Spears School of Business

For more than 30 years, the Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma International Women’s Forum has been proud to present the Women’s Business Leadership Conference, which is known for its powerful, positive impact on Oklahoma’s business women. Lou C. Kerr is the Chair of the Oklahoma International Women’s Forum that helps identify speakers for the conference.

 

The conference will be held Wednesday, March 9 form 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Tulsa Downtown Doubletree and also livestreamed as an option to participants.

 

“As you can see from the agenda, we have invited strong, forward-thinking women to speak. These women have a vision of what can be and a road map of how to get there,” said conference facilitator Alexis Smith Washington, Ph.D., who serves as OSU Spears School of Business’s Senior Inclusion Officer and the William S. Spears Chair and Associate Professor of Management.

 

“Women, regardless of where they are in their careers, need to network and develop those relationships with other successful women,” Washington added. “The Women’s Business Leadership Conference provides a place for you to do just that.”

 

Scheduled topics and speakers include the following:

• “Overcoming Challenges and Rising to the Top—Becoming One of the Most Powerful Female Legal Authorities in Georgia” with the Honorable Carol W. Hunstein (Ret.). Hunstein will discuss her career in law and the challenges she faced in overcoming polio, cancer and the loss of a leg. She married, had a child, attended college and law school. After a successful career as an attorney, she won election to the Superior Court of DeKalb County in Georgia. She then rose to the top of her profession by becoming the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Her amazing journey will be inspirational to those who might like to follow in her judicious footsteps.
• “Recognizing Your Value” with Kim Booker, Director for the Center for Sales and Service Excellence and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice within the Spears School of Business. Your value is a powerful combination of life experience, skills and character. Women may underestimate and lack recognition of their true worth resulting in missed opportunities that would better align with their personal and career goals. The session will discuss how to navigate self-promotion and to be recognized for your strengths.
• “Leadership at Every Level” with Carolyn Carter, former Chief Executive Officer of Grey Group, Europe Middle East & Africa and current Vice President of the International Women’s Forum (IWF). Moving up the leadership ladder requires developing and demonstrating the right leadership skills for every level. Drawing on over three decades as an international communications executive, Carter will share what she’s learned from her own leadership journey as well as the leaders she has helped develop and the successes and failures of the many company leaders she has worked with.
• “Leadership Stories” with Caron Lawhorn, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of ONE Gas, Inc. We all have experiences that teach us valuable lessons about leadership. Lawhorn will share some stories from her career and the impact each had on her evolution as a leader. Currently, she chairs the board of regents for Tulsa Community College and is a recent past chair of the board of directors for the Tulsa Area United Way. She is an ex officio member of the board of directors of the Southern Gas Association, a trustee for the Tulsa Stadium Trust and serves on the finance committee of the American Gas Association. In addition to earning a degree from the University of Tulsa, she is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
• “Power Moves” with Chelle Luper Wilson, who established the Clara Luper Legacy Foundation to continue her mother’s legacy in civil rights and is owner of Power Moves Communications and Pink Saige Boutique. Drawing from her personal and professional life, Wilson will address how women can become leaders. She will share how her passion for creative problem solving thrives in environments with those who excited about change and are eager to generate new ideas that improve programs/products.
• “The Art of Success and Why You are Worthy” with Glenda Radigonda, owner/operator of G Gallery & Glass Studio. Radigonda will share with you through her successes, tips on how to define and make it happen. She has a lifetime of experiences through being an actress, an artist and so much more by living a life with positive energy.

The Women’s Business Leadership Conference is presented by the OSU Spears School of Business and the Oklahoma International Women’s Forum and is coordinated by the Center for Executive and Professional Development.

 

To register, visit https://business.okstate.edu/cepd/programs/womens_leadership.html. The registration fee is $225 per person, if registered before February 25, 2022, and $300 per person if registered after February 25, 2022.

 

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Current sponsors are as follows:

Gold Sponsors:

• The Kerr Foundation, Inc.
• Phillips 66
• Wills Holdings
• Oklahoma Women's Foundation

Silver Sponsors:

• Grant Thornton
• Marilyn Mabrey Sulivant & Dan Sulivant
• Mariner Wealth Advisors
• MaybreyBank

Bronze Sponsors:

• Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity
• KOSU
• OMRF (Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation)
• OSU Office of the President

Sponsors:

• ConocoPhillips
• Excellence Engineering
• Hellez First
• Mary Frances Michaelis
• TFCU (Tinker Federal Credit Union)

For more information, contact Kelle DeBord at kelle.debord@okstate.edu or 405.744.5208 or visit https://business.okstate.edu/cepd/programs/womens_leadership.html.