3rd Annual Women's History Month Summit 2024 Recap

Deepa Gandhi

Co-founder & COO, Dagne Dover

Deepa Gandhi is Co-Founder and COO of bag brand Dagne Dover in addition to being an angel investor and advisor to other high-growth businesses. Deepa oversees all strategic planning, growth, operations, supply chain, and finance for Dagne Dover. Deepa began her career on the trading floor of Lehman Brothers but quickly shifted her career path to the retail industry when she worked at Club Monaco driving double-digit growth for the women's business on their merchandising and planning team. Her analytical rigor combined with her passion for building great brands has made her a key contributor in driving Dagne Dover’s exponential growth since the company’s inception in 2013. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University where she studied International Studies and Entrepreneurship and Management, and she received her MBA from The Wharton School of Business. She is also a 2015 Forbes 30 under 30 and a member of Women in America.

Divya Gugnani

CEO & Co-Founder, Wander Beauty

Divya Gugnani, CEO and Co-Founder of Wander Beauty, spent nearly 20 years searching for beauty essentials that could keep up with her on-the-go lifestyle. 

After earning her B.S. from Cornell University and M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, Divya began her career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs before moving on to private equity and venture capital at Investcorp International and FirstMark Capital. A self-proclaimed ‘accidental entrepreneur,’ she later left the finance world after selling her first business, and, bitten by the startup bug, went on to become a serial entrepreneur. After co-founding multiple companies and having children, she found her former beauty rituals tossed to the wayside as she became more time-starved than ever. 

Balancing a thriving career and motherhood left Divya applying concealer during her morning subway commute and touching up her lipstick in between meetings in the backseat of a cab. She soon realized that her beauty products and routine weren’t made for beauty in motion: There were too many products, an arsenal of “must-have” tools, and products were housed in packaging that was too heavy, bulky, and fragile to take beyond her vanity. She needed products that saved time in her day, space in her beauty bag and that never sacrificed on performance. 

Thus, Wander Beauty was born. Launched in 2015 with Co-Founder Lindsay Ellingson, Wander Beauty brings effortless everyday essentials^TM. Each multitasker is co-created with our community and enriched with clean, globally sourced ingredients that work with your skin, not against it. With over 35 prestigious beauty awards, Wander Beauty has a loyal following of celebrities, top journalists, and notable beauty and style influencers.

Divya’s fifth and newest entrepreneurial venture is 5 SENS, a sensory experience in fine fragrance - to ignite your senses, capture your moods, and inspire new moments.

Michelle Cordeiro Grant

Founder & CEO, Gorgie

Michelle Cordeiro Grant is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, podcast host, and eternal optimist.

Michelle spent the tenure of her career at household names in the retail industry including Federated Merchandising Group, VF Corporation, and Victoria’s Secret. Just before beginning her entrepreneurial journey, she spent two years at Thrillist Media Group, where she “got her MBA in startup,” learning the ins and outs of what it takes to build a fast-growing brand.

In 2016, Michelle founded LIVELY, a community and brand inspiring women to live life passionately, purposefully and confidently. Over just three years, Michelle grew the brand’s ambassador community to 165,000+ members, expanded their retail footprint to 5 stores across the country, launched a retail partnership with Target, and closed a $105M acquisition by intimates leader Wacoal.

Michelle founded her next adventure, GORGIE, in 2022. As CEO, she is on a mission to make wellness fun, focusing on products that actually taste good, feel good, and look good too! From concept to shelf in 6 months, GORGIE launched with a line of sparkling energy beverages with benefits featuring Green Tea Caffeine, natural flavors, Biotin, L-Theanine, and B Vitamins. Michelle has taken an innovative, community-first approach to building the brand, partnering with their rapidly-expanding circle of followers and friends across social media. GORGIE is now sold online and across thousands of retail doors nation wide - including Sprouts Farmers Market, Erewhon, Juice Press, Earthbar, Equinox, and select Whole Foods Market stores.

Michelle has been featured across top tier outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Forbes, Business Inside, Inc., theSkimm, WWD, TechCrunch, CNBC, Allure and many others.

Beatrice Dixon

Co-Founder & CEO, The Honey Pot Company

Beatrice Dixon is the CEO, Co-Founder, and Chief Innovation Officer of The Honey Pot Company, the personal wellness brand “made by humans with vaginas, for humans with vaginas.” ®

Beatrice created The Honey Pot Company in 2014 out of great personal need during an eight-month battle with bacterial vaginosis. The constant symptoms and fruitless search for solutions led her to formulate what became The Honey Pot Company’s first product, a vulva-safe wash. 

