Agenda

11:00am – 6:00pm
Monday, March 26, 2018
Seaport World Trade Center

11:00AM — Registration

 

11:45AM — Lunch

 

12:15PM —Opening Remarks
Kathy Kiely | President, The Ad Club

 

12:30PM — Bravery. The Soundtrack to 2018
Niia | Singer, Songwriter & Pianist

Boston-born and-raised Niia Bertino comes from a long line of musical talent, including opera singers, piano prodigies, and a classical pianist mom and mentor. Music is in her DNA. Discovered in college by Wyclef Jean, she became his protégé, was a featured vocalist on the global hit “Sweetest Girl,” and joined him on tour. Though an incredible kick-start to her career, Niia struggled to figure out who she wanted to be as an artist. The journey to find her own voice led to her acclaimed debut album “I,” one of The New York Times’ top 10 albums of 2017. Niia will share her personal experiences through her music and her story. 

                           

1:00PM — Love Story. A Feminist Twist            
Whitney Scharer | Author, The Age of Light

For the breakout author from Arlington, it was a long five-year journey to writing her first book, followed by a surprisingly quick turn. The Age of Light’s extraordinary reception by over a dozen publishers generated an aggressive bidding war. And now, the historical fiction is a sensation before it’s even been published. Inspired by an exhibition of surrealist Man Ray’s work at the Peabody Essex Museum, the story centers on pioneering photographer Lee Miller and her tumultuous relationship with Man Ray. Described as a feminist novel, it’s a great love story about a woman who is not defined by a man and presents an interesting frame through which to view today’s culture.

 

1:30PM — An Independent Woman        
Soon-Mi Yoo | Artist & Award Winning Filmmaker, Chair, Film/Video Department, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Korea-born and Cambridge-based artist Soon-Mi was born and raised in one culture and migrated to another, a scary process that replaced what she had lost with a new path and the opportunity to find her place in the world as an independent woman and an artist. Intimately acquainted with both parts of Korea, she has won international recognition for her documentary Songs from the North, a film that explores North Korean society in human terms. Her many projects have cultural relevance and weave together her history and what’s happening in today’s world.

 

2:00PM — The Admiration Award Presented by John Hancock
Award Presenter: Kate Ardini | AVP, Brand Strategy & Advertising     
Award Recipient: Monalisa Smith | Founder and CEO, Mothers for Justice and Equality

The Admiration Award is presented each year to a woman we admire as an inspiration to the community and an extraordinary example of perseverance, leadership, and passion. The Award is sponsored by John Hancock.

 

2:30PM — Coffee Break

 

3:15PM — When Eagles Soar
Linda Henry: Interview | Managing Director, The Boston Globe
Katie Crowley, Head Coach Boston College Women’s Ice Hockey
Kali Flanagan, Boston College, #6 Team U.S.A. 2018 Olympic Gold
Haley Skarupa, Boston College, #11 Team U.S.A. 2018 Olympic Gold

Women were underrepresented at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, yet they over performed. In dramatic fashion the U.S.A. Women’s Ice Hockey team achieved a two-decade-long goal, defeating archrival Canada in a shootout.  A high percentage are local athletes, including five women from Boston College coached by Katie Crowley – an Olympian who scored gold in the 1998 games. So, what does it take to make history and bring home gold? This is a pivotal moment when female athletes are capturing the spotlight, gaining their share of media coverage, and the medals! Is this the visibility needed to propel discussions about equality on all fronts into the spotlight?                   

 

3:45PM — Changing The World
Tania Fabo | Student, Harvard University | 2018 Rhodes Scholar

Oxford-bound Harvard University senior and 2018 Rhodes Scholar Tania Fabo has big dreams. Her family, originally from Cameroon, moved to Saugus when she was seven. Her parents encouraged and inspired her to pursue educational excellence. Now, as she embarks on a career in oncology research, high on her list is to increase the diversity in scientific fields in order to help marginalized populations. She will share her exploration of the role racism plays in shaping the health of African Americans and will also speak about her identity as a Black woman, a woman in the STEM community, and the isolation she has experienced.

 

4:10PM — The View From The Hill
Karen Kaplan Chairman & CEO, Hill Holliday
Susan Esper | Audit Partner | Deloitte 
Marianne Harrison | President & CEO, John Hancock
Marian Heard | President & CEO, Oxen Hill Partners
Rosabeth Moss Kanter | Author & Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor, Harvard Business School
Kim Sinatra | EVP & General Counsel, Wynn Resorts, Ltd.

Have you ever wanted to eavesdrop on a conversation among some of the top executives in Boston, chatting about a range of topical issues that affect working women? This is your chance. Karen Kaplan will keep the free-form discussion candid, and opinions and anecdotes flowing.

 

4:45PM — Love, Letters, and Other Life Lessons
Meredith Goldstein | Author, Columnist & Feature Reporter, The Boston Globe

From the time she was a child, Meredith Goldstein was interested in other people’s lives. She watched with interest her single mother’s dating life. Her career began with writing about social trends, including the advent of online dating. This quickly morphed into Love Letters, a successful advice column where she provides practical advice on today’s complicated relationships, and her readers weigh in with advice of their own. Meredith has an ideal vantage point to observe the changes in assumptions, roles, values, and behaviors that are influencing modern relationships today. She has a keen eye for gender bias and the unique expectations of millennials.

 

5:15PM — Niia

 

5:30PM — Cocktail & Networking Reception