2017 Speakers

Faye Lane

New York-based Writer & Performer

Faye Lane is a Texas-born, New York-based writer and performer whose unique blending of story and song moved New York Magazine to gush, “She had them gobbling from the palm of her hand. They were howling, crying, falling in love with her.” Faye is “one of New York’s most beloved and respected storytellers” and appears frequently in storytelling shows around the country.

In addition to presentations for organizations and corporations, Faye is a regular performer for PRX/NPR’s The Moth, performing for standing room only crowds at such storied venues as The Paramount Theater in Austin, The Fillmore in Detroit, and the 4,000 seat Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. She has won the Moth Story Slam, which The Wall Street Journal hails as “New York’s hottest, hippest literary ticket” in both New York and Los Angeles.

Her autobiographical stories can be heard on NPR’s Cityscapes as well as The Moth Radio Hour, and she is a featured author in the New York Times Best Selling book The Moth: Fifty True Stories. Faye’s story: “Fireworks from Above” was published in The Readers Digest. Faye has performed her stories at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival, the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival, and the Future of StoryTelling Summit. Faye has studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

Tammy Darvish

Tammy Darvish is the former EVP and COO at PenFed Credit Union, serving over 1.5 million members worldwide with more than $21 billion in assets. Previously, she was the EVP of DARCARS Automotive Group, a privately owned group of 30+ franchises throughout Greater Washington. After serving locally for the Washington Auto Dealer Association for 20+ years, she was elected the first woman Chairman. She often consults for companies and media outlets on issues regarding the Automotive Industry and has received numerous industry awards, including being named one of the “100 Leading Women in North American Auto Industry”, and speaks at many Business, Community, and Industry events.

Tiffany Largie

There was no magic bullet for coast-to-coast business and sales strategist, Tiffany Largie. She went from being a single mom to building three six-figure businesses, and on to a seven-figure business by the age of 30. Tiffany began with no capital but sheer hard work and determination. Today she helps people create the income, influence, and impact they dream of. She’s the creator of Onwards to Freedom, a group which offers business training and support to idea-driven entrepreneurs. She speaks around the world on sales strategy, entrepreneurship, and profit building. She has dedicated her life to end small thinking worldwide.

Jennifer Andos

Jennifer Andos is the award-winning owner of Paperfish Creative, a Strategic Marketing and Branding company celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience, working on B2B and B2C clients who range from sole proprietors to Fortune 100 companies. She has been trained on branding systems at McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo and others and brings that knowledge and experience to small and mid-size businesses.

Karen Bate

A former journalist and Congressional press secretary with more than 25 years experience in nonprofit and corporate communications, Karen Bate, Founder and CEO of KB Concepts P.R., rebrands companies and nonprofits; positions organizations to achieve their mission and goals; garners key media placements; and harnesses the variety of social media tools and influencers to tell her clients’ stories and inspire others to support them. Great Ideas for Good Causes is not just her company tagline; it is the guiding philosophy of her work.

Cynthia Battino

Life coach, energy worker, speaker, author and happiness provider; these are just a few words to describe Cindy Battino. In 2003 Cindy began learning energy work. After four years of intensive study, she became a Brennan Healing Science Practitioner. Previously she graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Economics. She uses the relationship and life skills taught at The Brennan School to help her clients find more beauty in themselves and happiness in their lives. In 2011 she founded Transformational Healing in Middleburg, Virginia.

Tammy Bjelland

Tammy Bjelland is a lifelong learner and passionate educator with a background in educational technology and instructional design. She holds a BA and MA from the University of Virginia and is the founder and president of Learning in Bloom, which helps individuals and businesses flourish through learning-based engagement. She is the author of How to Learn Online and How to Teach Online, which will be published in fall of 2017.

Star Bobatoon

“Engaging, knowledgeable, entertaining and impactful” – those are the words most often used to describe Star Bobatoon.

Star is an accomplished attorney, award-winning speaker, author & presentation coach. In addition to practicing law for over 10 years, this former actress has over a decade of experience performing on stage, TV, and the big screen. She was also trained as a motivational speaker by world-renown motivational speaker Les Brown and ran his speaker training program.