The Honey Pot Company currently offers feminine washes, wipes, tampons, pads, and products for personal health and wellness. Today, The Honey Pot Company’s plant-derived products can be found in 4.6 million U.S. homes and in retailers nationwide.

Éva Goicochea

Founder & CEO, maude

A former legislative aide and early in startups, Éva Goicochea is the founder of maude, an inclusive modern sexual wellness company in 2018, that was the first in its category to launch in Sephora. To-date, she's one of only 10 Latinas to raise over $10 million ($13M) and was voted Entrepreneur's 2019 100 Most Powerful Women, Inc's Female Founders 100, won the CEW Female Founders Award in 2022, and in 2023 was one of Vogue Business' 100 Innovators—Beauty Disruptors and received the Beacon Award for Entrepreneur of the Year from Beauty Independent.

Farnoosh Torabi

Personal Finance Expert, Author, & Creator/Host, So Money Podcast

Farnoosh Torabi is an Iranian American journalist and one of the country’s leading and most trusted personal finance experts. For more than twenty years, she’s dedicated her career to helping people become financially empowered and lead richer lives. She’s written multiple books, hosted a CNBC program and worked alongside Oprah’s editorial team to bring her advice and insights to the masses. Today she hosts the long-running, Webby-honored podcast So Money, which has earned over 25 million downloads. Farnoosh holds a degree in finance from Penn State and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. She lives on the East Coast with her family.

Bijou Abiola

Chief of Staff & Strategic Advisor

Bijou Abiola is a Nigerian-American business executive with over 15 years of experience in the retail industry. She’s led merchandising strategies for fashion and beauty brands like Ralph Lauren, Max Mara, Chanel and Dior. In her current role, she serves as Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor to the CEO of a luxury house. Her passion? Uncovering beauty wherever it may lie – be it in people, product, or places.

Mara Sirhal

Chief Merchant & Brand Officer, Saks OFF 5TH

As Chief Merchant and Brand Officer at Saks OFF 5TH, Mara oversees Buying, Planning, Creative and the overarching Saks OFF 5TH brand.

Previously, Mara served as EVP, Brand President, Bed Bath and Beyond and Harmon Beauty at Bed Bath and Beyond. She oversaw Merchandising, Planning, Stores and Brand Marketing. In this capacity, she had full responsibility for the end-to-end customer experience across all channels. Mara began her 20 year long career in retail at Macy’s as a Buyer. She held roles of increasing responsibility across various categories eventually culminating in Vice President, Leased, Retail as a Service & Retail Diversity Strategy. Throughout her tenure she worked across multiple functions and categories, such as Women’s, Men’s, Fragrances, Home and Leased. 

Mara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Retail Management from Syracuse University.

Lisa Price

Founder, Carol’s Daughter

Lisa Price’s journey begins like that of many entrepreneurs—with curiosity and determination mixed with moments of panic and a resounding belief that products that were made with love and delivered on their promise would find their following.  It was a company born of Price’s love for fragrance and a passion for scent alchemy that formed the foundation of her high-performing products. More than a quarter of a century later, even amid massive industry disruption, new company leadership, and acquisition by L’Oréal, Carol’s Daughter continues to thrive and remain relevant in an industry where brands come and go as quickly as trends change.  

Carol’s Daughter began in Price’s Brooklyn kitchen. With a career in TV production, mixing up fragrances, perfume sprays, and creams served as a creative outlet. It wasn’t long before Price began dabbling in aromatherapeutic oils, educating herself on their healing properties. 

In 1993, Price, with the gentle nudge from her mother Carol, began to sell her products. With $100  in cash and a cramped kitchen, she crafted a collection that would become the foundation of a  beauty empire. Selling her homespun concoctions at flea markets, and later out of her living room,  favorable word-of-mouth began to spread for early iterations of Almond Cookie, Hair Milk, and  Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie—all of which retain their cult status today.

Over the next few years, word spread, with celebrities like Jada Pinkett-Smith, Erykah Badu, Rosie  Perez, and Halle Berry becoming loyal customers.  

Joining the L’Oréal family in November 2014, Carol's Daughter widened its extensive footprint, selling its hair, body, and skincare solutions nationwide at key retailers. 

During the Obama administration, Price was appointed to the National Women’s Business Council,  an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, on economic issues that face female business owners. 

