Conference Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Danelle Delgado
Wake Up and Win
People do business with those who increase their odds of winning, and that is exactly what Danelle does. She gives people the path to become who their results require and teaches them to command the stage that attracts other winners. She will help you become unignorable in a way that changes your life, the steady pressure every person needs to go from capable to complete.
Liza Borches
Strong Enough to Lead Differently!
Barbara Brooks
Own Your Stage: Stop Being the Industry's Best-Kept Secret
Your career was built on long hours and determination. The question now is not whether you are good at what you do. You are. It is whether the right people can see it. Barbara closes the conference with her Return on Experience framework, showing women how to stop letting experience sit quietly in the background and start using it as the strategic advantage it was always meant to be.
Amber Balcaen
Nobody Handed Me a Seat: What Being the Only Woman in Racing Taught Me About Resilience
Most women in male-dominated industries know the feeling of walking into a room and realizing they are the only one. As the first Canadian woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the US, Amber got there the hard way, more than once. In this raw and honest keynote she shares what being the only woman in the room taught her about self-worth, resilience, and making room for others.
Sheryl Raphael Whitaker
It Starts with Joy
You have been delivering, pushing, and showing up, and somewhere in all that performance you may have forgotten what you actually run on. Sheryl Raphael Whitaker is here to remind you. Joy is your operating system. It decides what gets your energy and what keeps you human while you lead through hard things. You will walk out awake, ready, and reconnected to your most powerful resource.
MAIN STAGE SPEAKERS
Jodee O'Brien
Laugh, Lead, Legacy
This keynote invites women to explore how resilience, clarity, and joy can transform their careers and businesses. Through stories, strategies, and interactive reflection, you will learn to laugh at the mess, pair vision with strategy, and use joy as a leadership advantage. You will leave with practical tools and renewed perspective to grow your influence and build a lasting legacy.
Laurie Foster
What's Next, Next
Women spend years investing in their careers, supporting their organizations, and delivering results, yet rarely step back to evaluate one of their most valuable assets: their own future. In this practical session, executive advisor and leadership strategist Laurie Foster challenges you to think beyond your current role, increase your leadership impact and visibility, and maximize the long-term return on your career.
Michelle Phelps
Till Neglect Do Us Part
Everyone has a relationship with their data, and most of those relationships are quietly falling apart. Michelle walks through the stages dealerships and vendors move through as they face dirty data, from the excuses that keep it hidden to the habits that finally fix it. You will learn what bad data is really costing you and leave with a practical roadmap for keeping it clean for good.
Kerri Wise
Beyond the Underdog: From underestimated to undeniable
As a woman in automotive, you have likely felt like the underdog, and maybe worn that label with pride, but that mindset can quietly hold you back through over-proving or playing smaller than you should. Beyond the Underdog challenges the idea that you have to prove yourself and instead shows you how to lead with confidence, clarity, and authority. It is not about exceeding expectations. It is about resetting them.
Ashely Cavazos, Veronica Dunford and David Spisek
Leading with Purpose
Veronica and Ashley share the stage for a fireside chat, moderated by David Spisak, centered on leadership, belonging, and what it looks like when organizations align around progress and opportunity for women in automotive.
Glynis E Devine
The Hive Mind Experience
Automation, AI, and digital disruption are reinventing every touchpoint of automotive, and expectations are growing faster than your resources. Ever wish you could hear what is actually working for other women leaders? The Hive Mind Lab is expert-led and peer-supported. Bring your burning questions and walk away with peer-tested solutions ready to put into action Monday morning when you get home.
MODERATORS
Shasta Haddock
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Social Media Is Driving Today’s Automotive Business
Attention is not where it used to be. It is not on your website or in your CRM. It is on social media, and the people showing up online are the ones staying top of mind and building trust faster. Hear from women across automotive who are actually doing it on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. No fluff, just real stories of what is working right now and how to show up authentically.
Jennifer Dodos
Leading Forward: Women Shaping the Future of Fixed Operations Technology
Fixed Operations is the heartbeat of dealership profitability, and the technology powering it never stops evolving. At Dynatron, women leaders are helping shape that evolution. This panel brings together experienced professionals and leaders new to the industry to discuss diverse perspectives, the role of mentorship, and how empowering women in tech creates stronger dealership solutions.
Hailey Dyer
Fueled: The Art of Delivering a World Class Customer Experience
Northwood University students experienced firsthand how successful dealerships use process to build high-performing teams and a culture that drives long-term results. More than a presentation, this is an immersive exchange where students challenge conventional thinking and focus on the Fuel: energy, attitude, and accountability. Great operations begin with great leadership.
