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8:30 to 10:15: Keynote- Setting Boundaries So Work Doesn't Creep Into Everything

8:30 to 10:15

Location
Main Ballroom
Speakers
  • Stefanie Marik - Founder & Owner, IVATI
    Stefanie Marik is the Founder of IVATI, a leadership company built on five actions: Intentionality, Vulnerability, Authenticity, Tenacity, and Integrity. Believing every individual is a leader, Stefanie helps organizations invest proactively in leadership development for all roles, not just managers. With 10+ years of leadership experience and an MA in Organizational Leadership & Learning from George Washington University, Stefanie designs inclusive, engaging speeches and trainings grounded in adult learning theory and tailored to each audience. She is also Director of Food & Nutrition Services at Marquardt SD15 and 2024–2025 President of the Illinois School Nutrition Association.
Summary
Boundaries aren't just about work-life balance. They're about what you will and won't tolerate—at work, in relationships, and with yourself. For women, saying no to anything feels risky: you might be seen as difficult, selfish, uncommitted, or hostile. So you say yes to everything: extra projects, difficult clients, unreasonable demands, perfectionism, self-criticism. This keynote explores why women struggle with boundaries, what it actually costs you, and how to set them strategically—with colleagues, with clients, with difficult relationships, and with your own expectations—without the guilt or backlash. Key Take Aways: Why boundaries feel risky for women and what the real risks actually are How to identify where you need boundaries (not just work vs. personal life, but with people, projects, expectations) Practical language and strategies for setting boundaries in specific, uncomfortable situations How to hold boundaries without guilt, justification, or apology—even when others push back

10:30 am: Stop Beating Yourself Up: Leading with Compassion

10:30 to 11:30

Location
Talcott
Speakers
  • Matt Kovatchis
    Matt Kovatchis, CPCC, is an ex-corporate banker turned self-compassion and resilience speaker and executive coach. He delivers high-energy keynotes and workshops for associations and corporations nationwide, focusing on stress management, self-compassion, and heart-led leadership. After seven years at multinational banks, he left outward success behind to pursue emotional healing — now helping others do the same. Trusted by leading organizations, he also hosts The Men in the Arena, a top 1% mental health podcast. Matt is based in Chicago, IL and can be found exploring a new coffee shop or hanging out with his dog, Patty.
Summary
Self-compassion isn't self-pity or complacency—it's the foundation of resilient, effective leadership. This session explores how leading yourself with compassion makes you a better leader to others, and how to break the perfectionism and self-criticism patterns that drain your energy and undermine your work. Key Take Aways: The difference between self-compassion and self-indulgence, and why it matters. Practical ways to interrupt self-criticism and lead yourself with the same compassion you give others. How self-compassion creates more resilience, not less.

10:30 From Gut Feel to Good Decisions: Using Data to Lead with Confidence

10:30 to 11:30

Location
Munthe
Speakers
  • Laura Pomerene - Strategic Performance Leader
    Laura Pomerene is Senior Vice President and Strategic Performance Leader at Foresight Bank, where she translates enterprise strategy and long-term vision into measurable results through execution, performance analytics, data governance and enterprise initiatives. A career community banker and business leader, Laura has held leadership roles spanning strategy, product management, project management, marketing and analytics. She is known for translating data into insights that help organizations make decisions, improve performance and understand their customers. Laura holds a master’s degree in business analytics from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She serves as Board Chair of YWCA Northwestern Illinois.
Summary
You don’t need to be a data scientist to be data-driven. You need to know what questions to ask, where to look for evidence, how to recognize bad data, and how to turn information into action.

10:30: Get the Trophy: How to use recognition programs as a strategy

10:30 to 11:30

Location
Nelson
Speakers
  • Caitlin Pusateri - COO
    Caitlin Pusateri is Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce and founder of Bright Light Coaching & Consulting. As an executive coach and keynote speaker, she’s the person who notices what you’re good at before you’ve figured it out yourself, and she reflects it back until you believe it. She loves a good detail, thrives in a crisis, and has a chocolate chip cookie recipe worth asking about.
Summary
Awards and recognition are not just nice to have, they are a strategic tool for visibility, credibility, and business growth. This session demystifies how recognition programs work and how to use them intentionally, from identifying the right opportunities to crafting nominations that win. Key Take Aways: See recognition and awards as a deliberate visibility and growth strategy. How to identify the right programs and opportunities for you or your organization. Practical tips for nominations and applications that stand out. A resource list of local award opportunities

