Life is full of stress.
Perhaps it is the resetting of expectations regarding work-life balance after the pandemic. Maybe it is the ever-increasing polarization of our politics. Maybe it is our always-connected life and the torrent of news, controversy and updates about our friends that stream through our social media feeds.
There is no shortage of things adding stress to our lives.
The BizTimes Media Women in Business Symposium cannot remove stress from your life, but attendees at the Aug. 23 event will leave with practical strategies to thrive as a leader in the workplace. More than two dozen women from across the southeastern Wisconsin business community will help answer the question at the heart of the event’s theme: What do I need right now?
The symposium will take place at the Brookfield Conference Center from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
The morning will start with networking and breakfast followed by a keynote conversation at 8:10 a.m. featuring Julie Brandt, vice president and president of building solutions North America at Johnson Controls International.
Brandt joined JCI this spring to lead a business with more than $9 billion in annual revenue after more than 27 years at Otis Elevator. In a conversation with U.S. Bank senior vice president Caroline Krider, Brandt will discuss taking on new assignments during her career at Otis, her decision to leave, how she’s settling in at JCI and much more.
Following the keynote, Kathy Thornton-Bias, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, will lead a panel discussion with women from a range of Wisconsin companies.
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Panelists include:
- LaVay Lauter, director of talent development and senior vice president at Baird. Lauter is based in Florida but travels to Baird’s Milwaukee offices regularly. She has a 25-year career in talent, learning and development, including nearly seven years at Baird. She also has extensive experience in health care and worked at MCIWorldcom, Cisco Systems and Lockeed Martin.
- Tiffany May, vice president of preconstruction at Berghammer Construction Corp. May spent 12 years with Berghammer before leaving in 2013. She spent almost six years working at Mortenson before returning to Berghammer in 2021, where she is now also one of the owners of the business.
- Melissa Tashjian, president and founder of Compost Crusader. Tashjian started the subscription-based organic diversion company in 2014. The company works with schools, hotels, hospitals, restaurants, nursing homes, grocers and individuals to keep food waste out of landfills.
- Stacia Thompson, executive director of the Sherman Phoenix Foundation. Thompson spent more than 15 years in higher education, including at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Gateway Technical College and City Colleges of Chicago, often focusing on workforce solutions and strategies. She joined the Sherman Phoenix Foundation after serving as vice president of workforce innovation at YWCA Metropolitan Chicago.
The panel will explore what it means to thrive as a leader in the workplace and how that might look different for different people. It will also highlight practical strategies attendees can use in their everyday lives to advance their careers and manage the challenges of day-to-day stresses.
After the panel discussion, attendees will hear from Froedtert Health CEO Catherine Jacobson, the 2023 BizTimes Woman Executive of the Year (see story on page 36).
The morning will conclude with two rounds of concurrent breakout sessions to provide attendees with even more insight and inspiration.
The first round of breakouts will run from 10:20 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. and includes three panel discussions:
- “Curating your next career steps” will feature a group of women discussing how they have gone through career changes, whether that means taking on bigger roles, stepping aside and returning when the time is right, starting a new business or retiring only to find a new challenge.
- “Understanding and supporting your younger workforce” will feature early career professionals discussing what they are looking for from employers and business leaders providing ideas for managers to attract and retain their younger workforce.
- In “Lessons learned on the road to leadership,” attendees will hear from women who have climbed their own ladder to leadership, sharing lessons learned and advice to help avoid critical mistakes.
The second round of breakouts runs 11:15 a.m. to noon and features two discussions:
- “Adding to your mental health toolbox” will feature tangible ideas to help attendees improve their mental health as they navigate the challenges of life and work.
- “The power of connection” will feature women who have built their own strong networks sharing insights and strategies to help attendees get better at networking, mentoring and connecting with the business community.
The Women in Business Symposium is made possible by presenting sponsor U.S. Bank, sponsor Alverno College, partner Annex Wealth Management, supporting sponsors The Leuder Financial Group and Summit Credit Union, and event partners Tempo and Professional Dimensions.