PANELISTS
Jessica Carroll
Leading Forward: Women Shaping the Future of Fixed Operations Technology
Fixed Operations is the heartbeat of dealership profitability—and the technology powering it is ever-evolving. At Dynatron, women leaders across the organization are helping shape that evolution. This panel brings together experienced automotive professionals and leaders new to the industry who are redefining what leadership looks like in automotive SaaS. Together they’ll discuss the value of diverse perspectives, the role of mentorship, and how empowering women in technology creates stronger solutions for dealerships nationwide.
Misty Erhart
Leading Forward: Women Shaping the Future of Fixed Operations Technology
Fixed Operations is the heartbeat of dealership profitability—and the technology powering it is ever-evolving. At Dynatron, women leaders across the organization are helping shape that evolution. This panel brings together experienced automotive professionals and leaders new to the industry who are redefining what leadership looks like in automotive SaaS. Together they’ll discuss the value of diverse perspectives, the role of mentorship, and how empowering women in technology creates stronger solutions for dealerships nationwide.
Maureen Martin
Leading Forward: Women Shaping the Future of Fixed Operations Technology
Fixed Operations is the heartbeat of dealership profitability—and the technology powering it is ever-evolving. At Dynatron, women leaders across the organization are helping shape that evolution. This panel brings together experienced automotive professionals and leaders new to the industry who are redefining what leadership looks like in automotive SaaS. Together they’ll discuss the value of diverse perspectives, the role of mentorship, and how empowering women in technology creates stronger solutions for dealerships nationwide.
Sheridan Schreiber
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Social Media Is Driving Today’s Automotive Business
Attention is not where it used to be. It is not on your website or in your CRM. It is on social media, and the people showing up online are the ones staying top of mind and building trust faster. Hear from women across automotive who are actually doing it on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. No fluff, just real stories of what is working right now and how to show up authentically.
Abby Wells
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Social Media Is Driving Today’s Automotive Business
Attention is not where it used to be. It is not on your website or in your CRM. It is on social media, and the people showing up online are the ones staying top of mind and building trust faster. Hear from women across automotive who are actually doing it on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. No fluff, just real stories of what is working right now and how to show up authentically.
Andrea Anderson
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Social Media Is Driving Today’s Automotive Business
Attention is not where it used to be. It is not on your website or in your CRM. It is on social media, and the people showing up online are the ones staying top of mind and building trust faster. Hear from women across automotive who are actually doing it on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. No fluff, just real stories of what is working right now and how to show up authentically.
Crissy Burton
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Social Media Is Driving Today’s Automotive Business
Attention is not where it used to be. It is not on your website or in your CRM. It is on social media, and the people showing up online are the ones staying top of mind and building trust faster. Hear from women across automotive who are actually doing it on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. No fluff, just real stories of what is working right now and how to show up authentically.
Alexandra Kinney
Fueled: The Art of Delivering a World Class Customer Experience
Northwood University students experienced firsthand how successful dealerships use process to build high-performing teams and a culture that drives long-term results. More than a presentation, this is an immersive exchange where students challenge conventional thinking and focus on the Fuel: energy, attitude, and accountability. Great operations begin with great leadership.
Dylan Markovic
Fueled: The Art of Delivering a World Class Customer Experience
Northwood University students experienced firsthand how successful dealerships use process to build high-performing teams and a culture that drives long-term results. More than a presentation, this is an immersive exchange where students challenge conventional thinking and focus on the Fuel: energy, attitude, and accountability. Great operations begin with great leadership.
Preston Herdell
Fueled: The Art of Delivering a World Class Customer Experience
Northwood University students experienced firsthand how successful dealerships use process to build high-performing teams and a culture that drives long-term results. More than a presentation, this is an immersive exchange where students challenge conventional thinking and focus on the Fuel: energy, attitude, and accountability. Great operations begin with great leadership.
BREAKOUTS
Alison Rank
Be the CIO of Your Conference Experience: Illuminate What Matters and Make It Count
Become the Chief Illumination Officer of your own conference experience. Events like this spark ideas and momentum, but the real opportunity is carrying that energy home. Alison teaches a simple CIO framework: Choose how you want to feel, Illuminate what matters, and Own meaningful outcomes. You will leave with practical clarity and a plan you can actually use right away.
