Here you can get a glimpse of the inspiring talent that awaits you! We are working diligently to gather details from our speakers for our conference on May 8, 2020.
The next WLC Conference Theme: Embracing Change
EMBRACING CHANGE
2019 SPEAKERS
Golriz Lucina
MORNING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Golriz Lucina is the Head of Creative at SoulPancake, an inspiring entertainment company founded by actor Rainn Wilson, that creates daily socially conscious videos about human connection. Lucina is also co-author of the New York Times bestselling book SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions; and co-host and executive producer of the SoulPancake interstitials on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s Super Soul Sunday series.
With an academic background in media and publishing, and a passion for storytelling, Golriz leads the ideation and development of SoulPancake’s content and is the creative force behind the brand’s distinct aesthetic and a wide body of work which has amassed a community of 10M fans and over 1B views worldwide.
soulpancake.com
Dr. Deborah Cohan
AFTERNOON KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Deborah is a loving mother, joyous dancer, compassionate physician, and subtly mischievous rabble-rouser spreading the messages of joy, interconnectedness, and love. As a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), Deborah runs HIVE, a hub of sexual and reproductive wellness for pregnant women and others living with HIV. Deborah was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 44. A dancer all her life, she danced the day of her diagnosis and nearly every day throughout her treatment, including in the operating room immediately prior to her bilateral mastectomy. A video of the intraop flash mob taped by the anesthesiologist and posted by a friend unbeknownst to her on YouTube during her surgery went viral and instigated a pop-up social movement of joy and healing through dance. Upon completing chemotherapy, Deborah founded Foundation for Embodied Medicineand offers her teachings at Commonweal, ZSFG, and other venues locally and nationally. When not dancing or mothering or delivering babies, Deborah likes to meditate and explore primary sensory experiences.
HIVEonline.org
Diane Allen
BREAKOUT SESSION
Diane Allen is a speaker and violinist who helps women to discover the source of their voice and the source of their confidence. For corporate audiences, as an employee engagement speaker she helps people to “get into” their work the way a musician “gets into” the music. For hospice audiences, she helps caregivers to prevent burnout and refuel. Unlike other peak performance and leadership speakers, Diane is not an athlete. She was the concertmaster (the lead violin player) of the Central Oregon Symphony for 15 years where she was expected to be in her A-Game. Any mistake on her part immediately caused a negative ripple effect throughout the orchestra. Being on stage well over 1,000 times, Diane has a proven track record which she now passionately shares as the 3 critical steps to Own Your A-Game. Diane engages audiences with her stories and violin for an unforgettable experience!
dianeallenspeaker.com
Crystal Arnold
BREAKOUT SESSION
Crystal Arnold is the founder of Money-Morphosis and she created the Money-Wise Women podcast in July 2016. Since graduating from Southern Oregon University in 2007 with a degree in international economics, she has designed and facilitated workshops, community events, and discussion panels about money. She has inspired thousands of people to have a healthier relationship with money. Her courses serve to financially empower participants. As a financial coach, inspirational speaker, and group facilitator, she encourages people to live their potential. She has interviewed nearly 100 women experts on her podcast, including Lynne Twist, Riane Eisler, Vicki Robin, and Judy Wicks.
Her written work has appeared in journals, magazines, and in the book called “Reinhabiting the Village.” She is currently Director of Education at the Post Growth Institute. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children.
money-morphosis.com
offersandneeds.com
Kassia Borycki
BREAKOUT SESSION
Kassia Borycki is a Designer and Illustrator specializing in brand development and communications strategy. She is passionate about brand narrative and storytelling, particularly in exploring the avenues of how we communicate, share, and develop ideas. She holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree in Visual Communication Design from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. In her free time she enjoys painting, writing, hiking with her dog Rey, and exploring new places. This is her fifth year participating on the Women’s Leadership Committees and her first year as Marketing Chair.
kborycki.com
Linkedin
Nicole Bowe-Rahming
BREAKOUT SESSION
Nicole Bowe-Rahming, better known as The Fortitude Coach, is a 26-year military spouse, and chief facilitator at The Fortitude Institute. As a facilitator, coach and international speaker, she has enthusiastically worked with audiences for over 20 years. From youth to Career Military Professionals alike, she has propelled her audiences to “get out of their way” and increase momentum in their businesses, careers, and life.
