SPEAKERS
We are excited to introduce our esteemed speakers who are business owners, CEOs, and leaders in our community. They will be sharing their insights and experiences to
empower the next generation of female leaders. Get ready to be inspired!
Opening Speaker
Simone Ross
As the CEO of the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Director of the Colorado Women's Chamber Foundation, Simone has been instrumental in driving initiatives to make Colorado the leading state for women in business. She is also the founder of Simone D. Ross, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in operational change management, and the CEO of SDR Events. Additionally, Simone leads Youth United University, an innovative leadership program for middle school students focused on inclusive practices.
Entrepreneurship
Chennelle Diong
CEO & founder of gluten-free CPG brand GoodLove Foods, specializing in frozen, ready-to-bake goods, such as cinnamon rolls, biscuits and puff pastry.
Chennelle is passionate about brand management, product innovation, and changing the status quo. When she’s not working in her production facility you can find her roaming around CO in a rooftop tent or walking her dogs along the South Platte.
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Entrepreneurship
Barefoot PR -
Sarah Hogan and Cori Streetman
Sarah Hogan (she/her/hers) and Cori Streetman (she/her/hers) are co-founders of Barefoot PR, a Denver-based public relations and design firm. Since 2010, they have built and led a team of creative and passionate professionals who use their skills to shine a light on the work nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and responsible businesses do to make our communities better. Sarah and Cori love sharing their passion for brand-building, storytelling and entrepreneurship.
Law and Government
Erin Murphy
Erin is currently the President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Revenir Energy Inc., overseeing all legal, risk, compliance, regulatory, environmental, health, and safety functions. Prior to this, she worked at Ovintiv as a Managing Attorney, providing legal and strategic advice to various stakeholders in the company. In addition to her legal career, Erin has served as a Member of the Board of Directors at Can Do Multiple Sclerosis.
Law and Government
Emma Pinter
Chair of the Board of Commissioners, Adams County. Commissioner Emma Pinter is a qualified leader who has dedicated her life to public service, whether as an attorney working in legal aid clinics or serving on local boards and commissions. Elected to Westminster City Council in 2013, Commissioner Pinter served on the boards of the Youth Initiative of Adams County, Adams County Economic Development and the Mile High Connects Advisory Board. She was selected as the “Woman of Metro North” in 2018 by the Metro North Chamber, and also the Colorado Women’s Chamber. She has served as Adams County Commissioner since 2019.
Finance
Stefanie Johnson
Vice president of Private Wealth Banking at BOK Financial. Stefanie has over 18 years of experience managing relationships in private banking, healthcare banking, commercial banking, and retail banking. At BOK Financial, Stefanie manages a portfolio of affluent clients, from high to ultra-high net worth. Her expertise with deposits, lending, and creative structures help her navigate these complex client needs.
Finance
Susan Melia
Susan Melia is Product Segmentation Director for Empower. In her role, she works closely with business leaders in sales, service, operations, product, and IT to develop and implement strategies that are designed to maximize efficiency and scale for the core market.
Susan has over 30 years of experience in the retirement plan services industry. She has held several client-facing roles at Fidelity Investments and Putnam Investments.
Panel Speaker
Dafna Jenet Michaelson
Dafna Michaelson Jenet is the Senator for Senate District 21, and previously represented Colorado’s House District 30 and 32 for seven years. She was the chair of the House Public Health & Human Services Committee and served on the Education and Legislative Audit Committees. Senator Michaelson Jenet’s legislative work primarily focuses on youth, particularly foster care youth, mental health, and healthcare access.
Panel Speaker
Laura Peterson
Senior Client Advisor for Johnson Financial Group. In her role, Laura supports a small number of individual and multi-generational families. Her responsibilities include client engagement, project management, advisor coordination, Charitable Foundation support and Next Generation education.
Panel Speaker
Gaddi Layden
Gaddi Layden is the Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation, and Marketing at the Young Americans Center for Financial Education. She previously held the role of Grants Impact Manager at Daniels Fund, where she fostered strategic partnerships with top-tier organizations and became the official Spanish spokesperson for the Daniels Fund. As the Principal and Co-Founder of ABOKI Capital, Gaddi showcased her entrepreneurial and leadership skills, by attracting major financial investors.
Panel Speaker
Heather Schell
As General Counsel for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA), Heather Schell provides primary legal counsel for several areas of the organization, including multifamily and business lending, housing tax credit allocation and compliance, and asset management. Most recently, Schell held the position of senior managing attorney, in which she oversaw the commercial loan closing process for CHFA, and supervised the legal department’s staff attorneys and legal support staff.
Panel Speaker
Monica Doherty
Monica Doherty is a pilot for United Airlines. She flies the Boeing 737, based out of Denver, and operates to over 150 cities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and the northern part of South America. A Colorado native, she studied psychology at Colorado College and got her Masters degree in Aviation Human Factors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She has taught Crew Resource Management classes to airline colleagues and graduate students. Monica’s husband is also an airline pilot and they love raising their two teenagers. Her hobbies include beekeeping and playing piano.