Amanda Rawls & Tracey Fields
Lead Where You Are: Building Women’s Groups That Work
Many organizations want to support women and build community but feel overwhelmed by where to begin. In this panel, Amanda and Tracey draw on real experience launching and sustaining women's groups, breaking the process into actionable steps, real examples, and lessons learned. You will leave knowing why these groups matter and how to take the first steps in your own organization.
April Rain
Power Moves: A Woman’s Guide to Networking
In a male-dominated industry, networking is not optional, it is strategic. This tactical guide moves beyond collecting business cards into building relationships that open doors and accelerate careers. April shows you how to confidently navigate rooms where you are outnumbered, build authentic connections, follow up in a way that creates opportunity, and leave with a clear roadmap.
Brittany Ouellette
I Made it to the Big Kid Table, Now What?
Brittany spent years begging for a seat at the big kid table, and in 2021 she got it. Her first task: manage a 2.5 million dollar DMS partnership one month from renewal or cancellation. She put her boots on fast, and the moment she was out of the deep end, the pipe broke again with 25 more vendors. This is four years of asking questions, leaving her comfort zone, and leading by example.
Claire Calhoun
Driving Connection: How NIL Partnerships with Female Athletes Can Transform Automotive Marketing
Driving Connection: How NIL Partnerships with Female Athletes Can Transform Automotive Marketing Women drive more than half of vehicle purchases and influence up to 85 percent of buying decisions, yet female athletes rarely intersect with automotive marketing. Claire shows how NIL partnerships with female student-athletes create authentic, relationship-driven campaigns, often on modest budgets. In one case, a 3,900 dollar investment drove a 23 percent lift in foot traffic.
Carol Marshall
Moments of Truth: Dispelling Hype to Deliver Positive Outcomes
With more than 25 years in automotive, Carol has built and led high-performing teams from the dealership to the national level. A top-rated NADA speaker, she presents at industry events nationwide. She brings focus and direction to her work, aligning clear goals with practical action, and shares insight on strengthening both the customer and employee experience you can use immediately.
Cassie Cepeda
Don't Hand Them the Pen: Reclaiming Your Voice In a World That Tries To Define You
Cassie explores what happens when you stop letting others write your story. Through personal experience and the Medusa metaphor, she challenges women in leadership to reclaim their narrative and own their voice, authority, and personal brand, unapologetically.
Cate Ojala
From Survival Mode to Sales Leader: How Trauma Built My Unshakeable Edge
A top-performing account executive reveals how surviving life-threatening domestic violence taught her three non-negotiable principles that elevated her career: set boundaries, stick to a process, and choose positivity even when life gives you every reason not to. This is not a trauma story. It is a tactical playbook you can use immediately, whether you are in crisis or closing deals.
Erica Bruno
Flipping It Over
In Flipping It Over, Erica shares her life story of how she came to this industry and how, no matter what has happened to you, you can always flip yourself over, push yourself up, and stand tall. She shares stories from her own journey along with a framework anyone can use to figure out a brand statement and craft their own.
Colleen Lieberstein
Curiosity as Currency: Using Conversation to Build Confidence and Capability
The modern workplace eliminated the water cooler but not the need for influence. This session challenges the idea that small talk is trivial. Approached strategically, everyday conversation becomes a powerful tool for building business acumen and executive presence. Colleen shows you how to spot your knowledge gaps, ask smarter questions, and use curiosity as a competitive advantage.
Jaime Herzberg
The Customer Experience: Your Competitive Advantage
Everything makes a comeback, and for 2026 it is the customer experience. As technology takes over both dealer and vendor focus, Jaime brings it back to what matters: the customer. Drawing on a career in customer success, she shows how putting the customer first drives your entire revenue strategy, and why ending the tug-of-war between teams lets growth fall into place.
Dara Koenig
Avoiding Burnout Workshop: Protecting Your Energy in Demanding Leadership Roles
Burnout does not happen overnight. It builds through constant pressure, performance expectations, and the invisible weight of doing it all. This interactive workshop helps women spot the early warning signs, reset unhealthy patterns, and adopt practical strategies to sustain energy and focus. You will leave with a personalized Burnout Prevention Plan for yourself and your teams.
Jessica Smith
The Seat at the Table Playbook: From Mentorship to Sponsorship
One of the most misunderstood distinctions in career growth is the difference between mentorship and sponsorship, and why women need both. Women are often over-mentored and under-sponsored. Drawing on Lean In and Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, Jessica breaks down what each role provides and shares practical strategies to attract and sustain the relationships that accelerate advancement.