Her personality-driven, interactive, energy packed, memorable and fun style of presenting engages audiences from all walks of life, increasing participation, deepening retention and encouraging application.
She is passionate about helping leaders and teams identify their personal hinderances so they can increase their productivity and reach beyond their self-imposed limits.
thefortitudecoach.com
Linkedin
Jayne Donnelly
BREAKOUT SESSION
CEO & Founder of Altus Effect Coaching, Jayne Donnelly provides business development and a ‘deeper kind of leadership’ coaching/mentoring for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Her clients consist of women at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey – wanting to harness the passion and drive, build powerful leadership skills, and focus on a strategic plan for growth. Jayne is a certified business coach, and a certified coach in authentic communication. Her research, experience, and training, positions her with a unique and powerful perspective to serve as a guide for leadership growth and development.
In her free time, Jayne loves independent film, cooking Indian food, knitting, spinning yarn, sitting in circle with women, and facilitating women’s empowerment programs. A new passion is natural horsemanship where she admits she is learning a surprising amount about boundaries and leadership in a whole new way.
Jayne lives in Ashland, Oregon with her husband, son, and two black labs.
altuseffect.com
Julie Gillis
BREAKOUT SESSION
Julie Gillis is an Oregon based consultant and development professional who has specialized in fundraising, community building, and storytelling events for over 22 years. Her goal is to get your creative idea, advocacy campaign, or social justice project into the world where it can make a difference-now.
She’s consulted with and supported non-profit organizations such as Southern Oregon Public Television, Lotus Rising Project, Ashland New Plays Festival, Ashland Children’s Theatre, Twin Heroes Productions, Collaborative Theatre Project, The Day of the Dead Race, The Rogue Valley Messenger, Salvage Vanguard Theater, The Vortex Rep, The Woodhull Foundation, Lilith Fund, NARAL Pro Choice Texas, The Women’s Community Center, UT Gender and Sexuality Center, Planned Parenthood Austin, New Leaders Council Austin, Shift Stigma, Allies for Racial Equity Unitarian Church, and Queerbomb.
In addition, she’s provided fundraising consulting with the following film and theater projects Let Go And Love Tour, Tightly Wound, Windows, Duels, The Territory, The Reluctant Radical, The Diminished, and Somebody Hold Me.
She is also an artist with over 30 years of experience in film, theater, and comedy, producing events that merge artistic expression and cultural change.
Julie has curated over 15 years of community storytelling events in Ashland, Austin, Dallas, Washington DC, San Francisco, Boulder, Edmonton Alberta, and Saskatoon Saskatchewan. She produced the only women’s comedy festival in Texas, Ladies Are Funny Festival for six years and was a founding steering committee member of 14/48 Austin: The Worlds Quickest Theater Festival. She was a founder and producer of the long running Austin show BedPost Confessions, a storytelling series on sexuality and gender.
As a speaker, Julie has spoken on storytelling, diversity, public speaking, social media and digital trends, fundraising, and creativity at SXSW, TED X Great Hills, Southern Oregon University, The University of Texas at Austin, Woodhull Foundation, SOPTV, KSKQ, and has coached countless speakers and writers to get the community and funding to help their ventures thrive.
juliegillis.com
Jessica Gomez
BREAKOUT SESSION
Jessica Gomez is the Founder and CEO of Rogue Valley Microdevices, Inc., the first microelectronics manufacturing company in Southern Oregon. Jessica developed a love for high-tech entrepreneurship after holding positions at Standard Microsystems in the 1990’s and then Integrated Micromachines, Inc. in 2001.
In 2003 Jessica relocated to Southern Oregon and founded Rogue Valley Microdevices, Inc. Jessica is an active member of the community and is dedicated to supporting economic development.
She serves on the Oregon Institute of Technology Board of Trustees, was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Oregon Business Development Commission, serves on the Oregon Business Council’s Board of the Directors, The Chamber of Medford/Jackson County and Chairs the Rogue Workforce Partnership. Jessica is also married and is the mother of two beautiful daughters.