11:30 Luncheon & Women in Business Awards Program

11:30 to 1:30

Location
Main Ballroom
Speakers
  • Caitlin Pusateri
    Caitlin Pusateri is Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce and founder of Bright Light Coaching & Consulting. As an executive coach and keynote speaker, she’s the person who notices what you’re good at before you’ve figured it out yourself, and she reflects it back until you believe it. She loves a good detail, thrives in a crisis, and has a chocolate chip cookie recipe worth asking about.
Summary
Spend Your Credibility - The Difference Between Mentoring and Sponsoring: Most of us have had a mentor, someone who offered advice, perspective, and encouragement. Far fewer of us can name a sponsor: someone who put their own reputation on the line to open a door for us. Research shows that this gap is real, that it falls unevenly, and that sponsorship, not advice, is what most often moves careers forward. The good news is that sponsorship isn’t reserved for executives. Anyone with credibility, at any level, can spend it on someone else. This luncheon keynote breaks down what sponsorship really looks like and gives you three simple moves you can make before you leave the room. Key Takeaways: The difference between mentoring and sponsoring, and why it matters for who advances Three sponsor moves anyone can make: name it, amplify it, open a door How small, intentional actions, often taking less than a minute, can change someone’s trajectory A commitment to one person and one move you can act on right away

1:30: Negotiating with Confidence: Evidence-Based Strategies for Women Leaders

1:30 to 2:30

Location
Talcott
Speakers
  • Joan Phillips-Hernandez - Dean of the College of Business at NIU
    Joan M. Phillips-Hernandez is Dean of the College of Business at Northern Illinois University and an experienced higher education executive with a background in strategic leadership, innovation, financial stewardship, fundraising, and organizational transformation. She previously served as Business Dean at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Barry University and held senior leadership roles at Loyola University Chicago. Throughout her career, Phillips-Hernandez has built partnerships among universities, businesses, donors, alumni, and communities while advancing initiatives in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, financial technology, analytics, and workforce-focused education. A first-generation college graduate, she is passionate about expanding opportunity, developing talent, and strengthening the connections between higher education and the communities and economies universities serve. Phillips-Hernandez holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her award-winning research has received national media attention, including coverage in The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Summary
Negotiation is one of the highest-leverage skills in a career, and one where women are too often penalized for the very assertiveness the moment requires. Grounded in research, this session offers evidence-based strategies for negotiating salary, scope, and resources with confidence, and for navigating the double standards that can come with it. Key Take Aways: Evidence-based negotiation strategies tailored to the realities women face. How to prepare, anchor, and advocate for your value without backlash. A repeatable approach you can use in your next negotiation.

1:30pm: Dress for Who You’re Becoming

1:30 to 2:30

Location
Munthe
Speakers
  • Anisha Grimmett
    Anisha Grimmett is a Wardrobe Strategist, speaker, entrepreneur, and former corporate leader with more than 20 years of professional experience. As founder of A New Look by Nisha, she helps women align their wardrobes with their identity, goals, and the lives they are building. Anisha is passionate about empowering women to embrace change, lead with confidence, live intentionally, and become who they were created to be—without waiting for permission from others to pursue what’s next.
Summary
Stop Waiting for Permission to Show Up as the Woman—and Leader—You Were Created to Be As women, our careers, bodies, priorities, confidence, and aspirations continue to evolve—but our wardrobes and the way we see ourselves don’t always evolve with us. In this interactive workshop, Wardrobe Strategist Anisha Grimmett invites women to explore the connection between identity, leadership, and personal style. Through meaningful discussion and practical wardrobe strategies, participants will identify what no longer serves them, define the woman they are becoming, and consider how their personal presence can support where they are going next. Because becoming doesn’t have an age—and neither does showing up confidently as yourself.

1:30 You Don't Have to Love Social Media to Be Good at It

1:30 to 2:30

Location
Nelson
Speakers
  • Emilee Christianson - Co-Owner & CEO
    Emilee Christianson is Co-Owner & CEO of Trekk, where she oversees client services and creative. Leveraging over twelve years of experience leading strategic programs for Trekk clients, she is passionate about partnering with marketing leaders to achieve measurable business impact.
Summary
A lot of professional women I talk to feel the same way about LinkedIn: they know they should be there, they just don't know what to say, and they definitely don't want it to become a full-time job or another stressor in their lives. This year, as a brand-new CEO, I committed to a real test of my own presence to see what's possible with a smart plan and limited time. I'll share my actual numbers, the lessons behind them, and a simple game plan you can take home and start using right away, on your terms. Key Takeaways: • Real results from a year of intentional posting with a variety of strategies tested • How to decide who you're talking to and what you want them to know about you • Easy ways to create content that sounds like you, even if writing isn't your thing • Guardrails that keep social media working for you, not the other way around

2:30 Invest in Your Dreams: Create your Pow(H)er Board

2:30 to 4:00

Location
Main Ballroom
Speakers
  • Tasha Wendorf
  • Gina Caruana
Summary
Turn your financial goals into a vision you can see, feel, and achieve. Join us for a creative session where you'll design your own PowHer board focused on dreams like travel, home ownership, philanthropy, or financial independence and discover simple steps to start making them happen today.
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