2023 SPEAKERS

Caeley Looney is a total space geek, avid Netflix binger, and french fry lover. After graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, she started working full-time as a Space Mission Analyst at L3Harris Technologies, where she currently supports their small satellite programs. Recently, she completed her M.S. in Space Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Once the work day is over, she comes home and works on Reinvented Magazine. As the founder and CEO of this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Caeley works to empower young girls to pursue STEM fields through each of Reinvented’s three core programs. Outside of work and running a nonprofit, Caeley loves making and is constantly working on something crazy. Some of her favorite projects include forging a sword, designing a 3D printed light up constellation dress, and building an origami kayak.

Demi Knight Clark has over 25 years of nonconforming in the trades - primarily rising through the ranks of publicly-traded production homebuilding. From throwing a hammer to scaling companies to founding a nonprofit for women in trades (She Built This City) to now "going first" as a female founder/WBE in construction, welding & demolition - equity & "solving the deltas" of 2% women in true trades is at Demi's heart.

Daryl started in the construction industry at just 19 years old. Since that time, she has grown from an administrative assistant to an experienced Project Manager, leading projects and teams in commercial mechanical, process, and plumbing scopes. She has experience that spans semiconductor, pharmaceutical, offices, and multifamily markets in both plan & spec and design-build deliveries. In addition to her direct role, she is integral to strategic planning, training and development, and process improvements for her teams and business units. Daryl is a cross-functional team influencer and a collaborative, interpersonal servant-leader who prioritizes supporting, uplifting, and mentoring others. She values and celebrates individual differences and excels at combining people-focused goals with Project + Business + Client objectives. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the TD Women’s Partner Resource Group, 2023 I-LinCP breakout session speaker, and is a 2022 Empowering Women in Industry nominee for Industry Advocacy as well as Leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Shannon Bumgarner is a change maker inspiring transformation within organizations and with women in technical careers. As a degreed engineer with 20+ years of experience, her bold leadership has strengthened supply chain, engineering, and customer experience processes for leading industrial companies. Shannon is passionate about mentoring women in largely male-dominated industries with a broader impact on gender equity in STEM and gender wealth equality. 

Jill is a passionate entrepreneur & thought leader enabling system level change. She is Founder & CEO of Lunum, which provides a new way to measure the impact companies have on workers and communities and facilitates the Breedlove Accelerator Program teaching a novel trauma-responsive curriculum that she authored.

She serves on the Spondylitis Association of America’s Board of Directors and hosts Spondycast, serves on the Empowering Women in Industry Steering Committee and is a member of the Brookings Institute 17 Rooms, an experimental method for advancing the priorities embedded in the UN-SDG's. 

Meaghan Ziemba is a Technical writer, brand storyteller, and marketer for industrial manufacturers. She has a B.A. and M.A. in Professional and Technical Writing from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. She has been writing for manufacturing since 2008 and hosts a live video broadcast series called Mavens of Manufacturing. The series focuses on women in the sector. Its mission is to attract younger generations to join manufacturing or engineering career pathways to help close the skills and gender gaps. Meaghan is a proud mother of three. She enjoys cooking, CrossFit, and a great cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey.

Environmental Engineer, Global MBA and MSc Business Administration. Passionate about water challenge, with strong background in drinking water and wastewater treatment; in the field of consulting, engineering & construction, project management as well as in business development. Her purpose is not only to help solve water but also to inspire young generations taking care of water challenges across Latin America. https://www.xylem.com/en-us/making-waves/water-utilities-news/xylem-author-teaches-children-about-the-wonderful-world-of-water/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=us-corp-waterbook-q1-feb&utm_content=

Gina Simpson is a successful serial entrepreneur, certified professional coach, educator, author, and creator of confidence. Combining her professional experience with her passion to help others, Gina founded Soluna Strategies, a firm that specializes in developing energetic, innovative, and successful individuals and organizations. She is a highly sought-after, charismatic keynote speaker, facilitator, and author that works with students, individual clients, and organizations moving them towards actualization of their goals.