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown is devoted to helping business owners overcome the unique Human Resources (HR) challenges they face and implement solutions to prevent HR problems that can drain them of their time, money, and energy. Business owners work with Jennifer and her team to help them build stronger employee relationships, understand and comply with employment laws, establish strategies and policies, and set up easy-to-use HR systems to consistently avoid problems. Through her consulting work and speaking engagements, Jennifer uses her 25+ years of HR experience to provide business owners and their teams with the resources and guidance they need to leverage their HR practices for success

Andrea Campbell

Andrea D. Campbell is a keynote speaker, author and transformational coach. After spending many years in corporate America, she decided to follow her heart’s desire to help others live their best lives…on purpose. She firmly believes you deserve to be the best you yet and is passionate about inspiring and motivating others to be bold and make the intentional change in their lives to achieve the life they truly love living.

Dr. Virginia Chiantella

Dr. Virginia Chiantella is a board certified surgeon with 28 years of experience. She exclusively cares for patients with benign and malignant conditions of the breast and has extensive experience in the evolution of breast diagnostics and surgical procedures. Dr. Chiantella earned her medical degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University (now, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine) and was the first woman to complete a General Surgery Internship and Residency at the Wake Forest University Medical Center, where she served as Chief Resident in General Surgery in 1988/89.

Marianne Clyde

Marianne Clyde, LMFT, best selling author of Zentivity™: How to Eliminate Chaos Stress and Discontent in Your Workplace, Un-Leashed: Practical Steps to Get Your Life Unstuck, and Peaceful Parenting: 10 Essential Principles is the founder of the award winning Marianne Clyde Center for Holistic Psychotherapy, voted best of Warrenton, 2017, and Be the Change Foundation, empowering and equipping women in need to build successful home-based businesses.

Geoff Crawley

Geoff Crawley is Your Networking Ninja. He has been a proven sales leader in various industries for over 20 years. With a proven track record of revenue growth, Geoff knows how to help you learn from his past successes (and, uh, learning experiences #fails) to grow sales for you and your business through networking. Geoff was a finalist for the 2016 Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and in that same year the company he owned was a finalist for the Small Business of the Year Award. In his free time, you can find Geoff cheering for all Philadelphia sports teams, running half marathons or spending time with his wife Dawn and their three children, Annie, Jackson and Maxwell, and their dog Bacon.

Jen Dalton

Jen Dalton has 15 years’ experience in brand strategy. In 2012, she launched BrandMirror, becoming a certified master personal brand strategist. In 2016, Jen published The Intentional Entrepreneur, a bestselling book that shares her process for building your personal brand as an entrepreneur. She has spoken to and coached thousands of individuals and entrepreneurs about how to stand out. She is an international speaker, working with the Navy, GE, IBM, Capital One, 1776, and more.

Libby Dishner

Libby Dishner has spent more than 20 years helping people find success and fulfillment by reaching for their full potential. A former Senior Vice President of Human Resources, she has been working as a professional consultant and coach in Richmond, Va., since 2011. Libby works with individuals and organizations to provide leadership development programs, coaching and HR strategy. She is passionate about bringing coaching skills to every organizational leader, teacher and administrator, and to every person raising children.

Jen Du Plessis

Jen is a highly sought after professional speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. Jennifer has been featured in such publications as The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, and on Good Morning America, Sirius/XM Radio and Federal News Radio, to name a few. She has been named in the Top 200 Loan Originators in the US several times; is the founder and host of the weekly Podcast Mortgage Lending Mastery, and author of LAUNCH! How to take your business to new heights.

In her workshops and training sessions Jen shares strategies she has applied in reaching her goals annually; while maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Through her personal coaching Jen advises and guides her clients based on personal goals and abilities and she shows others how to realize financial business funding goals through online funding systems, structure, implementation and goal setting through her own experiences.

Meredith Ehler

Meredith Ehler is a professional makeup artist and image consultant. She has a degree in Fashion and her back ground includes styling fashion shows for Nordstrom, working at MAC cosmetics, and she even was a cheerleader for the Washington Redskins. Meredith knows that image is everything and loves to empower women to look their best as effortlessly as possible!

Rita Goodroe

Rita is founder of Women’s Business Garden, a global community of women entrepreneurs who are creating new futures for themselves and their communities through entrepreneurship. Women’s Business Garden provides women with education, mentorship and community events making it easier for them to start businesses that achieve lasting success. In June 2016, Women’s Business Garden was nominated and selected as a change making company by the State of Women Summit, convened by The White House. A business coach, speaker and author, Rita believes that the fastest path to success is helping others succeed and she’s dedicated to fighting for women’s equal access to opportunities in all areas of entrepreneurship.

