approaches to leadership development in higher education, such as virtual coaching groups for leaders from diverse schools and leadership training for support staff. She coaches and consults with faculty and staff at all stages of their careers to make successful transitions into new roles, navigate organizational uncertainty and change, tackle persistent organizational challenges, improve communication and develop confidence and competence as managers and leaders.

Kande blends her nontraditional career experiences in the performing arts, writing and yoga with her human resources training and experience to bring a holistic and creative approach to her work. She regularly incorporates mindfulness practices to support improved focus, stress management and self-awareness. Whether facilitating a large group or working with individuals, Kande cultivates an environment of empathy, humor and non-judgment to establish a safe and fun learning environment.

Kim Meninger is an ICF-certified executive coach with a proven track record of success in the high-tech industry. She leverages her professional experience, as well as her MBA and psychology degrees, to help individuals and organizations reach their full leadership potential. While she serves a diverse mix of leaders representing a broad range of roles and industries, she has a special interest in partnering with women to help them become more confident, visible and influential leaders.

Prior to coaching, Kim had a successful corporate career managing strategic partnerships at EMC Corp. and Monster Worldwide. Kim has a B.A. in psychology and an MBA from Boston College. She is an ICF-certified and CCE Board Certified Coach for executive and leadership development. Kim also holds a certificate in executive leadership from Cornell University.

www.executivecareersuccess.com

Lauren Mersereau serves as a vice president and senior financial advisor with Enterprise Wealth Management, where she provides sound investment management, financial planning and fiduciary services for individuals, trusts and institutions. As a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Lauren advises clients on estate, retirement and tax planning as part of their overall financial positions.

Lauren began her career as a successful participant in Enterprise Bank's Leadership Development Program, completing an integrated rotation through key profit centers within the organization. Upon finishing in 2003, Lauren was appointed associate relationship manager with Enterprise Wealth Management, before advancing to her current role.

Lauren is actively involved with a number of organizations in her community, including serving as a member of the board of directors for Faith Home Corp. of Lowell and as captain of the Enterprise Bank Walk-A-Thon team for D'Youville Life and Wellness Community.

Emmy is a professional certified leadership coach, facilitator and speaker with more than 20 years of management and learning and development experience. She works with organizations to integrate customized learning and coaching solutions that develop leaders, teams and employees, resulting in increased employee engagement and productivity.

In addition to owning Momentum Learning Solutions, Emmy facilitates a variety of learning programs for the Association for Talent Development, Mind Gym and the Employers Association for the NorthEast. She has taught many programs focused on leadership and management development, effective communication, diversity and inclusion, training and coaching and customer service. Known for her transformational trainings and her engaging delivery style, Emmy is able to quickly connect with her audience, create an effective learning environment and facilitate learning that is both practical and relevant for today's leaders and employees in many different sectors. Her expertise in using various assessments helps participants increase their self-awareness, reduce ineffective behaviors and achieve results faster at work as well as in their personal lives.

Emmy's passion for helping others inspired her to become a professional coach. Helping people gain awareness, develop skills, build confidence and achieve their goals is what she finds most rewarding about her job.

Emmy earned her MBA and bachelor's degree in marketing and communications from Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. She also has numerous professional certifications.

Cindy Mundy has worked as a self-employed market research consultant since 2014. Prior to working independently, Cindy spent nine years at Decision Resources Group, where she worked as an analyst, a director and a senior vice president. As a senior vice president, she managed multiple teams that were responsible for creating a portfolio of syndicated health care research. Earlier in her career, Cindy worked in intellectual property law at Hale and Dorr LLP. She holds a Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University and a B.A. in biology and English from Williams College.

Danielle Niles is the Meteorologist for CBS Boston's WBZ-TV Morning (4:30AM-7AM) News with co-anchors Kate Merrill and Chris McKinnon. A native of Weymouth, MA, Niles joined WBZ-TV News from New England Cable News where she spent five years as weekday morning meteorologist. Before that, Niles was a forecaster at Weather Services International in Andover, MA where she provided forecasts for private companies.