Dr Martha Rader
Discover Your EQ Superpowers and Kryptonite: Assess, Reflect, Rise
Join this interactive lab to uncover your emotional intelligence strengths, your superpowers, and your gaps, your kryptonite, through a quick self-assessment. Women often walk a fine line where assertiveness gets labeled pushy. Explore core EQ skills, engage in hands-on exercises, and gain practical tools to boost self-awareness, communication, relationships, and leadership impact.
Katie Naughton
How to Start Leading When You’re Already Performing
Women are told they need more confidence to advance, but the industry does not wait, it responds to women who decide to lead. Katie challenges the myth that readiness is a prerequisite. She shares four leadership shifts that separate high performers from women who lead with authority: position yourself to get noticed, make the move, let your circle raise your bar, and operate with power.
Jennifer Sanford
How to Hire GOATs
Attendees learn best practices for the single most important thing you will ever do as a manager: interviewing new hires. These are the people you will lead and who will support your vision. Get this wrong and you will hire the wrong people over and over. Jennifer shares the tactics to identify the pearls, the gems, and the best fit who truly deserve a place on your team.
Laurie Halter
Plot Twist: Your Financial Comeback Starts Now
What happens when life throws a curveball you never saw coming? Ask Laurie Halter. In this no-filter session, the owner of Charisma and host of the Carearing Podcast shares her story of navigating hardship, hard decisions, and rebuilding from the ground up, stronger and more financially fearless. Expect honesty, humor, and hard-won lessons on reclaiming your independence.
Lisa Gener
Truth Over Approval: The Leadership Choice Women Eventually Face
This workshop explores a leadership moment many quietly face but rarely discuss: the moment you see something clearly and must decide whether to preserve approval or speak the truth that moves things forward. For women, expected to show both authority and warmth, the tension runs deeper. Through reflection and real scenarios, Lisa helps you navigate these moments with clarity and courage.
Lyamen Savy
A Step-by-Step System for Getting More Warm Referrals
This session breaks down exactly how top sales professionals earn more warm referrals and why people say yes. Lyamen shows you who to ask, when to ask, and what to say so it feels natural instead of awkward. You will also learn how to make referrals easy to send, simple to track, and hassle-free to pay, so they happen more often and never get lost.
Rachel Blatt
Bust through the Blocks
Rachel, CEO of Royalty Logistics, has spent her career delivering real results while refusing to shrink to fit the room. Most women do not get stuck because they lack ability. They get stuck on an emotional block that makes asking for more feel impossible. She shows you how to calculate your worth, negotiate like a boss, stop over-explaining, and lead with your quirks instead of hiding them.
Sandy Zannino & Beth Lucchesi
From Accident to On Purpose!
A fun, interactive workshop that helps industry leaders change the narrative from I fell into automotive by accident to I came to this industry on purpose. Sandy and Beth explore why we should collectively engage, educate, and open doors for emerging talent, spread the word about the many career paths available, and begin building a blueprint for attracting the next generation.
Stephanie Hancock
Women Who Drive Change: Building Cultures Where Female Talent Thrives
Electrification, automation, and digital transformation are redefining how we work and lead, but real change begins with people, not technology. Stephanie explores how inclusive leadership, emotional intelligence, and intentional culture design create environments where female talent thrives. You will leave with tools to elevate your voice, build allyship, and champion a stronger culture.
Stephanie Dean
Ignite Your Spark: Rekindling Passion in your Automotive Journey
Crafted for women navigating the high demands of automotive, this session shares Stephanie's honest journey through burnout, from a relentless focus on metrics to the realization that fulfillment takes more than external success. Through her story, including the impact of her son's resilience, you will find practical strategies for reigniting motivation and building lasting resilience.
Fred Lennartz & Lou Ramirez
The Right Mentor Matters: What to Look For (and What to Avoid) in Automotive
In automotive, growth happens through the people who guide you. In this interactive session, Lou and Fred break down what it means to be an ally and what real mentorship looks like in today's dealership. Through real examples and open discussion, you will learn to identify mentors who truly invest in your development, spot styles that limit growth, and take ownership of your path.
Kanchana Sundaram & Sarah Mulryan
US Auto Market Reshaped Not Rebounding: Winning in Automotive's Next Chapter
The auto industry is evolving fast, and leaders must balance market uncertainty with rising expectations for measurable results. This session explores the forces reshaping automotive retail in 2026 and how data, identity, analytics, and modern marketing create new growth. You will gain practical insight into connecting with consumers, proving marketing ROI, and leading transformation.
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