Linda Griffin

Linda Griffin is the founder of Expert Author 411 and LG Griffin Copywriting where she helps individuals and businesses increase their credibility and attract customers through self-publishing and other content creation strategies. Linda is a sought after keynote and workshop presenter for audiences of all sizes and has been a featured contributor on multiple online and print publications. Linda holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Auburn University and an M.B.A. from the University of South Florida. She resides in Ashburn, Va. with her pets Bugsy the Pug and miniature parrot, Pippin.

Radiance W. Harris, Esq.

Radiance W. Harris is an award-winning brand attorney, highly sought-after speaker, and published writer. She has been recognized as a thought-leader in her field and in the legal community as a whole. Her accolades include Prince George’s County 40 Under 40 (2017), Washington D.C. Rising Stars for Intellectual Property by Super Lawyers (2013 – 2017), Maryland Rising Stars for Intellectual Property by Super Lawyers (2017), and Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40 by the National Bar Association (2013).

Jen Hecht

Jen Hecht has an extensive background in both sales and marketing. Her innovative way of thinking allows her to connect the business principles she has learned over the years to the dating world. Her expansive and wide-ranging network of professional businesswomen makes her a wealth of information and resources. Jen is deeply committed to, and passionate about, helping others build a strong support system in their lives.

Monica Marusceac

As the founder and director of Peak Performance Associates and NoVA Hypnosis & Wellness, Monica combines her passion for helping people understand their own innate strength with her out of the box thinking to provide her clients with unconventional perspectives and ideas. The results have earned her a small legion of grateful clients who have experienced her ability to reset mindsets and change lives.

Jenn Mathis

For over 15 years Jenn Mathis has diligently served small business owners by helping them secure financing for their unique business needs. In 2010 she co-founded One Degree Capital with one goal in mind: to become the nation’s most trusted business capital advisor. Jenn firmly believes that business owners deserve the opportunity to make their dreams a reality, and she is dedicated to doing her part to make it happen.

Jan Molino

Jan Molino is President and CEO of Aspire Ascend, her professional services firm that provides a comprehensive portfolio of career building services and board development for women in executive leadership. She delivers onsite, customized leadership programs, workshops, coaching services, and expert-led events.

Alison R. Mullins

Alison R. Mullins is a passionate advocate of both the law and personal relationships. Alison handles complex civil litigation from soup to nuts during the day, and manages and loves her husband and twin 1-and-a-half-year-olds at night. She is admitted to practice in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Alison has been recognized for her legal prowess by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star for both Virginia and Washington DC areas, and by Virginia Business magazine as one of Virginia’s Legal Elite.

Barbara Quast

Barbara Quast is the President and the creative director of Barbara Quast Interior Design Inc. She has practiced interior design for almost 30 years, 25 of which the as head of an architectural firm. Her work is primarily residential, with a few select commercial projects such as a local winery. Her approach to design is collaborative. She works closely with her clients to create unique spaces that reflect their taste, rather than her own or the latest trend. The results are both timeless and distinctive spaces.

Lisa Shaughnessy

Lisa Shaughnessy is a business process consultant who loves to help professional women feel more confident when they follow up with others. Whether they’re exploring new opportunities, growing their business, or want to update their business skills, Lisa gives professional women the tools and motivation they need to reach out to achieve a specific result. Combining her 25 years’ experience in government, corporate, and small business settings to create personalized and powerful follow up messages, Lisa launched CreateFollowUpMessages.com. The site is her platform to educate professionals on how to follow up in a way that feels authentic, yet purposeful.

Keri Shull

The Keri Shull Team is Ranked as a Top Real Estate Team in Virginia. Additionally, The Keri Shull Team is ranked #1 in Arlington by nearly four times the volume as their closest competitor. In 2016 alone, Keri and her team helped 342 families buy or sell real estate. Throughout her career, Keri has sold over $1 billion in real estate.

Keri has lived in Arlington since she graduated from Penn State in 2003. She started her career selling new homes for NV Homes, where she was ranked in the top 3% of the entire NVR sales team. In 2005, she transitioned into selling large condo buildings for The Mayhood Campany. Keri was honored by being selected a the Condo Sales Person of the Year in Virginia by the MAME Committee. In 2008, Keri combined her love for selling new homes with with growing a team.

Sharon Smith

Sharon Smith is the founder of C-Suite Results where her focus is on helping leaders create high performance teams and organizations of unparalleled excellence. When employees thrive so does the organization and the bottom line. As she discusses in her book, The Corporate Detox, too many people are counting down the days until Friday or just hanging in there.

Sharon is known for her no-nonsense approach and speaks to audiences of all sizes on creating high performance teams, the pillars that are necessary for a team to be EPICC, and the importance of stepping away from technology and getting back to basics with the human connection.