Niles is a 2006 cum laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts/Lowell where she earned her bachelor's degree in atmospheric science, and was captain of the women's varsity soccer team. She then went on to earn a master's degree in meteorology at Florida State University.

Kristine Porcaro has spent the past 20 years helping people navigate the often scary and confusing world of investing to make important life decisions and meet their financial goals. She specializes in addressing the emotional side of her clients' lives and how that fits into their financial decisions. Her personal experiences as an entrepreneur, a mom and the caregiver for an ailing parent have contributed to her understanding and passion for truly personal financial advising.

Kristine founded Lexington Advisors in 1997 and merged with Michael Tucci to form Lexington Wealth Management in 2000. Before that, she spent six years managing an advisory firm that was part of a regional brokerage company. She is a former member of the national advisory board for Charles Schwab. Kristine earned her B.S. in business administration and marketing from UMass Lowell and took courses in Certified Financial Planning at Northeastern University.

Her style and knowledge have earned her five stars from Boston Magazine for six years in a row. She has also been recognized as one of the top women-owned Registered Investment Advisors, a Reuters Advice Point top advisor and one of WORTH magazine's Top 250 Wealth Advisors. Most recently, she earned an honorable mention as a top women-led business in Massachusetts. She has provided commentary and insights to Investment News, Financial Advisor, Investment Advisor magazine and other media outlets.

Kristine created and runs a monthly Empower Women series for women to learn more about financial topics in a welcoming setting. She sits on the board of the Entrepreneurs Organization, speaks on financial literacy for the United Teen Equality Center in Lowell and is a new member of Pepperlane, a group of women business owners who are also moms. She donates her time and talents to Cranmore Race Team, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Girl Scouts and the Alzheimer's Association.

Jessica Reed is a General Partner at Alta Equity Partners, where she has been part of the team since joining as an Associate in 2006. During this time, she has led and managed investments in a diverse group of companies across a range of industries including technology, business services, distribution, media and advertising. Jessica serves on the Board for many of her investments and is actively involved in pursuing strategic opportunities and exploring operational improvements with the companies to maximize financial performance. She was named to GrowthCap's Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors in 2015 and 2014.

Prior to Alta, Jessica was an investment banker in the Boston office for Harris Williams & Co. Her work at HW&Co. consisted of sell-side advisory engagements for small, privately-held middle market companies in the industrial, consumer products, telecommunications and business services sectors. Jessica graduated summa cum laude from Babson College where she played softball and contributed to the college community as a peer advisor and peer tutor. She spent one of her Babson summers at the London School of Economics exploring Europe and completing an internship in the fixed income division of State Street Global Advisors. Jessica is an active member of the Boston steering committee for the Women's Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE), a national networking organization for women in venture capital and private equity. After growing up in the coastal town of Wells, ME, Jessica currently resides in Concord, MA with her husband and two boys.

Kristen Rupert is Senior Vice President of Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), the largest business association in the state. AIM engages in public policy work on behalf of its 4,000 member companies, which represent a wide variety of industries – about one-third of members are manufacturers – and range in size from large multinationals to small corner stores.

As senior vice president of external affairs, Kristen promotes and strengthens AIM’s brand, creates opportunities for collaboration with external business and community organizations and pursues alliances that advance AIM’s public policy agenda. She also serves as executive director of the AIM International Business Council, which helps companies engage in international trade and expand their global business activities.

Kristen sits on the board of the Massachusetts District Export Council, an initiative of the U.S Department of Commerce, and is also a member of the International Policy Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She has participated in trade missions led by the Massachusetts governor to Central and South America, Western Europe, the Middle East and Canada. She is a graduate of Cornell University.

Janel Ryan wants to live in a world filled with wickedly smart people, one that creates line-of-sight opportunities for everyone and one where she can make an impact.

