Breakout Session: The Power of Reflection
Christine Kennedy
Session Description:
There’s a quote that says “If nothing changes, nothing changes.” How do you ensure that your day produces transformation? During our opening session, award winning Leadership & Life Purpose Coach, Christine Kennedy will walk attendees through a reflective process to capture their insights and learnings from the day that resonate the most. Using reflection and visioning, you’ll walk away from the day with:
- An action statement of what’s next for creating an empowered life
- Accountability to keep you empowered to achieve that life
- Encouragement and inspiration to go after what’s next
About the Speaker:
Christine is the COO/Executive Vice President of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance and a leadership and transformation coach. She specializes in guiding individuals who seek clarity and direction, offering a straightforward yet supportive coaching approach. Her diverse background spans customer service, sales, leadership, and non-profit management, allowing her to connect with a wide range of clients and situations.
Christine is a frequent speaker at conferences and has been recognized multiple times as Lynchburg’s Best Business Coach. Alongside her husband, she runs The Sanctuary, a retreat center that offers a serene environment for coaching and reflection.
At the Alliance, Christine oversees workforce and economic development initiatives, including the award-winning Leadership Lynchburg program. Her leadership has driven several regional successes, such as expanding Amtrak service to DC and launching the first Young Entrepreneurs Academy in Virginia. She has also developed programs like the EMERGE Women’s Summit and the Worlds of Opportunity Career Expo.
Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Liberty University and is a certified professional coach through the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). She is active on several boards and has served in local and international ministry roles. Her accolades include the Best Business Coach award by Lynchburg Business Magazine and the CCE designation from the US Chamber of Commerce.
Breakout Session: Reframing Your Life & Job as Your Choice
Megan Shepherd
Session Description:
Imagine feeling happy, successful, and empowered with your life and your job. Now imagine feeling that way because of how you choose to view the things in your life. Whether at work or personally, we all experience those times in our lives when we can make a choice, or a decision is made for us. How we choose to view things and how we reframe a situation has a huge impact on how we feel, behave, and embrace life going forward. So, what are some ways to reframe your life and your job as your choice? Even during those times when a decision is made for us or out of our control.
About the Speaker:
Megan Shepherd is the Chief Operating Officer of SimVentions, where she leads Operations and Human Resources. Based in Fredericksburg, VA, she is a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, overseeing daily operations and managing the company’s five Group Vice Presidents, the HR Department, and the Operations Support Team. Megan also chairs the Culture Council, which focuses on SimVentions’ culture, communication, and diversity, and provides executive guidance on strategic development, training, and program management.
Since joining SimVentions over 11 years ago, Megan has been instrumental in the company’s growth. As COO since January 2020, she led the Return to Office (R2O) planning during the pandemic and established Integrated Product Teams to align the company’s growth and diversity with post-pandemic challenges. She recently led the creation of a new Operating Group to enhance efficiency and strategy. In 2021, Megan helped establish the SimVentions Women in Leadership Community of Interest and continues to provide executive leadership to this group.
Before becoming COO, Megan served as Vice President of the Cybersecurity Engineering Group, growing it from a small team to over 70 engineers and increasing annual revenue from under $1M to over $16M. Prior to SimVentions, she built and led Booz Allen Hamilton’s team at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, where she expanded the business and opened a new office supporting over 60 employees.
Megan recently joined SimVentions’ Board of Directors and has been a Board of Advisors member for the University of Mary Washington (UMW) College of Business since 2022. Recognized as one of the top Women in Leadership by Virginia Business Magazine in 2021, she received the Distinguished Business Alumni Award from UMW in 2022. Megan holds dual B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from UMW and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Breakout Session: True Self, True Impact: Embracing Authenticity to Empower and Inspire
Latasha Brooks
Session Description:
In this interactive breakout session, participants will explore the powerful relationship between authenticity and empowerment. Through a series of reflective and creative activities, attendees will uncover how embracing their true selves can inspire and uplift others, creating a ripple effect of positive change.
Activities:
- Empowerment Snapshot: Participants will engage in a brief reflective exercise where they write down a moment when they felt empowered by being authentic. These anonymous snapshots will be shared and discussed in a group setting, fostering an open dialogue about the diverse ways authenticity leads to empowerment.
- Empowerment Domino Effect: In small groups, participants will create a visual diagram illustrating how a single authentic action can set off a chain of empowering effects on others. This activity encourages creative thinking and highlights the often unseen impacts of staying true to oneself.
