Shepherding Women in Business Conference Unites Professionals Across Ages & Industries

• The Shepherding Women in Business Conference was thought up by Shepherd University student Chloe Waldeck
• Chloe was motivated to organize the conference
• She started organizing the event last fall in an event programming class where students had to plan a pretend event

The Shepherding Women in Business Conference was the brainchild of Shepherd University student Chloe Waldeck, who was inspired to organize it after assisting in planning a women's conference in another state for the last two years. She began planning the conference last fall when she was enrolled in an event programming class, which assigned students to plan a fictional event.

"It really coincided with a class I was enrolled in, which required us to plan an event," said Chloe, who is a double major in business and recreation and sports studies. "I approached my professor and asked if I could use this as my event project since I wanted to make it an actual event. He finally agreed."

As Chloe recounts, the conference also welcomed 65 people. The conference began with a light breakfast, and then there were two sessions with eight speakers from whom participants could pick. The conference went on with a boxed lunch and a discussion of dining etiquette, after which there was a keynote presentation by Donna Newman, health systems expert and chief at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Later, participants could also join a third session with four speakers. There were also table talks with industry leaders, a leadership panel with entrepreneur Tina Johnson, Girl Scouts Nation's Capital Board of Directors CEO Kim Ford, and Jefferson County Commissioner Cara Keys, who is also an entrepreneur. The conference ended with a closing keynote by top-selling author Kelly Featheringham, and then a networking reception with mock tails and a mashed potato bar.

"I think that the definition of leadership is changing," Kim responded, pointing to the fact that her group has done massive surveys that indicate that this is what people are thinking. "Parents don't want their children to be leaders the way they have been, because leadership has such a negative connotation, of being at the top. Parents don't want that pressure on their children. What they do want is for their children to be happy, healthy, kind, compassionate, respectful, and to be good global citizens."

Tina reaffirmed Tim's words, reiterating that leadership is becoming more and more collaborative. But she revealed that in her own companies JP Events & Consulting and The CEO Consulting Group—she has discovered that a mix of both classic and contemporary styles of leadership best suits her and her team.
"There are days when we're in a completely collaborative leadership mode," Tim said. "But depending on the circumstances, there are also days when I have to slide into the CEO role."

The funds raised from the conference will be used effectively. A donation of $500 has been made to the Women Investing in Shepherd (WISH) giving circle to support the monetary award for the recipient of WISH's annual Courage to Inspire, Strength to Empower Award. The remaining proceeds from the event will help support the efforts of the Rotaract Club at Shepherd and its work within the community.