She was recently nominated by the Republican and Independent parties to run for the position of Oregon Senate District 3. While she did not win that race, she is still very dedicated to talking, learning, sharing and being active with Southern Oregonians.
oit.edu
semifoundation.org
soredi.org
Mary Hambleton
BREAKOUT SESSION
Since 2002, Mary and her husband Rob have owned, and operated Soul Canyon Training & Development located in beautiful Southern Oregon and together conduct over 200 live training events each year.
Developing individuals within their careers, driving teams to higher levels of performance and bringing forth strong leaders as they personally discover their skills and uncover their passion is the foundation on which Soul Canyon Training & Development programs are built.
Topics include Leadership, Teambuilding, Communication, and Microsoft training including Excel. One of Mary’s favorites programs that she has developed is “Empowering Today’s Business Woman”.
With over 20 years of real estate, travel and hospitality industry experience, Mary brings real life experiences into her trainings. She is passionate about helping others build their business from the inside out with fun, applicable training. Certified since 2010 as a Professional Trainer Certification (PTC), Mary has the front of the room expertise to make your next event SPARKLE!
When she isn’t traveling around the country conducting seminars, Mary enjoys spending time with her five grown children and her eight grandkids. She lives in Medford, Oregon with her husband Rob and their two Labrador Assistants, Bella & Sunny. Mary is very active in the community and is involved with several local Chamber of Commerce and other community projects.
An avid reader, last year, Mary published her first book along with several other women entitled; “Unscripted: How Women Thrive in Life, Business, and Relationships”. Look for her next book later this year, “Leadership Skills from the Kitchen with Love”. This solo project is a fun, easy read on leadership, with family recipes to help illustrate each teaching point.
soulcanyon.com
Thecia Jenkins
BREAKOUT SESSION
Whether in the United States, the continent of Africa or the serene islands of Trinidad and Tobago, Thecia Jenkins ignites the fire to wake the dreams of women and men who desire to live BOLDLY so they can start taking ACTION and IMPACTING lives.
As the current Training Director with the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, in Houston, Texas; she trains and consults with colleges, universities, law enforcement, social service agencies, businesses and clergy to increase victim safety, hold batterers accountable and develop programming to prevent future domestic and sexual violence. She consulted and was featured on the Book of John Gray” a reality show on the Oprah Winfrey Network as a sexual assault expert to provide hope to survivors.
As an independent speaker, trainer and soft skills coach, Thecia works with associations and businesses to develop their leaders to manage themselves and their relationships by speaking at conferences, webinars and hosting coaching programs.
Thecia is a graduate of Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas and hold certifications in Mediation, DiSC Behavioral Consulting, Emotional Intelligence and Diversity.
A sought after speaker and trainer she has trained law enforcement officers, nurses, social service providers and corporate teams.
theciajenkins.com
Kristy Laschober
BREAKOUT SESSION
Being an adventurer most of her life has contributed to a whirlwind of experiences for Kristy. She has transformed each challenging experience into a powerful, life altering lesson and has used it as a way to disrupt leadership culture.
Two years ago Kristy was released from a 60 month federal prison sentence and has been sharing her soul searching journey with women ever since.
Having owned a successful wardrobe styling business in Southern California for more than 15 years, she understands both the professional and personal benefits of dressing well and feeling confident. Although appearance is an important aspect of success, her passion now begins with discovering the freedom and confidence starting from the inside and embracing and loving who you are. With a humble heart and a deep gratitude for a second chance, she has relocated to Ashland, OR and is working on her Bachelor’s of Science in the Innovation and Leadership program at Southern Oregon University.
Kristy believes that once a woman is free on the inside her confidence level goes way beyond a great pair of shoes and continues to remind people how powerful they are when they approach their business from a place of authenticity and embrace the thing that nobody else has to offer. Themselves.
Erica Ledesma
BREAKOUT SESSION
Erica Ledesma is a Southern Oregon Latinx artist and storyteller. She graduated from the University of Oregon with degrees in Cultural Anthropology, Ethnic studies, and Spanish. Currently she is working as a College and Career Specialist for College Dreams while continuing her art, writing and cultural projects in the community.