Price was featured in the film She Did That (2019) and is the recipient of numerous awards,  including the National Black MBA Association's Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2000), the  Working Woman Magazine’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Award (2001), and a Cosmetic Executive  Women Achiever Award (2010). She is also the author of “Success Never Smelled So Sweet,” a  memoir that chronicles her transformation from a young Black woman deep in debt to president of a paradigm-changing business. Price is also a member of the Board of Directors for First Watch Restaurants (July 2020.)

In April 2021, Price and Carol’s Daughter partnered with the world-renown doula Latham Thomas and her foundation, The Mama Glow Foundation to launch Love Delivered, an initiative focused on raising awareness of the Black Maternal Health Crisis in the United States and the importance of advocates and doulas at the times when Black birthing people and babies are most vulnerable---before, during and after birth. Love Delivered will work over the next 3 years, to positively impact the lives of Black birthing people and babies by raising awareness about Black Maternal Health amongst 100 Million people and directly engaging 10,000 people to be advocates.

Price and her husband, Gordon, have three children and still live in Brooklyn. When she can find the time, Price enjoys going to the beach, reading, crocheting, knitting, and watching movies.

Cecilia Nelson-Hurt

Chief Diversity Officer, Heidrick & Struggles

Cecilia Nelson-Hurt is the Chief Diversity Officer at Heidrick & Struggles, a premier provider of global leadership advisory and on-demand talent solutions, serving the senior-level talent and consulting needs of the world's top organizations. Cecilia is responsible for leading the firm’s global diversity strategies and plays an integral role in shaping other aspects of the organization’s culture, engagement and talent management initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Prior to joining the firm, Cecilia served as Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) for L’Oréal USA. There she was responsible for managing the company’s diversity and inclusion efforts that underscored its commitment to building an equal opportunity workplace and an inclusive beauty brand. In addition, she developed its DE&I curriculum and worked with the company’s employee-led Think Tanks to create and implement strategies and initiatives that positively impacted employee engagement, consumer insights and community outreach.  

Cecilia recently served as the Co-President of the NYC chapter of Ellevate Network, the largest community of women at work and a powerful coalition of ambitious and supportive women who believe there is strength in numbers.  She currently serves on the boards of the non-profit organizations, YouthBridge NY, Knit the Rainbow and the Vogue Knitting Magazine Diversity Advisory Council. In her board roles, she helps create strategies to advance diversity, inclusion and belonging for the populations they serve.  

Cecilia has been recognized as a 2023 30 BlackStar by PanaGenius, Diversity Woman Media’s Elite Class of 2023, a Moves Mentor by NY Moves and received the Bottomless Closet, Impact Award and the Outstanding Inclusion and Equity Award from the Dominican Women’s Development Center

Cecilia holds a certificate of Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in International Marketing from Pace University.

Keia Clarke

CEO, New York Liberty

Keia Clarke is Chief Executive Officer of the New York Liberty, where she leads all
business aspects of the Liberty organization including oversight of the P&L, business
operations, and strategic planning. Additionally, Clarke works with stakeholders on key elements of team business including growing the fan base, maximizing sales and fan engagement through innovation, and optimizing business performance.
Clarke successfully guided the Liberty’s full-time transition to Barclays Center in
Brooklyn ahead of the 2021 season. Prior to being promoted to CEO in 2020, Clarke
was Chief Operating Officer of the team for two seasons. Clarke will enter her 14th season with New York, having also served as the Liberty’s Vice President for Team Business Development, Director of Marketing, and Marketing Manager. In her marketing roles, she collaborated with Marketing Partnerships, Ticket Sales, Event Presentation, and Community Relations to deliver first-class experiences for Liberty fans each summer. Prior to joining the Liberty, Clarke worked on all areas of WNBA business as a member of Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) at the NBA/WNBA league office. She also worked as a Marketing Analyst for Golf Digest Magazine and began her career as an Account Executive for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Among her many awards, Clarke was recognized by Crain’s New York Business as a 2019 “Notable Woman in the Business of Sports”. In 2020, Clarke was also named to INvolve’s 2020 list of Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives and Sports Illustrated’s The Unrelenting list. Keia was tabbed to Adweek’s 2022 Most Powerful Women in Sports list, WISE NYC Metro’s Women of Inspiration, and most recently, Sports Business Journal's Game Changers Class of 2023. Additionally, she serves on the Sports Innovation Lab Women’s Leadership Board. Clarke attended Canisius College where she was a four-year member of the women’s basketball team, graduating in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She went on to earn a Master’s in Sports Business from New York University in 2006. In 2022, Keia graduated from Harvard Business School upon completion of the Advanced
Management Program (AMP). Clarke resides in New Jersey with her husband, Brian, and their two children, daughter Avery and son Gavin.

