The theme for the 2022 Women Spanning the Globe conference is "Here. We. Grow." It serves as a powerful backdrop for women leaders to gather and discuss the collective and individual progress and challenges in their professional journey.
Each conference participant will be able to explore new pathways so they can continue to grow. And they won’t have to go it alone. They will be with hundreds of other like-minded women.
Together, women will rise faster.
Susan and Astrid kick off the 2022 Women Spanning the Globe.
While intellectual power has given rise to remarkable achievement, our near-worshipful reliance on it has created damage we can never repair – not just to our physical and mental health but to our planet too. Anxiety, stress and anger rank among the greatest dangers of our time. Internationally renowned humanitarian and journalist Zainab Salbi is creating strategies to shape new norms so people and the planet have healthier lives. In this session, Zainab will draw from her personal narrative and profiles of women whose work is changing the world and what you can do to help.
Were you promoted to a leadership role? Hired into one? Elected to it? These are three of the six ways in which people become leaders. Each path comes with its own challenges and opportunities. Yet people rarely recognize the different paths to leadership when considering the leadership styles and approaches they will use in their new role. Meredith Persily Lamel, who has been coaching executive leaders and teams for 20 years, will talk about what she learned by interviewing more than 60 successful leaders who came to their roles differently. The findings are relevant to existing and emerging leaders, as well as those who support them.
Digital illiteracy, as well as limited access to broadband internet and digital devices, has created a digital divide in the United States that isolates large swaths of people – particularly women in rural and low-income communities. To bridge the divide, we need to do more than just lay fiber. We also need to ensure that people in underserved communities have equal access to digital hardware and software and high-speed internet, as well as the training and skills needed to navigate digital resources. Learn how you can help bridge the divide and why it is important to do so.
Bring your whole self to work. That is one of the fundamentals to being a successful leader. But it often is hard for women to do so. Mothers, for example, are more than three times as likely than fathers to be responsible for childcare, remote learning and household chores. The upshot? Burnout and resignations. Businesses can help prevent this by recognizing and rewarding women who are driving progress. In this session, three leaders will share how they are using innovative workforce design strategies to help women drive progress. We can avoid a shecession – an economic downturn where job and income losses disproportionately affect women – by making women feel valued at work and supporting the many hats they wear.
For the past 25 years, Sheela Murthy has made it her purpose to strive for a better world, primarily by helping immigrants maneuver through the legal paperwork and proceedings they need to become United States citizens and create a home for themselves in the country. She taps into the knowledge she gained as a law school student at Harvard University, her first-hand experience as a woman of color immigrating from India to the U.S. and the wisdom she has learned by leading one of the most successful immigration law firms in the world. Come to this session to hear her insights on such issues as how to think of problems as opportunities, accept that you are perfect just the way you are and take charge of your team.
What is financial wellness and how do we achieve it? How does financial wellness intersect with physical health and mental health? In this workshop, we will walkthrough the key indicators of financial wellness, how to determine your progress in each, and what you can do to achieve financial wellness.
When work becomes overwhelming, stressful, or unsatisfying, it is tempting to quit so you can start a new job or become an entrepreneur. But what about staying and becoming a changemaker? It is called being intrapreneurial and involves being a person who can assess and solve problems creatively, sell their vision, know and leverage their strengths, tolerate risk, be courageous, accept real-time feedback and more. In this session, the panelists will talk about how they have driven change from within by being intrapreneurial.
You have been offered the job. Congratulations! But now comes the hard part – negotiating your salary. Only 34 percent of women negotiate their salaries, compared to 46 percent of men, which means many women are leaving money on the table. In this session, participants will learn how to determine and be confident about asking for the salary they deserve when they start their job or are already in the job. Practice your pitch, accept your fears about asking for more money and consider such factors as how your work helps the business achieve its goals and improve its bottom line. Learn more tips and find out about the tools you can use to determine your worth.
Being inclusive, as well as diverse and equitable, is a must for businesses that want to be successful. This is especially true during the global pandemic, when employees are eager to share their perspectives on such things as when, where, and how to get their work done. Good leaders seek out and actively listen to those perspectives, ideas and experiences, then incorporate them into their decision-making. During this closing session, learn what it means to create an inclusive environment at work and hear reflections on presentations and discussions had throughout the day.