As a sales enablement guru, Janel's responsibilities span across NETSCOUT Arbor's partner and sales communities as well as its internal sales teams. Enablement programs that she directs include on-boarding, coaching and ongoing training for partners and NETSCOUT Arbor sales teams. The enablement team specializes in the creation of learning and sales tools that drive productivity. Janel also spearheads NETSCOUT Arbor's strategic account program, which focuses on critical customers. She is co-founder of "Women on their Way", a grassroots effort to improve opportunities for women in technology within NETSCOUT.

Janel has more than two decades' worth of experience in companies like SunGard Availability Services and Verizon, leading marketing efforts for managed services and the cloud. During her tenure at Verizon, she held roles in field marketing as well as global sales.

In her spare time, you can find Janel on the sidelines of a lacrosse field, the ice hockey rink or a robotics competition, cheering on her children.

Janel holds a bachelor's of business degree from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. If you want to follow Janel, she can be found on Twitter: @janel_ryan and on LinkedIn: Janel Ryan.

Erica L. Steckler (Twitter: @EricaSteckler) is an Assistant Professor of Management and Co-Director of the Donahue Center for Business Ethics & Social Responsibility in the Robert J. Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research focuses on stakeholder perceptions of organizational authenticity within the global domains of sustainability and corporate responsibility. Recent work explores the personal sustainability practices of successful social entrepreneurs who have played a prominent role in establishing new institutions at the intersection of business in society. Overall, her work contributes to an understanding of key dynamics among organizations, leadership, and stakeholders in strategic social issue contexts. She received her Ph.D. from the department of Management & Organization at Boston College. Before her academic career, Erica's international professional experience spanned consulting, technology, research, and higher-educational fields.

Patricia R. Stevens, assistant vice president and financial advisor, Enterprise Wealth Services

Patricia R. Stevens is a 2006 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in finance. Upon graduation, she became a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial in Charlestown, Mass. After successfully building her own practice, she joined a top-tier franchise advisor at Ameriprise Financial and continued her work as an associate financial advisor. She joined Enterprise Wealth Services in May 2012, where she serves as a financial advisor and assistant vice president.

Patricia has obtained her FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations (held through Commonwealth Financial Network^®) as well as her life, accident, and health insurance licenses. She is also a Certified Financial Planner^® through Bryant University.

Patricia is a member of the board of directors of the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council

Dune Thorne is a partner at Brown Advisory and head of the firm's Boston office. She serves on the executive and operating committees and leads some of the firm's largest and most complex investment advisory and consulting relationships. Brown Advisory manages over $55 billion for institutions and families, with a focus on being a thoughtful investment partner by leading asset allocation, investment research and manager search and selection.

Dune is also involved in the community. She chairs the investment committee for the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and serves on the museum's board and executive committee. She is a trustee and member of the investment committee for Milton Academy, and also serves on the investment committee for the Lincoln Nursery School. She is the founder and chairwoman of the board of Invest in Girls and is a member of the Golden Seeds LP Advisory Committee, Women Moving Millions, Plum Alley and Tiger 21.

Dune has published articles in Financial Planning and Forbes.com and has been quoted by The Financial Times, American Banker, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Family Wealth Report, Investment News, Bloomberg, Private Asset Management and in the book "Women and Philanthropy." She was honored as one of the 2013 World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders and as one of the Top 50 Women in Wealth by AdvisorOne. She also received Boston Business Journal's Emerging Leader Award in 2011.

Dune earned her bachelor's degree at Dartmouth and her MBA from Harvard Business School, where she completed independent studies on women and investing. She is a Certified Wealth Strategist^® and a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor. She is also a graduate of the Boston Center for Community and Justice's LeadBoston program on diversity and social justice and the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century program at Harvard University's Kennedy School.

Robin Toof is co-director of the Center for Community Research and Engagement (CCRE) and director of the Service-Learning and Community Co-ops office at UMass Lowell. She holds a doctorate in higher education administration and a master's in community social psychology.