Mindy Grossman

Partner, Consello

Mindy Grossman is a Partner at Consello. She is a high-energy, disruptive leader with extensive experience in building and transforming consumer brands.

Prior to Consello, Mindy served as the President and CEO of WW International, and as a member of the board of directors through March 2022. She joined the company in July 2017 where she led the organization’s rebrand from Weight Watchers to WW to reflect their new purpose - “To inspire healthy habits for real life. For people, families, communities, the world - for everyone,” to be the brand to democratize wellness for all. She also oversaw the digital transformation of WW; launched three breakthrough food program innovations; led the formation of WWGOOD and the Healthy Living Coalition; as well as the WW Presents “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” national tour.

Prior to WW, Mindy served as the CEO and a member of the board of directors at HSNi where she oversaw a $4 billion direct to consumer retail portfolio. She positioned HSNi as a leader in boundaryless retail, integrating entertainment, content, commerce and community and offering customers a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels. Prior to that, Mindy served as CEO of IAC Retail, the former parent company of HSNi. She successfully took IAC Retail public in 2008 and subsequently became CEO of HSNi until 2017.

Before joining IAC, Mindy served as a Global Vice President at Nike, Inc., where she oversaw its $4 billion global apparel business and served as co-chair of Nike’s Women's Leadership Council. Earlier in her career, Mindy served as President and CEO of Polo Jeans Company, Vice President of New Business Development at Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, President of Chaps Ralph Lauren and Senior Vice President of Menswear for Warnaco, Inc. She also held senior positions at Tommy Hilfiger and Oxford Industries.

Throughout her career, Mindy has been widely recognized for her leadership including being named to Forbes Magazine’s “The 100 Most Powerful Women;” The Financial Times “Top 50 Women in World Business;” TIME Magazine’s “50 Most Influential People in Healthcare;” and was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Corporate Innovation. She was also a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Mindy was appointed to the Digital Economy Board of Advisors for the Chamber of Commerce during the Obama administration, where she served as an advisor from 2014 to 2017. She also served as the Chairman of the National Retail Federation and Chairman of the NRF Foundation.

Mindy currently serves on the Board and the Executive Committee of UNICEF USA and is a member of the Board of Directors of Herself Health, Fanatics, Inc., Vault Health and Hungryroot, as well as the Board of Visitors of Columbia School of Engineering.

Leslie Stevens

Senior DEI Program Manager, CARTA

Leslie S. Stevens is a learning facilitator, community curator, and transformational coach, currently serving as Senior DEI Program Manager at Carta. Leslie is most passionate about transforming Black and Brown women’s relationships to isolation and solitude in tech and entrepreneurship, especially through the first-of-its-kind Women of Color in Tech initiative. Her work focuses on building a greater understanding of power, privilege, and care in homogeneous spaces by recentering professionals from marginalized identity groups for the sake of innovation, inclusion, and sustainable growth for both individuals and institutions.

Emily Garbaccio

Global Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

Emily Garbaccio is a dynamic, results-oriented communications and
marketing executive with more than 20 years of Fortune 500 B2B and B2C
experience in a diverse mix of industries including insurance, retail and

consumer products. She is known for executing comprehensive, multi-
stakeholder strategies across complex, global organizations to reposition

brands and successfully establish strong corporate narratives. She has
guided companies through highly publicized crises including data breaches
and reputational attacks, as well as built incident response plans to
proactively prepare for potential events. Emily has extensive experience in
both in-house and agency leadership roles working directly with Executive
Leadership teams during significant transformative change. She has deep
experience spanning corporate and financial communications, consumer
communications, executive profile development, employee engagement and
brand building.
Most recently, Emily joined AIG in 2018 to shape the communications
strategy during AIG’s significant underwriting turnaround. In 2019, she took
on responsibility for communications and all change management aspects
related to AIG 200, the company’s global transformation effort to establish a
new infrastructure and foundation for the future. In 2020, Emily was promoted
into a dual business and corporate function role to centralize global
communications and marketing efforts and articulate AIG’s value to a diverse
range of stakeholders. During her tenure, she led efforts for critical
milestones including the CEO succession and separation of the Life &
Retirement business from AIG, ultimately resulting in the IPO of Corebridge
Financial, Inc. Emily also led AIG’s cultural transformation that included
introducing a new Purpose Statement to articulate the role AIG aspires to
have in the industry and in the global communities it serves.
Before joining AIG, Emily established the Global Communications Division at
Kate Spade in 2014 as the brand transitioned to publicly traded Kate Spade
& Company. In this role, she led all aspects of corporate, executive, financial,
media relations, PR, brand, crisis and internal communications through the
company’s acquisition in 2017 by Tapestry, Inc. Prior to that, Emily led brand
publicity efforts at J.C. Penney for their fashion, home and philanthropy
divisions during their transformation effort to build a new brand, jcp.
Emily also spent 10 years at LaForce + Stevens (now known as LaForce), a
leading PR agency in New York. As a partner, she created brand-building
strategies and events for leading retailers including Target and Banana
Republic, among others. Earlier, Emily worked at Burson-Marsteller, a global
PR firm, where she managed consumer-facing programs for Sony Electronics
and Amazon and provided crisis communications support for Argenbright
Security post-9/11.
Emily graduated magna cum laude from the University of Missouri - Columbia
with a Bachelor of Journalism.

