2020 Women in Leadership Conference reaches hundreds on campus and online

The seventh annual Women in Leadership conference, hosted Friday, Feb. 28 in the University of West Florida Conference Center, reached more than 430 students, young professionals and executives in attendance, along with those who watched the conference online via livestream. 

“Our motivation for this highly regarded Women in Leadership Conference is to educate the next generation of business leaders who will shape the destiny of Northwest Florida and the state,” said Dr. Sherry Hartnett, founder and chair of the conference. “Women are energized by empowering other women.

UWF President Martha Saunders welcomed the crowd before this year’s keynote speaker, Deshauna Barber, a former Miss USA, U.S. Army Captain and STEM graduate took the stage. Her speech, “I Don’t Like Being Told ‘It’s a Man’s World,’” aimed to empower women and drew on Barber’s experiences in two male-dominated organizations, the technology industry and the U.S. Army. Barber encouraged women to break through their glass ceilings and chase their dreams.The conference wrapped up with a closing session titled “Grit and Grace,” presented by UWF President Emeritus Judith Bense. 

“We have a destiny that we are supposed to encounter, but it comes with a lot of shut doors and the only thing you can do as women is never let go of the door knob,” Barber said. “When you’re trying to pursue something you know the door is going to shut in your face a few times, but the worst thing you can do is walk away from it. We have our dreams and we are entitled to our dreams.”

Two panels encouraged interaction from attendees. The first panel, “Understanding Executive Presence and Your Personal Brand,” featured the following area business leaders:

• Pam Hatt, Vice President, Marketing, Pen Air Federal Credit Union – Moderator
• Betsy Bowers, VP, Finance and Administration, University of West Florida
• Sheila Carpenter, Chief Information Officer, Zix|AppRiver
• Janice Gilley, Escambia County Administrator
• Julie Griffin, Senior Vice President, Contact Center Operations, Navy Federal Credit Union

A second panel, titled “Would not-for-profit work be right for you?” included the following panelists: 

• Ildi Hosman, President, Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida – Moderator
• Laura Gillam, President and CEO, United Way of West Florida
• Tia Robbins, Co-Founder (with NFL husband Fred Robbins), Mr. Robbins Neighborhood
• Laurie Rogers, Executive Director, Pace Center for Girls Escambia-Santa Rosa
• Paula Shell, President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida

This year, the sold-out event attracted international guests for the first time.

The International Visitor Leadership Program for the U.S. Department of State, working with Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council, brought 10 political and social leaders from eight countries to visit Pensacola and attend the conference. The international visitors and their interpreters enjoyed the event and networking with local attendees during lunch. 

For more information about the Women in Leadership Conference, visit uwf.edu/womeninleadership.

To view a recording of the livestream of the Women in Leadership Conference, visit https://www.wuwf.org/2020-wlc#stream/0.