Key Takeaways:
- Real-life examples of how authenticity can empower both the individual and others.
- Insight into the far-reaching effects of authentic actions.
- Inspiration to embrace and express one’s true self in both personal and professional settings.
About the Speaker:
Latasha Brooks, widely known as “Coach Brooks,” is a dedicated business consultant and leader specializing in bridging the gap between leadership and inclusion. With over a decade of experience in coaching, business development, and fostering diverse teams, she has become a trusted figure in the entrepreneurial community.
Latasha has empowered more than 1,500 entrepreneurs through her innovative programs, which focus on leadership development, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and team building. Her unique approach emphasizes the importance of inclusivity in leadership, creating environments where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but actively leveraged. She believes that when leaders embrace the strengths of their teams, they can achieve exceptional results.
Latasha’s expertise in leadership development equips businesses with the tools needed to inspire and guide diverse teams. Her work in DEI focuses on creating workplaces where all voices are heard and valued, ensuring that diversity is a strength rather than a challenge. In team building, Latasha fosters collaboration and helps unlock the full potential of teams by encouraging open communication and mutual respect.
In addition to her work in leadership and DEI, Latasha is passionate about business development, helping companies thrive in today’s competitive landscape. She provides guidance on how to build strong, inclusive teams that can adapt to changing markets and drive sustained growth.
Coach Brooks is committed to making a lasting impact on the businesses and entrepreneurs she works with, fostering environments where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Her dedication to leadership, inclusion, and business development has made her a respected voice in the field, and her work continues to inspire positive change in the entrepreneurial community.
Breakout Session: Empowering Me, We, & Community
Michelle Hedrich
Session Description:
Empowerment begins with ME. By embracing a life-long growth mindset you will unlock your full potential. By using self-reflection and evaluation tools to examine and understand your traits, you can discover your strengths and opportunities to evolve. By analyzing assessment results, you’ll gain insights that can help shape and empower your future. In this session, we will explore different ways to boost your personal growth.
Empowerment continues to WE. Self-growth fosters self-assurance and empowers yourself and those around you. Reflecting on your behaviors, emotions, and core values, will provide insight into how you impact others. Self-awareness of your own needs and recognizing how they differ from those of others will help you adapt and better meet their needs. In this session, we will discuss how self-reflection will help you build positive relationships and better manage a team, making it easier to collaborate with you in finding successful solutions.
Empowerment improves our COMMUNITY. Self-growth equips you, your team, and our community to face and overcome future challenges to persist through difficult tasks and times. Fostering better collaboration among business, nonprofits, and government organizations helps our community adapt more effectively to its evolving needs. In this session, we will discuss how empowering me and we, leads to positive change and improvement of our community.
About the Speaker:
Michelle’s career has been defined by her dedication to empowering others and fostering community leadership. Recently retired as the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Fredericksburg, Michelle championed the vision of enabling all youth to achieve their full potential. During her tenure as President of the Junior League of Portland Maine, she inspired women to take on leadership roles fostering positive and enduring change within the community. A native of Maine, Michelle has a wealth of expertise in nonprofit management having served as the Executive Director of the Southern Maine Community College Foundation and as an educational administrator at the American Psychological Association. As the Chair of the School Board in Portland Maine, she oversaw Maine’s largest and most diverse school system.
Michelle is a passionate community volunteer, contributing her time and insights to more than 30 boards and committees including on the Leadership Team for the Community Collaborative for Youth and Families for Planning District 16. Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Management from the University of Maine and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University. She is a 2017 graduate of the Leadership Fredericksburg program of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and has served as a mentor. Michelle lives in Spotsylvania County with her husband Peter. They have two grown daughters, one son-in-law and four grandchildren.
Breakout Session: Getting Beyond Your Barriers – Empowering Yourself & Others
Christine Dellecave
Session Description:
In this 45 minute interactive workshop, delve into your wildest personal and professional dreams, explore what’s holding you back, and begin to build a plan to take the next step towards powering your dream and feeling more empowered. Along the way, you will practice helping empower others to unlock their potential and achieve their dreams as well.
About the Speaker:
Christine Dellecave provides advisory and consulting services related to human capital strategy and talent management to executives in all industries, with a focus on driving change and encouraging growth in both companies and individuals. She brings more than 25 years of experience in senior level HR and C-level positions in both large, public corporations and private equity-backed growth companies. Previous C-suite roles include Chief People Officer of MyEyeDr., CHRO of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, and CHRO of Strayer Education.