Blanka Gyorgy is based in Chicago, IL, has accumulated 17 years of global experience working with Genpact. Her expertise lies in people functions such as change management, HR, training, talent acquisition, and knowledge management. She has played a crucial role in driving the people aspect of large-scale business and technology transformation projects across diverse industries. As a strategy advisor, Blanka has collaborated with numerous Fortune 500 clients, leading global teams in implementing enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives. Her unwavering dedication to progress and results has earned her a distinguished reputation as a change advocate and a difference maker in the field of global transformation leadership.

Allison “Ally” Jencson, sometimes called the Tradeswoman Tigress, is fiercely passionate about helping women be successful in the construction and trades industries. As the leader of her own trades business, Ally discovered that there aren’t many resources for the 2% of female construction workers who are tradeswomen. And so, being the resourceful rebel that she is, Ally created Girder Skirts™. A community for tradeswomen to support and connect with each other, just like a girder does for a physical structure. She has over 15 years of trades business experience to back up what she teaches. Ally knows it takes more than hard work and dedication to run a family and a business at the same time. It takes being a rebel and doing things differently!

Emily Wilkins is the founder and CEO of Marketing Metal, the “anti-agency” that helps small manufacturers become magnetic to the humans they need to thrive and create Real positive impact in their communities and the world. She and her team mine for the “metal” in these shops, turning that raw material into an exciting, authentic brand and marketing machine that they feel proud to show off and empowered to operate.

H.J. (Howard) Dewes, Channel Strategy Manager, HVAC Drives, has been with ABB more than thirty years with roles in operations, logistics, marketing, sales management, business development and acquisition integration. He is a strategic leader with a distinct ability to view challenges and opportunity from many perspectives who leverages diverse cross-functional teams to achieve exceptional results. H.J. is a champion for Diversity & Inclusion, Sustainability, the Circular Economy, and the Energy Efficiency Movement. He served in the United States Navy and earned degrees from Marquette University in Organization Leadership and Communication Studies.

Cheryl has 40 years of leadership and management experience in manufacturing. She has held leadership positions with industry giants like GM, Mazda, Ford, and Lear Corporation and led teams in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and throughout Europe and Asia. Cheryl spent 19 years as the President and CEO of Hope Global, a manufacturing company with over 2,000 employees and operations in the U.S., Mexico, Czech Republic, China, and Brazil. During that period, Hope Global grew five times in revenue and became a Tier II leader in the Automotive Industry. In 2019, Cheryl joined Taco as President of Taco Family of Companies, North America. In March of 2020, Cheryl was promoted to CEO of Taco Family of Companies Global operations. Since taking the helm, Taco has doubled in revenue, expanded the workforce by 350 team members, acquired a new business unit in England and have planned global operational facility expansions of over 243,000 sq, ft. in the next 3 years. 

 Cheryl has received awards over her career that include Scouts of America, Distinguished Citizen Award (2023), Providence Business News Rhode Island Business Women’s Career Achievement Award (2022) and Leadership Award (2001, 2014), Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, Al Lubrano Leadership Award (2022) New England Business Woman of the Year (2014), Mentor of the Year PBN RI (2016), Crain’s Women in Manufacturing of the Year (2018), Trailblazer in Business / Cheryl Watkins Snead Award (2018). She holds two Honorary Doctorates from New England Institute of Technology for Humane Letters and Bryant University for Business. 

Her community work includes being a member of the Board of Governors for the Rhode Island Commodores, Advisory Board Member for the University of Rhode Island, member of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association Advisory Board, and a Board member of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. Cheryl has also served in the past as a Trustee (Secretary and Chair of Student Affairs) for Bryant University, Board of Governors, and a Trustee of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. She has also served on the boards of Rhode Island Economic Development, Governor’s Workforce Board, the Rhode Island Hospital Foundation, and the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce.

I am a woman who has been through tragedy and triumph and learned to BE MY OWN BRAND! I have learned the importance of branding me, before being branded. I am now on a mission to empower women to find their magic through their personal stories of survival and triumph. Our voices will change the world.