Celebrate the conference and being back in person at the happy hour in the Women Spanning Globe Village barn and garden (downstairs at AVAM). The talented Jocelyn Faro and Chris Windebank will be entertaining us this year.
Humanitarian, entrepreneur, author and media commentator
At the age of 23, Zainab Salbi founded Women for Women International, a grassroots humanitarian and development organization dedicated to serving women survivors of wars by offering support, tools, and access to the life-changing skills necessary to move from crisis and poverty to stability and economic self-suffciency. Under her leadership as the organization’s CEO (1993-2011), the organization grew from helping 30 women upon its inception to more than 478,000 marginalized women in 8 conflict areas. It also distributed more than $120 million in direct aid and micro credit loans that impacted more than 1.7 million family members.
MARS
Senior VP and Global Chief Diversity Officer
Rohini Anand is a thought leader and a published author. Her book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Systemic Change in Multinational Organizations, has been endorsed by luminaries like Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO Chobani and Tent, Michel Landel, Danone S.A Board member and former CEO, Sodexo, amongst others. It is available for pre-order on Amazon here and Bookshop.org and on bookdepository here for international orders.
Most recently Rohini was SVP Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo. She reported to the Global CEO and was a member of Sodexo’s North America Executive Committee. Rohini successfully positioned Sodexo as a global thought leader in DEI and Corporate Responsibility. Sodexo’s remarkable global culture change, led by diversity and inclusion, is featured in a Harvard Business School case study entitled Shifting the Diversity Climate: the Sodexo Solution .
Rohini has been featured in several articles in CNBC, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. Rohini has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg and CNN Money as well on National Public Radio. She is the recipient of many accolades including the Mosaic Woman Leadership Award, the Women’s Foodservice Forum Trailblazer Award, Webster University’s Women of Influence Award and the Who’s Who in Asian American Communities Award (WWAAC), amongst others.
Dr. Anand received her PhD from the University of Michigan. She serves on the boards of several organizations including WomenLift Health a Gates Foundation initiative, Aspen Institute’s Family Prosperity Initiative, Tent Partnership for Refugees and Galt Foundation. She also serves on the external diversity advisory boards for Sanofi and for Charter Communications and chaired the Catalyst Board of Advisors. Rohini is a Senior Fellow with the Conference Board and is on the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Center for Inclusive Governance’s Advisory Council.
Rohini Anand is a thought leader and a published author. Her book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Systemic Change in Multinational Organizations, has been endorsed by luminaries like Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO Chobani and Tent, Michel Landel, Danone S.A Board member and former CEO, Sodexo, amongst others. It is available for pre-order on Amazon here and Bookshop.org and on bookdepository here for international orders.
Most recently Rohini was SVP Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo. She reported to the Global CEO and was a member of Sodexo’s North America Executive Committee. Rohini successfully positioned Sodexo as a global thought leader in DEI and Corporate Responsibility. Sodexo’s remarkable global culture change, led by diversity and inclusion, is featured in a Harvard Business School case study entitled Shifting the Diversity Climate: the Sodexo Solution .
Rohini has been featured in several articles in CNBC, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. Rohini has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg and CNN Money as well on National Public Radio. She is the recipient of many accolades including the Mosaic Woman Leadership Award, the Women’s Foodservice Forum Trailblazer Award, Webster University’s Women of Influence Award and the Who’s Who in Asian American Communities Award (WWAAC), amongst others.
Dr. Anand received her PhD from the University of Michigan. She serves on the boards of several organizations including WomenLift Health a Gates Foundation initiative, Aspen Institute’s Family Prosperity Initiative, Tent Partnership for Refugees and Galt Foundation. She also serves on the external diversity advisory boards for Sanofi and for Charter Communications and chaired the Catalyst Board of Advisors. Rohini is a Senior Fellow with the Conference Board and is on the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Center for Inclusive Governance’s Advisory Council.
CO-CEO
Susan has worked at WTCI since 2018. Her career has spanned retail, e-commerce, product development and design, supply chains, sustainability and entrepreneurship. A purpose-led and impact-driven CEO, Susan has held executive roles at large global brands and key management roles at start-ups. She founded a leading sustainable home goods brand that incorporated climate science, style and breakthrough innovation into its products and created the first climate index for home decor and furniture products.