Etsy
Dr. Joan McBee
Dr. Joan McBee is a Professor and Chair of School of Business at Southern Oregon University. Dr. McBee joined the University in 1997 to implement a program for working adults to return to college and finish their degree. Over 20 years later, that program is still thriving. She currently serves as Chair of the department and coordinates the BAS in Management program and the Certificate in Interactive Marketing and e-Commerce. Prior to teaching, Joan worked in the real estate and investment field as a loan officer, title officer, and investment representative. To inform her teaching in marketing, Joan has been studying the values, perceptions, and lifestyles of Generation Z.
Lindsay McPhail
BREAKOUT SESSION
In 2011 my family received a gift only a couple hundred people in the world have ever received, a home from ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Since then I’ve focused my energy on giving back to our amazing Southern Oregon community. In 2012 I launched what is now a regional Women’s outreach called Women’s Fight Night creating cultures of vulnerability while equipping women to own their stories. I’m currently the Editor-In-Chief of The Wild Woman magazine, a quarterly print publication that focuses on unleashing courage and adventure in all women. Outsider Coffee is my latest entrepreneurial venture with my husband and four sons, we look forward to bringing our unique message to the Southern Oregon coffee industry.
thewildwomanmagazine.com
outsider.coffee
Women’s Fight Night
Jori Mundy
BREAKOUT SESSION
Jori Mundy is a Speaker, Leader, Writer and Coach. Her passion is to help people transform their lives to reach their life goals by using her own setbacks and triumphs as fluid examples. At a very young age she had been deemed as a leader. She earned this designation from her ability to handle and manage significant responsibility. She has functioned in a myriad of leadership roles in both her personal and professional career.
Currently, she is the Director of a pharmacy program at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission where she oversees the collection of pharmacy drug to reduce the amount of drug costs. Additionally, she leads a team to implement major initiatives coinciding with program goals. Prior to this role, she was the Associate Director for IT systems where she worked closely with senior leadership to manage strategic and day-to-day operations in a department comprised of 60+ staff with a 15M budget.
Outside of work, she is a current member of Executive Women in Texas Government organization sitting on the Board as the 2018-19 Public Relations Director. She served as the Vice President of Public Relations for a distinguished Public Speaking Organization during the 2017-18 year. As a women and leader in the workforce she identified a need to share experiences and provide insight to other women to increase their chances of leadership success. To facilitate this stride, she conducted primary research by interviewing women in executive leadership and highly visible positions to glean valuable information based on their experiences. The lessons learned from day to day decisions, challenging scenarios and best practices is what she is compelled to share. Jori holds a bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University and is a Certified Texas Contract Manager.
Jennifer Nicholls
BREAKOUT SESSION
Jennifer is a partner with the growing Medford-based law firm of Brophy Schmor LLP. She helps small business owners throughout Southern Oregon use the law to strengthen and grow their business. Jennifer also routinely handles real estate and commercial transactions and disputes.
Outside of the office, Jennifer is active with several professional organizations. In 2018, she served as Chair of the Oregon New Lawyers Division of the Oregon State Bar, representing 3000+ new attorneys in Oregon. She also serves on the board of Oregon Women Lawyers, which seeks to “transform the practice of law and ensure justice and equality by advancing women and minorities in the legal profession.”
Jennifer seeks out new challenges where ever she can, viewing each day as an opportunity for growth.
Carrie Paul
BREAKOUT SESSION
Carrie is the volunteer coordinator and restitution advocate at the Lane County District Attorney’s Office in Eugene, Oregon. Carrie’s professional background is made up of numbers and marketing. Prior to investigating restitution and working with volunteers, Carrie worked for a sublimity of the Washington Post as a marketing manager, and later as a contracted marketing field manager for Microsoft.
Carrie is also nearing her completion of her MBA degree. She enjoys applying business terms and methodology in her personal life to plan her next move. Carrie is also a huge human capital advocate and enjoys researching companies who invest in their people.
Dr. Carey Yazeed
BREAKOUT SESSION
Dr. Carey Yazeed is a former social worker, turned business strategist, who specializes in helping women to escape the 9 to 5 rat race. A graduate of Louisiana State University with a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Research, her business experience includes operating a private practice for 20 years, in addition to co-owning a barbershop, bookstore and photography studio. She is the host of Beauty, Brains & Business, a weekly business show on Apple Podcast and the author of Lipstick, Heels & Hustle: A Woman’s Guide to Entrepreneurship.
thebeautybrainsandbusiness.com