Ashley Wheeler is responsible for organizational development at Hunt Refining Company in Tuscaloosa, AL. She is passionate about helping individuals and organizations transform their thinking and performance from commonplace to extraordinary. Her focus is maximizing potential through training, coaching and consulting around leadership, women’s leadership, process improvement and strategic planning. She is a frequently requested keynote speaker on topics related to women’s leadership and organizational development and was an international facilitator, executive coach and speaker in her past role working for Caterpillar. She is certified in several assessments and is a Marshall Goldsmith Executive and Team Stakeholder Centered Coaching graduate. She is currently working to obtain certification in coaching, training and speaking through John Maxwell’s Leadership Team. She holds an undergraduate degree in Education from Auburn University, a Master’s in Education and finished her PhD coursework from Auburn. She is “ABD.” Ashley has been a single mom to two college-age boys for 19 years now and just recently engaged. She gives back to her community through serving in volunteer work over many years. She is a current member of Leadership Tuscaloosa for 2022 – 2023

Lauren is a mindset and leadership speaker. She is the author of Go With Your Gut: Then Keep Going, the host of the podcast Go With Your Gut and a Tedx speaker. Her passion and mission is to use her own life lessons, struggles and developed practices to help others get themselves "unstuck" in life and gain forward momentum.

Jennifer Watson, MPT, I.M.T.,C., owner of Jennifer Watson Leadership, is a dynamic speaker and coach with a gift for intuitive and visionary coaching. She is an expert in wellness + leadership development, identity & mental edge enhancement, high-performance, post-trauma growth, movement & change adaptation, and soul-aligned living mastery. Incorporating her expertise along with her athletic gifts as a former collegiate athlete and All- American, she has had the honor to share here message on the TEDx stage, NBC, Fox Radio and top Summit/Podcasts. With 20+ years experience in business-leadership management + wellness advocacy, she inspires those to unleash their potential and performance in all areas of their life. Her company, Jennifer Watson Leadership (JWL), supports ambitious leaders & entrepreneurs to step out of chaos into creation to live their legacy now. JWL does this through Mind-Body-Soul Wellness Activation, Next-Level Speaking + Leadership Traits Amplification, and Sustainable High-Performance Creation Acceleration. Her gift is truly to tap into the leaders “Jedi Flow State” in Wellness + Leadership and create their EXTRAORDINARY Business + LIFE ease + joy.

Camille McKinney is an Executive/Leadership Coach, consultant, and speaker who is passionate about elevating the impact leaders have on people and organizations. She believes that leadership is an ‘inside job;’ great leadership starts within each of us. Before becoming a professional Coach, Camille worked for over 25 years as a learning and performance consulting professional in the banking and healthcare industries, where she also led a team of sales training professionals. She brings her experience in leadership, Emotional Intelligence, performance consulting and training to support leaders in revealing their personal leadership advantage, both in business and in life. Website URL: https://camillemckinney.com/ 

First American Woman Master Model Designer at LEGOLAND California, First Female Freelance LEGO Artist in the World and named one of the top 10 LEGO Artists Worldwide, Owner and Founder of Model Building Secrets for the past 16 years. Have made LEGO creations for Netflix, Google, Square, LinkedIn, Warner Brothers, 20th Century, and many more top companies worldwide. Have models at 4 of the LEGOLAND parks around the world. Was Keynote Speaker at two LEGO conventions in Australia https://modelbuildingsecrets.com/ 

Amy Crosby is a degreed electrical engineer leading technical services at a small automation company, WEM Automation. She has been in the Industrial Automation field for over 20 years, starting her career as a Field Service Engineer. Amy is positive, determined and always on the lookout for actions and suggestions to move her work forward. On a personal note, she has been married to Keith for 23 years and they have 3 children: a 22 year old daughter, a 20 year old son and a 16 year old daughter. Being a working and involved mom has always been important to Amy as well as guiding other females as they navigate life changes and learn how to advocate for themselves.

Dana Peever is the creator of "The Decision Smith" app and 5-Step Decision Making System, www.yearofyouchallenge.com, 2x #1 bestselling author of The Decision to...Series, and Decision Expert at www.TheDecisionSmith.com. Dana has spent over 30 years invested in helping people make tough decisions confidently. She acknowledges that making those decisions takes courage, and her goal is to empower women to success, one brave decision at a time. She has worked with hundreds of clients who all have their own story to tell. Ultimately, she'd like to see them Brave the Chaos with a smile on their face.