Susan is an outspoken corporate leader and advocate for sustainability and the environment; diversity, equity and inclusion; and the advancement of women’s and human rights. She has been an inspirational leader throughout her career and believes leaders possess unique opportunities to leverage their professional platforms for growth and good.
She served on the United States Department of Treasury CEO Roundtable Commission during the Obama Administration and currently serves on the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service President’s Council. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration at Georgia State University.
Fun fact: Susan used to be a professional tennis player.
Susan has worked at WTCI since 2018. Her career has spanned retail, e-commerce, product development and design, supply chains, sustainability and entrepreneurship. A purpose-led and impact-driven CEO, Susan has held executive roles at large global brands and key management roles at start-ups. She founded a leading sustainable home goods brand that incorporated climate science, style and breakthrough innovation into its products and created the first climate index for home decor and furniture products.
Susan is an outspoken corporate leader and advocate for sustainability and the environment; diversity, equity and inclusion; and the advancement of women’s and human rights. She has been an inspirational leader throughout her career and believes leaders possess unique opportunities to leverage their professional platforms for growth and good.
She served on the United States Department of Treasury CEO Roundtable Commission during the Obama Administration and currently serves on the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service President’s Council. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration at Georgia State University.
Fun fact: Susan used to be a professional tennis player.
Chief Financial Officer
Versant Health
Versant Health
Founder
HDC Management
HDC Management
President, Global Tools and Storage
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
National Education Reform Leader Presidential Scholar
Towson University
Towson University
President Emeritus
World Trade Center Institute
Deborah (Deb) Kielty is a global business leader and strategic advisor with operational and strategic leadership experience in the private and non-profit sectors. She became the WTCI president and executive director in 2001 and served in that role until 2019. In 2022, she was named WTCI’s first president emeritus. Prior to joining WTCI, Deb climbed the brand management ranks at Procter & Gamble over a 20-year period, culminating as vice president of global alliances and licensing. Deb is the board chair of the P&G Alumni Foundation and serves on the board of advisors for Jhpiego and Baltimore Outreach Services. he holds a master’s degree in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
World Trade Center Institute
Deborah (Deb) Kielty is a global business leader and strategic advisor with operational and strategic leadership experience in the private and non-profit sectors. She became the WTCI president and executive director in 2001 and served in that role until 2019. In 2022, she was named WTCI’s first president emeritus. Prior to joining WTCI, Deb climbed the brand management ranks at Procter & Gamble over a 20-year period, culminating as vice president of global alliances and licensing. Deb is the board chair of the P&G Alumni Foundation and serves on the board of advisors for Jhpiego and Baltimore Outreach Services. he holds a master’s degree in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
SVP, Senior Relationship Manager
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
VP Community Development
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
President & CEO
Leaders Who Connect and Inspire LLC
Carolyn Mozell served in some of the highest levels of local government leadership for over 25 years in roles such as Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief, Assistant Deputy Mayor and Senior Director for the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore. As Carolyn grew in leadership, she honed her aptitude to communicate and engage effectively, turned it into a competitive edge, and as a result ascended from executive assistant to executive leader, all without ever asking for a promotion. Carolyn used her years of leadership experience working with complex teams and chief advisor to business, elected, government and nonprofit leaders to create a signature framework to diagnose, prescribe and deliver data-based strategies to solve leadership communication, stakeholder engagement and workplace culture challenges. As a result of working with her, business executives develop emotional intelligence skills, have teams that work more collaboratively and employees who thrive and want to stay. Carolyn works with leaders who want to support their team more meaningfully, create a positive business culture and turn effective communication into their competitive edge. Carolyn attributes a lot of her success to purposefully communicating with employees, co-workers and stakeholders with compassion, integrity and accountability. She founded Leaders Who Connect and Inspire to close the gap she saw between the way leaders intended to communicate, the way they actually communicated and the negative impact it had on turnover, retention, leadership perception, workplace culture and even their career or business, when they got it wrong. Carolyn is on a mission to put more kind and impactful leadership into the world and can be found coaching, consulting, training and speaking on leadership communication, leadership resilience, emotional intelligence, DISC communication and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Carolyn knows firsthand when leaders build a daily practice of communicating effectively and strive to be a leader people want to follow, they become the transformative difference in their business and profession. Carolyn is a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, BA African American Studies, Public Policy Concentration, and is both a certified DISC Behavioral Assessment Practitioner and a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. She is Vice President of Suited to Succeed and Dress for Success Greater Baltimore, a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and host of the "Use Your Powers for Good with Carolyn Opher Mozell” podcast. She resides in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, Dawyne, and adopted cat, Eva.
Leaders Who Connect and Inspire LLC
Carolyn Mozell served in some of the highest levels of local government leadership for over 25 years in roles such as Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief, Assistant Deputy Mayor and Senior Director for the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore. As Carolyn grew in leadership, she honed her aptitude to communicate and engage effectively, turned it into a competitive edge, and as a result ascended from executive assistant to executive leader, all without ever asking for a promotion. Carolyn used her years of leadership experience working with complex teams and chief advisor to business, elected, government and nonprofit leaders to create a signature framework to diagnose, prescribe and deliver data-based strategies to solve leadership communication, stakeholder engagement and workplace culture challenges. As a result of working with her, business executives develop emotional intelligence skills, have teams that work more collaboratively and employees who thrive and want to stay. Carolyn works with leaders who want to support their team more meaningfully, create a positive business culture and turn effective communication into their competitive edge. Carolyn attributes a lot of her success to purposefully communicating with employees, co-workers and stakeholders with compassion, integrity and accountability. She founded Leaders Who Connect and Inspire to close the gap she saw between the way leaders intended to communicate, the way they actually communicated and the negative impact it had on turnover, retention, leadership perception, workplace culture and even their career or business, when they got it wrong. Carolyn is on a mission to put more kind and impactful leadership into the world and can be found coaching, consulting, training and speaking on leadership communication, leadership resilience, emotional intelligence, DISC communication and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Carolyn knows firsthand when leaders build a daily practice of communicating effectively and strive to be a leader people want to follow, they become the transformative difference in their business and profession. Carolyn is a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, BA African American Studies, Public Policy Concentration, and is both a certified DISC Behavioral Assessment Practitioner and a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. She is Vice President of Suited to Succeed and Dress for Success Greater Baltimore, a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and host of the "Use Your Powers for Good with Carolyn Opher Mozell” podcast. She resides in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, Dawyne, and adopted cat, Eva.
President & CEO
Murthy Law Firm
Murthy Law Firm
Chief Innovation Officer
Compass Datacenters
Compass Datacenters
Vice President, Partnership Development
NPower
NPower
Founder & CEO
Procter and Gamble
Chief Brand Officer
Marc Pritchard believes in the power of brands to serve people with the best performing products, while also being a force for good through ethics and responsibility, community impact, diversity and inclusion, gender equality and environmental sustainability. He has more than 20 years of experience in the Beauty and Personal Care categories. As chief brand officer, he is responsible for brand building disciplines worldwide, including marketing and advertising strategies, leading marketing innovations and brand building for an extensive portfolio of clients.
Chief Brand Officer
Marc Pritchard believes in the power of brands to serve people with the best performing products, while also being a force for good through ethics and responsibility, community impact, diversity and inclusion, gender equality and environmental sustainability. He has more than 20 years of experience in the Beauty and Personal Care categories. As chief brand officer, he is responsible for brand building disciplines worldwide, including marketing and advertising strategies, leading marketing innovations and brand building for an extensive portfolio of clients.
CO-CEO
Eddie has worked at WTCI since 2007. He has served in various leadership roles, including chief operating officer. His passion for international business and affairs, coupled with a desire to develop the next generation of global leaders, has contributed to the success of many of WTCI’s professional development programs.
Prior to WTCI, Eddie worked with TESSCO Technologies Inc., a leading global supplier of wireless communications products. He also played a central role in the development of Gems of the Earth, a nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic development in the rural communities of Brazil, making modern technology accessible to all who seek it.
Eddie and his family migrated to the United State from Brazil when he was 11. He is an advocate for human rights issues and serves as vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Services.
Eddie earned his bachelor’s degree in international business from Towson University and Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. He has also studied culinary arts at Académie de Cuisine.
Fun fact: Eddie is an All-American Soccer Player.
Eddie has worked at WTCI since 2007. He has served in various leadership roles, including chief operating officer. His passion for international business and affairs, coupled with a desire to develop the next generation of global leaders, has contributed to the success of many of WTCI’s professional development programs.
Prior to WTCI, Eddie worked with TESSCO Technologies Inc., a leading global supplier of wireless communications products. He also played a central role in the development of Gems of the Earth, a nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic development in the rural communities of Brazil, making modern technology accessible to all who seek it.
Eddie and his family migrated to the United State from Brazil when he was 11. He is an advocate for human rights issues and serves as vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Services.
Eddie earned his bachelor’s degree in international business from Towson University and Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. He has also studied culinary arts at Académie de Cuisine.
Fun fact: Eddie is an All-American Soccer Player.
Senior Vice President of Sales
Otter Products
Otter Products
Chief People and Administrative Officer
Under Armour
Tchernavia Rocker has been chief administrative officer at Under Armour since June 2020. Prior to that, she served as chief people and culture officer from February 2019 to May 2020. Prior to joining the company, she served more than 18 years in human resources leadership roles at Harley-Davidson, Inc., most recently as vice president and chief human resources officer from June 2016 through January 2019, as general manager of human resources from January 2012 through May 2016 and in various other human resources leadership positions since joining the company in 2000. She also served in various human resources and operations roles at Goodyear, Dunlop and North America Tire Inc.
Under Armour
Tchernavia Rocker has been chief administrative officer at Under Armour since June 2020. Prior to that, she served as chief people and culture officer from February 2019 to May 2020. Prior to joining the company, she served more than 18 years in human resources leadership roles at Harley-Davidson, Inc., most recently as vice president and chief human resources officer from June 2016 through January 2019, as general manager of human resources from January 2012 through May 2016 and in various other human resources leadership positions since joining the company in 2000. She also served in various human resources and operations roles at Goodyear, Dunlop and North America Tire Inc.
Vice President of Programs and Fellowships
Astrid is WTCI’s first vice president of programs and fellowships. Prior to joining the team in January 2022, she was an executive in residence at the Sellinger School of Business at Loyola University Maryland. In that role, she taught business law, international business, and ethics and corporate social responsibility. She also was the director of the international business program, academic director of the honors program and chair of the Building a Better World Through Business initiative.
Prior to academia, Astrid practiced law in the fields of immigration law, business compliance and health care policy in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
She has participated in a Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar and the American Council on Germany’s immigration delegation in Berlin; authored “Foreign Law and Policy;” and, in 2020, completed WTCI’s Emerging and Developing Global Executive program. She also is a WTCI Bowe Fellow.
She holds several academic degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Juris Doctor, Masters of Law and a hybrid Master of Arts.
Astrid is currently an ambassador for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, a participant with the Global Diplomacy Lab and a fellow with Johns Hopkins’ American Institute for Contemporary German Studies project on “Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the United States."
Fun fact: Astrid's family owned a luncheonette in Queens, NY, her hometown for 50 years.
Astrid is WTCI’s first vice president of programs and fellowships. Prior to joining the team in January 2022, she was an executive in residence at the Sellinger School of Business at Loyola University Maryland. In that role, she taught business law, international business, and ethics and corporate social responsibility. She also was the director of the international business program, academic director of the honors program and chair of the Building a Better World Through Business initiative.
Prior to academia, Astrid practiced law in the fields of immigration law, business compliance and health care policy in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
She has participated in a Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar and the American Council on Germany’s immigration delegation in Berlin; authored “Foreign Law and Policy;” and, in 2020, completed WTCI’s Emerging and Developing Global Executive program. She also is a WTCI Bowe Fellow.
She holds several academic degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Juris Doctor, Masters of Law and a hybrid Master of Arts.
Astrid is currently an ambassador for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, a participant with the Global Diplomacy Lab and a fellow with Johns Hopkins’ American Institute for Contemporary German Studies project on “Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the United States."
Fun fact: Astrid's family owned a luncheonette in Queens, NY, her hometown for 50 years.
Tax Partner
RSM US, LLP
RSM US, LLP
President and CEO
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services
Sponsorship starts at $3,000 and includes tickets to the event. Learn more about sponsorship here or by contacting Vice President of Programs and Fellowships Astrid Schmidt-King.
Join the hundreds of women who will be joining us in person or virtually. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250.
Wells Fargo has been an integral component of WTCI’s Women Spanning the Globe conference for many years. It has helped shape, support and champion the success of the event by, for example, playing a key role in choosing the conference theme and sessions. As a member of the conference planning committee, Wells Fargo demonstrates its commitment to inclusive leadership.