Robin has worked in the field of research and evaluation, community partnerships, program management and facilitation for 20 years. Agencies and projects that she has been involved in include: the Lowell Police Department's Shannon Grant-funded Community Safety Initiative; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded Cambodian Community Health 2010 health disparities reduction program; four Center for Substance Abuse Prevention projects in Lowell, Worcester and Lawrence; the Lowell Police Department's Weed and Seed and Problem Solving grants; the Lowell School Department's health curriculum; Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and Lowell Housing Authority's partnership to improve services to elders and disabled residents; and Family Service Inc.'s HIV/AIDS prevention, marriage enrichment and AMIGOS mentoring programs.

Robin has also facilitated numerous team-building, training and strategic planning workshops for corporate, nonprofit, college and youth work teams and has taught graduate courses in grant writing and working with groups.

Samantha Washburn-Baronie is the Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Empowerment for the Massachusetts State Treasury.

Previously, Samantha was the associate director of corporate and foundation relations at Simmons College, where she worked alongside faculty and administrators to advance the institution's mission of educating women for their own empowerment and for leadership. She also served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, an organization aimed at creating parity for women in the political sphere, and as a legislative aide for state Rep. David Linsky.

Samantha received a B.A. in urban studies from Eugene Lang College at the New School in New York City and is currently a student at Framingham State University in the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program. A Massachusetts native, Samantha lives in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston.

Susu Wong is the Founder and Principal of Tomo360, a marketing agency that helps businesses and nonprofits in their digital marketing and online promotions. She was an adjunct professor of marketing at UMass Lowell and is a frequent speaker and instructor at entrepreneur and small business centers.

Using her diverse business experience, Susu and her team have successfully helped business owners and entrepreneurs to integrate creative branding, website designs, social media, search engine optimization and email marketing. In 2017, the Wilmington Library website that her team designed was awarded first place for best website design by the Massachusetts Library Association.

Susu has 20 years of experience in marketing, business development and technology licensing for Fortune 500, high-tech, biotech, academic and health care organizations. She was formerly the associate director of business development and technology transfer at Addgene, where she developed marketing programs to enhance communications with academia and life science companies. Previously, Susu was a business strategy manager in the Innovation Office at Partners Healthcare and a product program manager at IBM.

Susu is an advocate for helping women advance their careers. She is a co-founder of Women Accelerators, a nonprofit organization that provides networking, mentoring and educational programs to help women in advancing their career goals. She is also serving as a mentor. She holds a Masters of Science in IT Management from Lesley University and earned certificates in digital marketing from Northeastern University and in website design from Georgetown University.

Christine Yip Cruzvergara joined Wellesley College in 2016 as first associate provost and executive director for career education. In this newly developed role, she is charged with building a comprehensive career model that engages the entire college ecosystem and with leading the college's effort to create greater opportunity for women in the 21st century and to empower the next generation of women leaders. Christine oversees a portfolio of more than 30 professionals in four areas: career services, internships, fellowships and scholarships and civic engagement.

Christine recently received national recognition for her forward-thinking work and innovative model at Wellesley by winning the 2017 Career Excellence Award from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the 2017 Innovation Award from Eduventure. She is well-known in the profession for the seminal article she co-authored with Farouk Dey (Stanford University) on "10 Future Trends in College Career Services."

Christine has a reputation as a creative problem-solver and organizational change agent who leads her teams to embrace and drive transformation. She has held senior positions and board roles at multiple institutions and organizations, including George Mason University, Georgetown University, The George Washington University, NACE and the American College Personnel Association. She has delivered national and international presentations and keynotes, and she regularly serves as a leadership and change consultant for elite, liberal arts, private, public and research institutions.

Christine earned her master's degree in college student personnel from the University of Maryland, College Park and her bachelor's degree in psychology from James Madison University.