Coralee has been in the construction industry for over 25 years and started her career as a building envelope consultant for a multinational engineering firm. Upon retiring from the engineering firm, she started working full time with her husband on the mechanical contracting business they started together. After 15 years of ownership and successfully selling her trades business, Coralee now shares her knowledge, experience, and expertise with business owners in construction and trades to build their business for greater profitability, flexibility and freedom. All social platforms: @coraleebeatty

Barbara Trautlein, PhD is author of Change Intelligence, principal and founder of Change Catalysts, and originator of the CQ® System. For over 30 years, Barbara has coached executives, trained leaders at all levels, certified change agents, and facilitated mission-critical transformational initiatives - achieving bottom-line business and powerful leadership results for clients. Her blend of research, real-world expertise, and actionable strategies makes her an in-demand consultant and speaker spanning a wide range of industries across the globe. Clients served include Abbott, BP, Cisco, Goodwill, Northwestern University, and University Hospitals. Barbara holds a doctorate in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan.

I've worked for Grazzini Brothers for 11 years. Started as a helper, worked my way up to finisher and years later journeyman Tile Setter, 1 of only 3 in our company. In 2020 I was awarded Tile Setter of the year. I've had the pleasure of working on many award winning jobs over my career. My husband and I work together to accomplish our goal of Tiling the world one piece at a time 🥰

Dianne McMaster works for Emerson as a Water and Wastewater Business Development Manager providing support and strategic direction for water and wastewater business. Dianne works with existing and potential customers within our industry to bring market knowledge, technical support, competitive differentiators, and sharing innovations in the industry. Dianne is a regional leader in Emerson’s Women’s Impact Network employee resource group which provides support and networking opportunities for female employees in 85+ chapters globally, strives to increase the number of women in leadership positions, and works to attract a new generation of women in STEM fields.  Dianne volunteers on the American Lung Association Fight for Air Stair Climb Committee, as a corral captain at the P3R Pittsburgh Marathon, with Penn State COMETS (Math, Engineering, Technology, and Science) middle school program, and has leadership positions in her local SWE chapter as well as on several professional organizations.

A globally successful and experienced sales and business development executive with highly developed sales, strategic, communication, people development and leadership skills. Able to understand company, customer, employee and market expectations and drivers and transform them into outstanding business success by utilizing charismatic leadership, superb communication and technical competence. A logical and pragmatic expert in understanding and implementing real and meaningful value creation, strategic planning, inclusive team leadership and techno-commercial management with the ability to leverage on international experience. Currently living and working in the US as VP of Sales for the Domestic Building Division within Grundfos, which is responsible for the development of our business in the single and multifamily residential space. Passionate about energy & water conservation and all things relating to sustainability, which includes building sustainable business and not just the part relating to environmental sustainability.

Leslie Taito is the Executive Vice President of Business Operations at Taco Comfort Solutions. Taco is a 100-year-old, third generation family-owned global company based in Cranston, Rhode Island that engineers and manufacturers high-efficiency indoor heating, cooling, and plumbing comfort systems. Using her 30+ years of management and manufacturing experience, she is responsible for Taco’s global strategy and implementation for business operations, supply chain, import/export compliance, quality, vendor contract management and marketing. Previously, she served as Chief of Staff at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, CEO of Hope Global, a manufacturer of textile products and engineering solutions, Director of Regulatory Reform for the Rhode Island Office of Management and Budget, CEO for the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services, Inc., and Executive Director of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association. 

Leslie is actively involved in her community and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Centreville Bank, is a Rhode Island Commodore, and is a member of the Rhode Island Manufactures Association Advisory board. She has held past board positions with the National Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Polaris MEP Advisory Board, and the Northern Rhode Island and North Kingstown Chambers of Commerce

Robert (Rob) Montenegro is the son of a single mother, brother to two older sisters, husband to an amazing wife, father to two super-amazing grown daughters, teammate to remarkable women (some of whom are Empowering Women in Industry award winners)! Rob is the Vice President of Sales at Grundfos, the leading global pump manufacturer and solution provider. Rob is responsible for the sustainable and responsible pumping and treatment solutions for municipal water and wastewater authorities and has more than 30 years of senior leadership experience and expertise in the water and wastewater field. Prior to joining Grundfos, Rob was responsible for managing a pump, mixer, and blower manufacturing and distribution business as President of Pumpex and Vice President of Sales for ABS (Sulzer), as well as a leadership position with Synagro. Rob has a B.S.M.E. degree from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.