2021 Conference
This past year has been one of upheaval, change, and resilience. Women leaders have been at the center of it all - leading change, pushing boundaries, and building communities of strength.
At “New Leadership for a New World” the 25th annual Berkeley Haas Women in Leadership Conference (brought to you by Zendesk), we are celebrating the accomplishments of women pioneers. We will build a community that leaves attendees feeling included, energized, and inspired. We will hear and share stories about how women can create impact at any level, starting with ourselves, to our organizations, to our broader society, exemplifying the many ways women can and are leading today. And finally, we will focus on learning tactical skills for professional success.
We invite all individuals to join us on March 4th and 5th 2021 at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Zoom event - our first fully virtual WIL Conference - to connect with an inclusive, energizing, and inspiring community that shares a passion for gender equity, discuss and hear stories about the many leadership styles we have today, and prepare to lead in this new world.
AGENDA
Thursday, March 4th
4:00 - 4:15 PM PST Welcome and Day 1 Kickoff
4:15 - 4:45 PM Opening Keynote
Laila Tarraf, Author and Head of People at Allbirds, Haas MBA '97
4:45 - 5:45 PM Story Salon: Stories in Leadership, Challenging the Status Quo, and the "Road Less Traveled"
Jordan Sale, Founder and CEO of 81cents, Haas MBA'19
Vrinda Gupta, Founder and CEO of Sequin, Haas MBA'20
5:45 - 6:00 PM Break
6:00 - 6:30 PM Fireside Chat
Elena Gomez, Chief Financial Officer at Zendesk, Haas BS ‘91
Moderators: Nicole Austin-Thomas and Gina Deitz, Conference Content Leads, Haas MBA ‘21
6:30 - 6:35 PM Closing Remarks
6:45 - 7:45 PM WIL Member Wine Tasting *event open to current WIL members only, sign up via Campus Groups*
Friday, March 5th
9:30 - 9:45 AM PST Welcome and Day 2 Kickoff
9:45 - 10:00 AM Opening Remarks
Ann E. Harrison, Bank of America Dean at University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business
10:00 - 10:50 AM Opening Keynote
Mikki Kendall, Author and Diversity Consultant
10:50 - 11:00 AM Transition to Workshops & Break
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Workshop Sessions - Click here to access a detailed description of each session
Session 1: Negotiation Genius: Improve Your Outcomes
Juliana Schroeder, PhD, Assistant Professor, Management of Organizations, Haas School of Business
Session 2: Allyship and Advocacy
Liz Koenig, Consultant at the Bridgespan Group (MBA '18)
Andrea Brooks, Founder and CEO at Sava
Patrick Ford, Founder of Gold Alder Consulting and Allies at Work (MBA ' 17)
Imani Lewis, Associate Director of Strategy at Brighthouse
Alan Man, Partner and Head of Analytics at Converge Firm (MBA ' 20)
Session 3: Authentic Authorship
Jazmine Hughes, Staff Writer at the New York Times
Sharif Karmally, Head of Customer Retention at Asana and Part-Time Faculty at Haas School of Business
Session 4: Product Design for All - Challenges and Opportunities
Molly Turner, Lecturer at Haas School of Business, Co-Host and Co-Producer of Technopolis Podcast, Urban Tech Advisor
Kate Lydon, Head of Design for Nextdoor
Mamuna Oyofo Oladipo, Senior VP of Product at Kickstarter
Emily Warren, Senior Policy Advisor at Nelson/Nygaard
Session 5: Power of Peer Support through Lean In Circles
Roz Samimi, Lead for LeanIn Programs at the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation
12:00 - 1:00 PM Networking Lunch Click here to learn more about our networking opportunities
Deloitte • McKinsey & Company • Prologis • The Clorox Company • Chevron Corporation • Zendesk • Visa • Berkeley Innovation Group • Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership
1:00 - 1:50 PM Panel Discussion: New Leadership for a New World
Moderator: Kellie McElhaney, Founding Director of Haas' Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership
Archana Gilravi, VP of Partnerships at LeanIn.Org and Founder & Host of the Unstoppable Women Podcast
Christine Tao, Co-founder and CEO at Sounding Board Inc., Haas BS '01
1:50 - 2:00 Break
2:00 - 2:30 PM Closing Fireside Chat
Cleo Wade, Author, Poet, Activist
Moderator: Monique Shields, Founder & Executive Coach at Seven Pines Leadership, Associate Director and Leadership & Career Coach at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business
2:30 - 2:35 PM Closing Remarks and Conference Wrap-Up
KEYNOTES
Cleo Wade
Poet, Activist, and Best-Selling Author | @cleowade
Cleo Wade is a poet, activist, and the author of the best-selling books, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life and Where to Begin: A small book your power to create big change.
