Event Recap: Leading for IMPACT – Women in Leadership Awards 2024

Here’s the two-minute drill on our Leading for IMPACT – Women in Leadership Awards event, which was full of insightful and inspiring speakers and presenters throughout the afternoon:

• Alexa Tsui kicked things off by welcoming everyone and talking about her own inspiring journey as a breast cancer survivor. She encouraged all women to get screened regularly and make their health a priority. She then spoke about October being National Women’s Small Business Month, and thanked the small business leaders in the audience for being there.

• Sarah Moffatt gave rousing remarks about always bringing your authentic self to your role every day, and working together as women to build each other up and become stronger together.

• Olivia Trvisani-Bowker introduced a panel on Building Strategic Partnerships, where • Tahera Zamanzada was the moderator and Kyra Johnson Stewart, Maureen “Marty” Fromuth, and Denise Rainey talked about the importance of partnering with businesses both large and small, as well as Government leaders, to achieve lasting business goals.

• Pat Lomax introduced the first group of Leading for IMPACT award winners, and subsequent winner announcements were delivered by Stephanie Geiger, Danielle Carr, and Alexandra Guenther throughout the program.

• Debi McGhee gave a market outlook to the audience that included agency-specific priorities, as well as ways companies could better prepare their pipelines for new opportunities in 2025.

• Michelle Gardner-Ince spoke about ABB—“always be building” relationships—as the key to success for women in government contracting, while adding her own unique anecdotes to the mix!

• Dolores Kuchina-Musina introduced the second panel on diversity and inclusion in the public sector. Jennifer Hanks led a meaningful and insightful discussion with Valerie Mattison Brown, Gina Gallagher and Sarah Macdawutey on how to be mindful of and foster improved DEI initiatives in both the public and private sectors.

• Aubrey Paris shared her keen expertise on how climate change adversely affects women and children globally, and gave the audience suggestions on how to support climate change in their work roles as well as in their own communities.

• Karla Smith Jackson gave an outstanding keynote on women discovering their own superpowers, and they can find joy in their leadership while empowering the next generation of women superheroes.

Our Leading for IMPACT Lifetime Achievement Awards were then given out at the end of the program:

• Sarah MacDawutey presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for Government to Angela Gant-Curtis

• Tiffany Bailey presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for Industry to Carla Briceno

• Pat Lomax presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service to Dawn Halfaker

Special thanks to all our speakers and winners who made this year’s event such an IMPACTFUL one!