Jean Smart

Founder and CEO, Penelope

Jean Smart is the founder and CEO of Penelope, a venture-backed 401(k) platform focused on
serving the over 5 million American micro and small businesses. She was inspired to launch the
company at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic after watching small businesses struggle. It
reminded Jean of her immigrant parents—owners of a grocery store and restaurant in Los
Angeles fail to invest in their own retirement, leaving them vulnerable in old age.
Before founding Penelope, Jean, a former Wall Street executive, worked in financial services for
20+ years, most recently as the managing director at UBS.

Lindsey Stanberry

Editor/Writer/Founder of The Purse/Author of Money Diaries

Lindsey Stanberry is a writer, editor, and founder of The Purse, a site about women and money. She spent the last decade working for some of the biggest brands in digital media. As an executive editor at Fortune, she oversaw the launch of a number of initiatives to help the storied brand reach younger and more diverse audiences. Before joining Fortune, Lindsey was the deputy managing editor at CNBC Make It and CNBC Select. At Refinery29, she launched the Work & Money vertical and ran Money Diaries, a franchise that garnered an international cult following. Lindsey is the author of Money Diaries: Everything You Want to Know About Your Finances…And Everyone Else’s.

Susan McPherson

CEO, Keynote Speaker, and Author

Susan McPherson is a serial connector, angel investor, and corporate responsibility expert. She is the founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, a B-corp certified, communications consultancy focused on the intersection of brands and social impact. She is the author of The Lost Art of Connecting (McGraw-Hill). Susan has 30+ years of experience in marketing, public relations, and sustainability communications, speaking regularly at industry events including Massachusetts Conference for Women, BSR, DLD, Worth Women and Techonomy, and contributing to the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes. She has appeared on NPR, CNN, USA Today, The New Yorker, New York Magazine and the Los Angeles Times.

Susan is the recipient of Forbes magazine’s 50 over 50—Impact 2021 award and Worth Media’s Worthy100 award. She has also won numerous accolades for her voice on social media platforms from Fortune Magazine, Fast Company and Elle Magazine. Currently, Susan invests in and advises women-led start-ups, including: iFundWomen,Inc., Our Place, The Riveter, Hint Water, Apolitical, The Muse and more. She serves on the board of The 19th News and previously served on the boards of USA for UNHCR and Bpeace, and serves on the advisory boards of The List, Apolitical Foundation and Just Capital. Additionally, she is a member of the MIT Solve Women and Technology Leadership Group and serves as an adviser to several nonprofits including She’s The First and The OpEd Project. Susan is a Vital Voices global corporate ambassador and a member of the New York Women’s Forum and Extraordinary Women on Boards. She resides in Brooklyn.

Aundrea Cline-Thomas

Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Mountain Court Media

Aundrea Cline-Thomas is a 3x Emmy Award winning journalist, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Mountain Court Media. Her company leverages Aundrea’s more than 15 year career as an on air news reporter and anchor in cities including Philadelphia and New York. 

From corporate media training to event management and television production, Mountain Court Media works with brands to elevate and push conversations forward. The goal is to broaden the audience’s lens with diverse perspectives, provide the editorial context they crave, and empower them to be more informed through a deeper connection and understanding of our shared humanity, for an unforgettable impact. 

Aundrea’s clients have included Microsoft, The Atlantic Magazine, theGrio TV, Tone Networks and The Money Date Box. She’s also the host and creator of The NEXT Best Thing podcast. Through weekly interviews she shares tools that encourage viewers/listeners (especially from marginalized communities) to live a life they design, instead of living the life culture says they have to settle for. Past guests have included 4x NBA Champion Andre Iguodala, designer and activist Aurora James, Hall of Fame marketer Bozoma Saint John, Morgan Stanley's Chief Human Resources Officer Mandell Crawley, Fmr Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick, and many more.

Debbie Perelman

Former CEO, Revlon

Debra G. Perelman is an award-winning executive officer, and advisor  

recognized for her paradigm-breaking approach to brands, consumers, and  

technology that earned broad industry acclaim for enabling CPG enterprises  

to compete in today's digital markets. 

In 2021 Entrepreneur Magazine named Ms. Perelman one of their 100  

Women of Impact, and Dealmakehers.com listed her as one of the year's Top  

Retail CEOs. In addition, in 2018, she was named the Newsmaker of the Year  

by Women's Wear Daily (WWD) Beauty Inc Awards for becoming the first  

female CEO of a large, publicly traded global beauty company after Revlon's  

Board appointed her as their first-ever female President and Chief Executive  

Officer. 

An empathetic, team-oriented, and decisive leader, Ms. Perelman recharted Revlon's course, devising a new  corporate strategy prioritizing cultural and digital transformation across the organization while exploring  opportunities to drive industry disruption through digital expansion and product innovation. Her focus on  sustainability and diversity led to the creation of both an employee KPI driven sustainability Council as well  as a Council Diversity and Inclusion.  

Despite facing unprecedented market headwinds during the global pandemic, the Ukraine war that  disrupted global supply chains, and the uncertainties of Chapter 11 filings, Revlon was voted one of the 15  Best Cosmetic Companies to work for in 2023 by inhersight.com, the most extensive company review  program for women. Furthermore, the company registered growth across key performance metrics,  including EBITDA, Margins, and E-Commerce Sales. From 2020 to 2022, product innovation drove brand  sales up across significant Revlon Brands, including Revlon color cosmetics. 

Before joining Revlon in 2018, Ms. Perelman was a senior executive at MacAndrews & Forbes, acquiring and  managing a diversified portfolio of public and private companies. As an Executive Vice President, Strategy and  New Business Development, she focused on new technology investment opportunities, providing strategy and  portfolio management. Her work on strategic Revlon Acquisitions led to the acquisition of Elizabeth Arden,  which extended Revlon's footprint into China. Outside of Revlon, she supported M&A activities for Deluxe  Entertainment, Clarke American, the John H. Harland Company, and Valassis Communications. 

Beyond her work at Revlon, Ms. Perelman is a dedicated philanthropic leader. In 2010, she co-founded the  Child Mind Institute (CMI), a nonprofit dedicated to destigmatizing mental illness at any age by providing  advocacy and evidence-based treatment options for childhood mental illnesses.  

A sought-after advisor, she is currently serving on the board of AMC Networks ( AMCX) and a member of  the Audit Committee as well on Mastercard's CPG Innovate Steering Committee. She has been on the  Partnership for New York City's Executive Committee, on the boards of numerous hospitals, and in advisory  capacities on the Board of Overseers at Columbia Business School, where she earned her MBA, and on the  President's Advisory Council at Princeton University, where she earned her BA, cum laude. Ms. Perelman  lives in New York City with her husband, four children, and two dogs.

Alyssa Schaefer

Chief Experience Officer and General Manager, Laurel Road

Alyssa serves as the General Manager and Chief Experience Officer of Laurel Road, a brand of KeyBank, and digital banking platform. In this role, Alyssa oversees all aspects of the business including Marketing, Operations, Risk, P&L Management, with particular attention to its digital products and customer experiences.

Previously, Alyssa was the Chief Marketing Officer of Laurel Road. Upon joining in 2017, Alyssa rebranded the business and accelerated its growth in an increasingly competitive market. In 2019, Alyssa was a key driver of the successful acquisition by Key and helped lead the team through much change and opportunity.

Prior to Laurel Road, Alyssa held several leadership positions at American Express, including the head of marketing for American Express Global Business Travel, the largest corporate travel business in the world.

Alyssa’s passion for the business and the opportunity to better serve customers is often showcased in the media ranging from NBC News, Forbes and more. Alyssa earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan’s Ross School of Business and her MBA from Columbia University. Alyssa resides in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Madeline Reeves, In-Person

CEO & Founder, Fearless Foundry

Madeline Reeves is the founder & CEO of Fearless Foundry, a creative consultancy that supports ambitious humans in building branding, marketing, and business development strategies that allow them to make a meaningful impact in the world. Madeline is an outspoken force for promoting equity, collaboration, and community in business and she spends her time working with clients, creating content, hosting the Finding Fearless podcast, and leading her growing team. You can connect with her on social media by the handle @itsmaddyreeves.

Lenese Griffin, In-Person

Designer, CEO of LC Apparel Consulting, Founder of The Black Girlz Designer Club Nonprofit

Lenese Calleea, known to the world as the Fashion Fairy Godmother, is on a journey… 

Despite being 35 years young, Lenese Calleea has accumulated 2 decades of expertise in design, garment construction,  and apparel production. Earning a BFA in Fashion Design. Lenese has evolved from a young skilled seamstress and  adolescent entrepreneur to a designer, apparel industry expert, consultant, educator and budding Creative mogul.  Lenese started her own brand entitled Calleea Vatein creating Jackets, Jumpsuits & Jammers for the creative  entrepreneur’s lifestyle. Her pieces are strategically designed to embody Classic, Color and Confidence for the  multifaceted woman.  

Lenese relocated to New York in 2014, to pursue a Master’s in Fashion Management & Merchandising. Lenese is the  creator and curator of BlackNFashion Podcast, a medium dedicated to the growth & enhancement of Black designers,  merchandisers, stylists & their subsequent entrepreneurship.  

  

Lenese is the CEO of LC Apparel Consulting and Founder of The Black Girlz Designer Club Nonprofit. She lends her  knowledge to the next generation of designers via her services, courses, and mentorship packages. Her mantra:  Bringing Dreams to LIFE. In 2020 Lenese was able to scale her business to $700K in revenue and went from  independently in her home to a commercial space with 10 employees in 7 months. In 2023 Lenese joined the Fashion  Business Management department at FIT as an Adjunct Instructor.  

Lenese also hosts New York Garment District tours, workshops, and master classes. She continues to be a resource to  designers at varying degrees of the journey. Lenese is an advocate for education, unity, and inclusion for Black  Creatives, in fashion. She has completed product development and production for over 300 emerging brands within in  the last 3 years and now host her on show “The Stitched Life” available exclusively on Fashion TV Network.  

Her new book releasing Fall 2024, A Life Designed, BLACK N FASHION, One Woman’s Journey to creating her most  expressive life. Tells the story of her past and present journey of the obstacles and wins she has faced.

Judy Schoenberg, In-Person

Co-founder, EvolveMe

Judy Schoenberg, Ed.M. is a career strategist and leadership expert for women in midlife career transition.

Judy is a co-founder of EvolveMe, a professional development company committed to rewriting the narrative for women and work. EvolveMe works with groups of women looking to relaunch, reinvent, or level up their careers in midlife and with companies invested in attracting and retaining top female talent. 

Along with her co-founder, Judy developed EvolveMe’s proprietary DARE™ Method of Career Reinvention to help cohorts of high-achieving women find clarity, gain confidence, and launch the best chapter of their professional life. 

Judy’s clients describe EvolveMe’s programs as “life-changing” and “the best professional investment in themselves they’ve ever made.” The EvolveMe community is several thousand women strong -- it’s a midlife career reinvention movement!

A graduate of Harvard University and former national executive for Girl Scouts of the USA, Judy has been featured in Forbes.com, CNN.com, Reuter’s World at Work, HR Magazine, The Washington Post, and at White House events. She’s been a Better Not Younger Entrepreneur of the Week and has been featured as a  “Womaness Woman”, the cover story for Women’s Quarterly Magazine and in Fairygodboss.com, the Ellevate Network and Age Out Loud. 

Judy has been a guest on podcasts like Next Career, Work from the Inside Out, Life After Corporate, Hello Career Guru, Time of Your Life, Mid-Career GPS Podcast, Good Enough for Now, Money without Math and Warriors at Work. Judy lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, two sons and a feisty rescue dog. 

Seven Brown, In-Person

Intuitive Healer & Founder of aDope.coach, a Boutique Wellness & Psychedelic Integration Coaching

Erin Andersen, In-Person

LinkedIn Strategist, Owner & Founder, Your Brand Networker, LLC

Erin Andersen is a LinkedIn Strategist recognized by LinkedIn as a Career Top Management Voice. She speaks for virtual and in-person events and trains both small business owners and senior leaders of corporations. Erin focuses on organic marketing strategy to drive traffic through profile optimization in conjunction with thought leadership content. Based in NYC within an office right here at Luminary, she supports clients all over the country to increase their visibility on LinkedIn!

Miara Shaw, Virtual

Leadership Facilitator, Business Strategist, Global Keynote Speaker

Meet Miara Shaw, also known as ‘Maven' Miara, a distinguished life/business strategist, leadership facilitator, captivating speaker, and accomplished podcaster & author. Her journey from the intense world of oil & gas as a no-nonsense energy trader to becoming a sought-after strategist underscores her passion for creating sustainable success for both individuals and organizations. Miara brings a unique perspective to her work in assisting high-performing leaders in cultivating their very own Balanced Rhythm™ – her hallmark method for designing work-life harmony.

Lindsey Lathrop-Ryan, Virtual

PCC / Certified Coach + Resume/LinkedIn Writer

For over a decade, Lindsey Lathrop (she/her) has helped people rethink their relationship with their careers, and what this means about personal and professional identity, money, and success. She does this through coaching, resume and LinkedIn writing, and speaking about how to self-promote without feeling weird. Lindsey is also a Cru Guide, Top 100 Global #IamRemarkbale Facilitator and finalist in the 2022 #IAR Google Awards. She lives in Durham, NC with her family where she spends time tackling DIY home projects, expanding her garden, and telling her dogs they are "such good bois" at least 25x a day.

Sandy Kusano, Virtual

Sparkle & Slay Empowerment Coach

Sandy Kusano, an ACC ICF certified coach, is dedicated to leading women toward peak performance while minimizing stress. In her role as a mental fitness expert, Sandy empowers clients to unlock their full potential by conquering procrastination, perfectionism, and self-sabotage. Her coaching style, a unique fusion of eastern and western philosophies alongside innovative brain-body science, aids clients in breaking free from self-limiting behaviors. Trained at the Human Potential Institute (HPI) and proficient in the Positive Intelligence (PQ) model, incorporating the latest advancements in neuroscience, cognitive and positive psychology, and performance science, Sandy is committed to facilitating transformation. Through her guidance, clients embark on a journey towards elevated levels of wealth, purpose, and personal growth.

Simone Castillo, Virtual

CEO, Business Strategist, Angel Investors, Velvet Canary Advisors

Simone Castillo is an Ivy-League MBA with two decades of experience as a trusted knowledge partner and executor for Fortune 500s, global-NGOs, small business & venture backed startups. Some of her notable employers and clients include KPMG, NBC Universal, the United Nations & the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Simone continued her family's legacy of investing in diverse communities by becoming an accredited angel investor in 2012. After seven years of investing in, advising and scaling startups in North America and the southern horn of Africa, Simone launched Velvet Canary Advisors, (“VCA”) to empower BI&POC entrepreneurs and changemakers to take up space in all business environments and equip them with the essential financial resilience tools.    

As a native New Yorker raised by immigrant parents seeking greater opportunities in the United States, Simone carries on their legacy as an inclusive economy advocate offering her expertise and resources to the International Trade Administration and Pipeline Angels. 

Jessica Abo, Virtual

Media Trainer, PR Expert, Journalist, Author

Jessica Abo is a sought-after media trainer, PR expert, award-winning journalist, and best-selling author. She started her public speaking career when she was 15 years old and uses her 20-plus years of TV news experience to help her clients share their message with the world and become media magnets. Her client roster includes: medical and legal experts, entrepreneurs, small business owners, startup founders, C-Suite executives, coaches, celebrities, and philanthropists. Jessica has presented all over the country, including at TEDx, Facebook, Microsoft, Delta Airlines, WW, and the United Nations. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America's GMA3, CBS News, CNN, FOX, Access Hollywood, KTLA, NY1, and in Forbes, Fast Company, Women’s Health, and more. She has contributed to Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, and hosts "Leadership Unfiltered with Jessica Abo" for the Los Angeles Tribune

Latrice Cole, Virtual

Image Consultant, Latrice Monique Consulting

Latrice Cole is a certified image consultant for high-performing professionals, visionary executives, and emerging leaders who want to align their appearance with their brand. Leveraging her ten years of experience working as a senior human resources professional and her innate flair for style, she turns getting dressed and brand-building into a business strategy. Latrice has curated compelling brand images and wardrobes for a diverse clientele, including corporate trailblazers, seasoned executives, and enterprising six-figure entrepreneurs. Her transformative approach empowers her clients to exude confidence, authenticity, and influence, positioning them as best-in-class professionals. Latrice is not just an image consultant; she's a strategic partner in achieving success you never thought possible.