She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company.
Cleo works to foster connections between self-love, self-care, and our moral and spiritual responsibility to build beloved communities.
She sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, the National Black Theatre in Harlem, the Women’s Prison Association, Gucci's Gender Equality fund Chime For Change, and E Pluribus Unum, an organization based in her hometown New Orleans, focused on ending racial inequities in the South.
Cleo currently lives in California with her partner Simon where she can be found writing, painting, watching bad movies, and dancing in the kitchen with her daughter Memphis.
Mikki Kendall
Writer, Activist & Author of Hood Feminism
Mikki Kendall is a writer, diversity consultant, and occasional feminist who talks a lot about intersectionality, policing, gender, sexual assault, and other current events. Her essays can be found at TIME, the New York Times, The Guardian, the Washington Post, Ebony, Essence, Salon, The Boston Globe, NBC, Bustle, Islamic Monthly, and a host of other sites. Her media appearances include BBC, NPR, the Daily Show, PBS, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, WVON, WBEZ, and Showtime. She has discussed race, feminism, education, food politics, police violence, tech, and pop culture at institutions and universities across the country.
She is the author of AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS (illustrated by A. D’Amico), and of HOOD FEMINISM, both from Penguin Random House.
Mikki’s appearance arranged through Gotham Artists
Laila Tarraf
Chief People Officer, Allbirds and Author of Strong Like Water | Haas MBA ‘97
Laila Tarraf is a senior human resource executive with over 25 years of professional experience. After graduating with her MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, she became one of the founding team members at Walmart.com. She then served as Chief People Officer at Peet’s Coffee and Tea, an iconic Bay Area premium coffee company. Currently, Laila is the Chief People Officer at Allbirds focused on leading through a global pandemic and broad social unrest. She is also a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and investors and is a regular guest lecturer at Berkeley Law School.
SPEAKERS
Elena Gomez
CFO, Zendesk | Haas BS ‘91
Jordan Sale
Founder and CEO, 81Cents | Haas MBA ’19
Juliana Schroeder, PhD
Assistant Professor, Management of Organizations, Berkeley Haas
Emily Warren
Senior Policy Advisor, Nelson/Nygaard
Vrinda Gupta
Founder & CEO, Sequin Financial | Haas MBA ‘20
Kellie McElhaney, PhD
Lecturer, Founding Director at Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership
Archana Gilravi
Vice President, Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Foundation
Monique Shields
Founder, Seven Pines | Associate Director & Career Coach, Berkeley Haas
Liz Koenig
Consultant, The Bridgespan Group | Haas MBA ‘18
Jazmine Hughes
Staff Writer, New York Times
Alan Man
Partner & Head of Analytics, Converge Firm | Haas MBA ‘20
Molly Turner
Lecturer, Berkeley Haas, Co-Host and Co-Producer of Technopolis podcast
Mamuna Oyofo Oladipo
Senior Vice President, Kickstarter
Sharif Karmally
Head of Customer Retention at Asana & Professional Faculty at Berkeley Haas | Haas MBA ‘13
Patrick Ford
Cofounder Allies at Work | Haas BS ‘08 & MBA ‘17
Andrea Brooks
CEO and Founder of Sava
Roz Samimi
Lead, Lean In Americas Programs, Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation
Imani Lewis
Associate Strategy Director at BrightHouse & CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellow