AGENDA

9:00 AM

Welcome to The Oasis – Pivot Global Partners Team

9:05 AM

Exploring Your Future-Ready Leadership Baseline

In this opening session, we’ll examine the mindset, capabilities, and behaviors needed to lead through disruption, digital transformation, and ongoing change. You’ll assess your current leadership baseline and identify the shifts needed to strengthen resilience, innovation, and strategic impact to lead in today’s evolving landscape.

Cynthia Hardy – Founder & Managing Principal, Pivot Global Partners Leadership, Business, Innovation & Legal Thought Leader & Disruptor Author, Crossing Meridians: Engineering Disruption to Become a More Effective Leader

10:00 AM

Wellness As the Special (or Not So Secret) Ingredient to Leadership - Panel

Sustainable leadership begins with personal well-being. In this panel discussion, you’ll explore how wellness supports clarity, resilience, decision-making, and long-term impact. Experts will share practical insights on integrating physical, mental, and emotional well-being into your leadership approach, ensuring success does not come at your own expense. You’ll leave with strategies to protect your energy, lead with intention, and thrive in demanding environments.

Patricia Achoe – Wellness and Well-being Coordinator, University of Cincinnati and Manager of Diversity, The Kroger Co.

Jaye Smith – Senior Advisor & Consultant, Pivot Global Partners Coaching, Leadership, and Transformation Expert, Lecturer, Serial Entrepreneur & Author

11:00 AM

Break

11:10 AM

Finding Your Joy As a Leader

Leadership can have significant impact without feeling burdensome. In this session, you’ll rediscover what energizes and inspires you as a leader. Through reflection and practical insight, you’ll examine how joy strengthens authenticity, deepens connection, and turns conflict into collaboration. You’ll leave with renewed clarity about your motivations and how to lead with purpose, confidence, and fulfillment.

ShaCarolyn Stephens – Executive Coach, Pivot Global Partners Leadership Strategist Transforming Conflict to Collaboration

12:10 PM

Lunch Break

12:30 PM

The New You: Circles of Collaboration

As leadership evolves to meet today’s demands, so must our approach to collaboration. In this session, you’ll explore the value of intentional collaboration and the circles that shape your leadership impact. Learn to build strong partnerships, amplify diverse voices, and foster environments where confidence and innovation thrive. You’ll leave with a new perspective on leading collectively and using collaboration as a competitive advantage.

Leslie Grossman – Women’s Leadership Expert, Lecturer & Prolific Author Thought Leader Giving Voice to Collaboration, Courage & Confidence for Women

1:50 PM

Break

2:00 – 3:30 PM

Shaking It Up: Innovating & Taking Smart Risks

Innovation requires courage, and effective risk-taking requires strategy. In these panel and interactive discussions, you’ll hear from game changing leaders who are redefining industries and challenging the status quo. Explore how to evaluate risk, engineer and embrace disruption, and move from idea to action with confidence. You’ll leave inspired, prepared to innovate intentionally, and take calculated risks that elevate your leadership impact.

2:00 – 2:20 PM – Panel Discussion                                                                  2:20 – 3:30 PM – Rotating Breakout Groups with Panelists

Chrissa McFarlane — Founder & CEO, Patientory HealthTech Visionary & Global Changemaker, Forbes Contributor & Author

Mae Karwowski — Founder & CEO, Obviously Founder of One of the Most Influential Agencies in the Creator Economy & Leading Entrepreneur Redefining Modern Marketing

3:30 PM

Closing & Wrap-Up

SPEAKERS

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Patricia Achoe

Wellness and Well-being Coordinator, University of Cincinnati and Manager of Diversity, The Kroger Co.

Patricia Achoe
Wellness and Well-being Coordinator, University of Cincinnati and Manager of Diversity, The Kroger Co.

Patricia is a wellness leader and diversity strategist dedicated to creating environments where individuals and organizations thrive. With a strong foundation in employee well-being, inclusion, and organizational engagement, she brings a unique cross-sector perspective shaped by her work in higher education and healthcare retail.

As Wellness and Well-being Coordinator at the University of Cincinnati, Patricia designs and implements comprehensive wellness initiatives that promote holistic health—physical, emotional, social, and professional. She partners with faculty, staff, and campus leadership to cultivate a culture of well-being that supports performance, resilience, and community connection.

In her role as Manager of Diversity for The Kroger Co., Patricia leads efforts to strengthen inclusive practices, expand equitable access to opportunity, and embed diversity as a strategic driver of business success. She collaborates with pharmacy leadership teams to advance workforce engagement, cultural competence, and inclusive leadership practices that improve both employee experience and customer care.

Patricia is known for her collaborative leadership style, data-informed decision-making, and ability to translate strategy into action. Her work reflects a deep belief that wellness and diversity are not standalone initiatives, but essential pillars of sustainable organizational excellence.

Patricia is passionate about empowering individuals, fostering belonging, and building
systems that support thriving communities both inside and outside the workplace.

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2

Cynthia Hardy

Founder & Managing Principal
Pivot Global Partners

Cynthia Hardy
Founder & Managing Principal
Pivot Global Partners

Cynthia Hardy is the visionary behind Pivot Global Partners, a professional services firm dedicated to guiding clients through innovation-driven leadership changes that reposition them for success.

Cynthia’s career includes managing and repositioning multi-billion-dollar profit and loss divisions for publicly traded insurance companies, both domestically and internationally.

She has a strong background in law, having practiced as an attorney in both law firm and corporate environments. Cynthia also serves as an independent corporate director and lends her expertise as an advisor to technology start-ups and technology-enabled companies.

Notre Dame Law School recently celebrated Cynthia as a 'visionary' and 'a different kind of lawyer' for her innovative approach, blending business, leadership, law, and social impact.

Before establishing Pivot Global Partners, Cynthia held significant senior corporate leadership roles, including:

  • Global Head of Agency for AIG
  • President of Encompass Insurance
  • President of Hanover Insurance’s Personal Lines Division

Cynthia’s experience also extends to various P&L management roles at The Hartford and Progressive Insurance. Earlier in her career, Cynthia honed her legal skills as a litigation associate at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.

Cynthia is a respected author, speaker, and lecturer, frequently sharing her unique insights on the crucial intersection of leadership and innovation and the core elements that drive organizational success. Her critically acclaimed book, Crossing Meridians: Engineering Disruption to Become a More Effective Leader, is utilized as a leadership development tool by Fortune 25 organizations. Kirkus Reviews hails Crossing Meridians as 'cohesive and impassioned; a bold, engaging path to effective leadership' and awarded Crossing Meridians its coveted “Get It” recognition.

Beyond her professional achievements, Cynthia is deeply committed to community, education, and global engagement. She actively mentors young professionals, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and holds the position of Director Emerita of the National Women’s History Museum in Washington, D.C., where she chaired the Governance Committee.

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3

Leslie Grossman

Women’s Leadership Expert, Lecturer & Prolific Author

Leslie Grossman
Women’s Leadership Expert, Lecturer & Prolific Author

For nearly two decades, Leslie Grossman has been a trailblazer in leadership, gender equality, and women’s influence and impact. She is an accomplished executive coach, business owner, keynote speaker, author, and highly regarded researcher.

In her role as senior fellow and faculty director of the Executive Women’s Leadership program at The George Washington University, Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, Leslie transforms executives and entrepreneurs alike with her insights and actionable strategies for success.

Leslie made her mark in New York City by founding the Women’s Leadership Exchange, the first national conference program for women entrepreneurs and executives. Over its 10- year run, she built a powerful platform that inspired thousands of women to reach new heights in their careers and businesses.

Leslie is the author of several books, including her latest books--Start with Vision and Circles of Collaboration. In those books, Leslie integrates her learnings and experiences as an entrepreneur, founder of a national conference program for women entrepreneurs, executive coach for men and women, and senior researcher for The Everest Project.

From running a communications business in NYC to launching a groundbreaking national leadership conference to creating the Her Circle Leadership Coach Training Program, Leslie has a track record of transforming ideas into successful movements. Her programs seamlessly adapt to corporate, academic, and organizational contexts, ensuring meaningful impact in every environment.

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5

Mae Karwowski

Founder & CEO
Obviously

Mae Karwowski
Founder & CEO
Obviously

Mae Karwowski is the Founder & CEO of Obviously and has earned a reputation as the guru of influencer marketing.

Obviously is a best-in-class influencer marketing firm for the world’s iconic brands. It builds custom networks of influencers for brands, specializing in large scale global communities of hundreds to thousands of influencers with the right target audiences for its clients. Obviously executes the largest influencer campaigns in the industry, reaching over 5 billion impressions.

Mae attributes much of Obviously’s success to its technology, strategic acumen, and personal relationships with its influencers. She founded the firm, grew it into today’s influencer marketing powerhouse, and led it through an acquisition by WPP in 2023.

Mae’s story exemplifies innovation and risk taking. At 360i, Mae created and executed social media marketing strategies for top tier brands. She then became social media manager for Gilt City where she created and implemented innovative social media strategies and led all aspects of social media marketing.

When Mae ventured out to create Obviously, she first leveraged her social media expertise. As Mae and her team recognized trends, integrated technology, and crafted a defined niche, they built a one-of-a-kind, dominant influencer marketing firm.

Mae is featured in countless media interviews, podcasts, and profiles. She is sought after for her insights on the advertising industry, social media, and the future of influencer marketing. Mae also has been recognized in many national publications, including Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, the Financial Times, The New York Times, and AdWeek.

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6

Chrissa McFarlane

Founder & CEO, Patientory, Inc.

Chrissa McFarlane
Founder & CEO, Patientory, Inc.

Named as one of the top women “leaving their mark on the MedTech field in health IT” by Becker’s Hospital Review, Chrissa McFarlane is the Founder and CEO of Patientory, Inc., a company using blockchain and AI to give patients secure control over their health data.

Chrissa is a healthcare, blockchain technology, and medical data analytics expert, as well as a savvy business owner, global influencer, and women’s empowerment advocate.

Chrissa founded Patientory in 2015 after seeing the need for more personalized and secure consumer-driven health information management solutions. Under Chrissa’s leadership, Patientory has received numerous accolades, including Top 5 digital health solution in the world for empowering patients.

Chrissa aims to disrupt the status quo in the world of female minority entrepreneurship.
Her focus is on empowering and creating a new story for minority women--one that does not let other people or circumstances define them and, instead, hands them the keys to entrepreneurial success.

Aside from giving minority women a leg up in their business journey, Chrissa is passionate about transforming healthcare delivery and creating cutting-edge healthcare products. According to Chrissa,“I believe innovative technology can help resolve the three primary problems with today's healthcare system: poor quality, limited access, and high cost. I hope to spend my career creating and deploying innovative technologies that enable every person around the world to access high-quality healthcare at sustainable costs. I love working in closely-knit teams to develop and scale new products and grow new businesses.”

Chrissa has published international healthcare research articles and actively writes for Forbes on emerging healthcare technological advances. She authored and published Future Women: Minority Female Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Era of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.

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4

Jaye Smith

              Senior Advisor & Consultant,                     Pivot Global Partners
            Coaching, Leadership, and              Transformation Expert

Jaye Smith
Senior Advisor & Consultant, Pivot Global Partners
Coaching, Leadership, and Transformation Expert

Jaye Smith is an experienced entrepreneur, senior consultant, and advisor, specializing in leadership development and training. Known for her engaging, compassionate, yet challenging approach, Jaye serves as an intuitive coach to executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and innovators.

Jaye's insights stem from her experience as a serial entrepreneur, seasoned executive, accomplished author, and respected university faculty member. She brings a holistic perspective to her work, partnering with a wide spectrum of organizations, from Fortune 100 and 500 companies to mid-sized firms and startups, as a go-to expert in talent, leadership coaching, and team facilitation.

As a successful business leader and entrepreneur, Jaye has founded several companies, including Partner's International, a leading woman-owned human capital firm. There, Jaye and her partner revolutionized service delivery paradigms, and she led the business consulting, executive coaching, and women's leadership practices.

Jaye's client roster is extensive, having supported high-potential and senior executive leadership and team development initiatives for scores of companies, including Prudential Financial, SwissRe, Axa, Ernst & Young, BlackRock, Merrill Lynch, Chase, Burberry USA, Pfizer, and HBO.

Jaye is an honored adjunct faculty member at New York University and a lead facilitator for the City University of New York's leadership program, 'Managing for Innovation.' She has also designed and facilitated a crucial leadership program for managers and leaders of community-based initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty.

Jaye is a published author, having co-authored three books:

  • Venus Unbound: A Guide Focused on Building Self-esteem in Women
  • The Retirement Boom—The All-Inclusive Guide to Money, Life, and Health in Your Next Chapter
  • Reboot Your Life: Enhance Your Career and Life by Taking a Break
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7

ShaCarolyn Stephens

Executive Coach
Pivot Global Partners

ShaCarolyn Stephens
Executive Coach
Pivot Global Partners

ShaCarolyn is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and change agent with nearly 20 years of experience cultivating high-impact leaders and inclusive cultures.

With a human-centered, values-driven approach, ShaCarolyn partners with global companies and nonprofits to develop leaders who are skilled in navigating change, resolving conflict, and aligning their purpose with organizational goals.

At the intersection of Biology, Psychology, and Theology, ShaCarolyn has developed a coaching framework that helps leaders understand both the science and soul of effective leadership. Her expertise in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has positioned her as a trusted advisor to executives at prominent companies, including Facebook, Google, Tesla, PBS, Starbucks, EY, Lululemon, and Snowflake. With a focus on results and innovation, ShaCarolyn helps organizations streamline systems, foster accountability, and build resilient, inclusive teams.

ShaCarolyn holds a Master’s in Positive Psychology from LIFE University, a Master of Divinity from Emory University, and a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Florida A&M University.

An ordained minister and award-winning humanitarian, ShaCarolyn brings her passion for empowerment to education, justice reform, and nonprofit leadership.

Whether leading workshops, speaking, or coaching, ShaCarolyn inspires transformation at all levels.

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