Carole Stizza

A Senior Human Resource Professional, Carole holds a Bachelors and Masters in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and has been responsible for supporting a military family across the U.S. for 26 years until landing in Northern Virginia. During her relocations, she reached top leadership levels in sales organizations by crafting solid recruitment and customer service methods, consulted for the National Confectioners Association’s Annual convention for over 10 years in customer service and facilitation roles, and transitioned into human resource roles to maximize her impact on organizational effectiveness. Currently consulting, training, and coaching, Carole speaks on the current pain points that hold people and organizations back from true engagement and accountability at work.

Angelica Talan

Angelica began Angelica In The City in April 2016 after publishing the successful mommy blog Clarendon Moms for five years. Based on her large, loyal and ever-growing social media following, Angelica works with local and national clients such as Scout Bags, Bluemont Vineyard, Orange Theory, Chevrolet, Nicole Miller and the cities of Philadelphia and New Orleans, discovering and sharing new places to get fit, delicious places to eat, exciting things to see and fun things to do in the DC region and beyond.

As a social media influencer with more than 28,000 Instagram followers and thousands more on Facebook, Twitter and Snap, Angelica builds huge trust and loyalty by never recommending something she doesn’t love or think worthy of her followers’ time and hard earned money. She offers suggestions with a local perspective, tests the waters so you don’t have to, and gives you the inside scoop! With work of mouth recommendations being the most powerful form of marketing, Angelica helps brands reach their target audiences through her respected posts and testimonials.

Bonnie Taylor

Bonnie Taylor loves growing businesses through marketing. It’s been her passion for over 25 years in a career that’s included managing local, national and international marketing efforts for some of the world’s biggest brands and through her own CCS Innovations®, LLC, a full service marketing and design firm she founded in 2009. She is the best-selling author of the I Think I Need Marketing book series and spends her days working with her team on business growth projects for clients ranging from start-ups to multi-billion dollar corporations located across the United States.

Nikki Trowbridge

Nik Trowbridge has been a member of the beauty industry for over 27 years. At 28 years old, Nik launched the Statements Brand with her first salon and three employees. Over the last 20 years, as the founder of Statements Inc., she has transitioned hundreds of new professionals into the beauty industry through her school and salon apprenticeship. In 2014, Nik launched a salon consulting firm, The Statements Project, to provide an on-line learning platform for salon professionals. The Statements Project focuses on consulting through mentorship, offering free on-line education for stylists and students, and on-line courses for extensive business development.

Dr. Saundra Wall Williams

Dr. Saundra Wall Williams is the CEO and Founder of the Vision Building Institute for Women. She is a respected authority on leadership development and vision mapping especially as pertaining to women. She is an author, international speaker, trainer and coach. With a passion for teaching, she works with women to unleash the momentum they need to reach their next level of success.

René Wells

René Wells is a Media Marketing Strategist and President of Apus Media Inc. Apus Media partners with corporations, advocacy groups and solopreneurs to grow their personal and professional brands through video. Wells has over a decade of experience in entrepreneurship and shares her passion through speaking at workshops and volunteering for several women business support groups. When she is not working she enjoys a quiet time with her husband Mike and their two kids.

Tracey Wiley

Currently serving in the role of Agency Director, Tracey G. Wiley was appointed by Virginia’s 72nd Governor Terence R. McAuliffe, to lead the newly formed Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (DSBSD) in August of 2014. The agency is the result of the merging of the former Department of Minority Business Enterprise (DMBE) and Department of Business Assistance (DBA). Charged with the agency’s reorganization and elevating the Governor’s Executive Order 20 legislation to advance procurement opportunities and the utilization of Small, Women, and Minority (SWaM) Owned Businesses in the Commonwealth by 42%, Wiley continues to energize state agencies, SWaM Champions, buyers, and procurement professionals to be more inclusive; and to broaden their supply chains with new certified suppliers. Her nearly 20 years of experience in minority business development and supplier diversity is an asset to state government, and a catalyst for a new platform in economic development.

Dr. Shaughanassee Williams

Dr. Shaughanassee Williams, DNP, CNM is a certified nurse midwife and is also the founder and owner of HealthyHER Center for Women’s Care in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, and is an advocate for women to live holistically healthy lives – physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. On social media, she hails as Midwife Speaks: her platform to educate and empower women on various women’s health topics. Her motto is “selfcare is the best healthcare” encouraging women to maintain and improve their health through personal wellbeing.