A vision-first executive, Christine recognizes that strategy is only effective when it is translated into pragmatic solutions and then supported throughout the organization. Her work has centered around advising as well as designing solutions that focus on the acceleration of business growth and scale, supercharging talent and leadership capabilities, transforming culture and the employee experience, redesigning the strategy and approach to HR and other business functions, communications and change management, and the successful acquisition and integration of businesses, to name a few.
She also does adjunct teaching in the Executive Education program at the McDonough Business School at Georgetown, and is on the board of a nonprofit that focuses on the education and empowerment of women leaders in Honduras. Christine is a graduate of New York University where she earned her MA and her PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology. She has been recognized through industry awards over the years such as the Executive Women in Vision Leadership Award, HR Leadership Association Leadership Award and HR Leadership Association Team Innovation Award. In addition to her professional work, Christine devotes time to efforts and organizations that promote the advancement of women, girls and people of color.
Breakout Session: The Neuroscience of Empowerment: 5 Brain Hacks to Empower Yourself and Others
Theresa Moore
Session Description:
If you feel the world is moving at a crazy fast pace, amid increasing complexity and relentless change, you are not alone. In this session, Theresa Moore (UMW alum) will share the brain’s unique ability to respond and adapt, as well as humans’ amazing capacity to rewire our neural pathways. Using concepts from neuroscience and neuroplasticity, you’ll gain five brain hacks to not only survive but to thrive.
About the Speaker:
Theresa joined Top Line Growth Partners as Managing Director in June 2020. As a member of the senior leadership team, she oversees the Leadership Coaching and Leadership Development practice area. Theresa also leads an array of human capital engagements with clients from diverse industries and functions on transformational initiatives designed to build robust leadership capacity, create high-performing cultures, and accelerate profitable growth.
For almost 30 years, Theresa has worked in talent management and leadership development including senior roles at Renaissance Reinsurance in Bermuda, and Capital One and Genworth Financial in Richmond, Virginia. A skilled problem-solver and forward-thinker, Theresa is known for building relationships and providing fiercely practical solutions.
Theresa holds a bachelor’s degree from Mary Washington College and a master’s degree in Organization Development from American University. She earned Professional Certified Coach credentials from the International Coach Federation. Her community involvements reflect her passion for empowering people to achieve their highest potential. She has served on the board of The READ Center in Richmond and the Centre on Philanthropy in Bermuda. Theresa currently mentors a teen at Cristo Rey Richmond High School and works on behalf of their Corporate Work Study Partnership committee.
When she is not engaging with clients or community, Theresa enjoys teaching yoga, working on her home in Richmond’s historic Fan district, and hanging out with Daisy, the rescue beagle.
Breakout Session: Empowered and Equipped to Excel: Awakening to the Power Within
Alicia Turner
Session Description:
Are you tired of making excuses and delaying the actions to create the life you dream about? Are you ready to awaken and unleash the power within you? Are you ready but unsure about what your next step should be?
Alicia Turner, a successful entrepreneur, wife, mother, and leadership consultant, will share her insights and wisdom to help you tap into the power within you to become the powerhouse you were meant to be.
During this workshop, we will learn valuable lessons about the keys to unlocking your true potential. We will cover topics such as realizing abundance, building resilience, finding purpose, and exerting the courage to pursue your aspirations.
This workshop will empower you with practical tools to excel in both your personal and professional life, enabling you to:
- Discover the difference between scarcity and abundance and how it impacts your life
- Learn how to develop resilience and gain valuable life lessons to help you overcome
obstacles - Identify where you are today in order to connect with your purpose and next steps
- Gain the courage to pursue your dreams and become a phenomenal powerhouse
- Identify what is really holding you back so you can overcome it
You have the power within you to be a phenomenal powerhouse, and this workshop will help you realize that so you can become what you were created to be.
About the Speaker:
Alicia Turner is an operations and leadership practitioner and consultant for non-profit, commercial, and government organizations. She primarily focuses her engagements on developing leadership and team capacity through consulting projects that drive organizational strategy and process improvement.
Alicia has over 20+ years of leadership and operations management experience, including a billion-dollar health care corporation as a Human Resources and Organizational Development executive and Chief Operations Officer. Her broad industry and community work experience enables her to effectively relate to front-line staff, supervisors, middle management, senior leadership, and executives. Alicia’s business philosophy is rooted in sharing her hard-earned experience and lessons learned, making complex issues, processes, and problems simple while empowering leaders to create high-performance teams.