Press Release: Chamber 2021 Women’s Leadership Conference Focused on Recovery & Discovery
Press Release: Chamber 2021 Women’s Leadership Conference Focused on Recovery & Discovery
Blacksburg/Christiansburg, Virginia, April 29, 2021– The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce held its eighth annual Women’s Leadership Conference virtually with over 120 attendees. The 2021 theme was A Year for Recovery & Discovery and encouraged women to recognize the challenges over the last 14 months, finding the positives and how to move forward. The virtual program was unique this year as it hosted a breakout session for young women ages 12-17 to examine careers and making decisions about their future.
Master of Ceremonies, Amy Woods, Chief Nursing Officer at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery led the program and announced the 2021 Women’s Leadership Awards, recipients.
- Community Builder Award: Lateffa Smith – Community Housing Partners
- Emerging Leader Award: Tessa Wright – First Bank & Trust Company
- Spirit Award: Rhonda Whaling – LewisGale Hospital Montgomery
- Woman Business Leader of the Year: Nanci Hardwick – Meld Manufacturing Corporation
- 2021 Woman of the Year: Noelle Bissell, MD – New River Health District
According to Henry Bass, Board Chair of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, “we encourage and support female leaders in our business, non-profits, civic and government leadership, who make decisions affecting our business community. Since 2015, we have developed themes that reflect the professional development needs of our local leaders. We know through research that the pandemic than men has more adversely impacted women, and women of color have been affected even greater.”
Nneka Logan, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the School of Communications, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, was our keynote this year. Nneka spoke three years ago, and we loved her and her message.
“We were thrilled to have Nneka Logan, Ph.D. sharing her insights on the subject of what recovery looks like and how women can move forward with a plan of action toward discovering new approaches to work, family, and self-care.
At the local level, we had ten outstanding local leaders who led breakout sessions and participated in panels to encourage and support attendees,” shared Robyn Jones, COO of Joba and Chamber board member.
We were very fortunate to hear from several other leading women in our community including:
Danylle Kunkle, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Radford University, Sara Yun, Board Certified Hypnotherapist and Yoga Instructor, Neurolinguistic Programming Coach, Licensed Massage Therapist, B.S. HNFE and Owner of Yun Yoga and Hypnotherapy, Amy Pruden, Ph.D., W. Thomas Rice Professor in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering at VT and former Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary Graduate Education in the Graduate School, and Megan Atkinson, local educator, and Leadership New River Valley graduate.
Marianne Washington of Movement Mortgage and board member who served on the 2021 planning committee shared, “planning a conference during a pandemic is challenging. We waited until April in hopes that the covid cases would be lower and vaccinations would be higher, allowing us to meet in person possibly. When this did not happen, we moved forward with our virtual plan with a goal of 120 attendees, and we met that goal.
Aaron Harris-Kirby, Past Chamber Board Chair, indicated she, “believes the program will be in-person in 2022 and can exceed the 250 attendee mark.” The Chamber has contracted with author Amy Herman as the keynote speaker.
Chamber Executive Director Sharon Scott added, “our goal is to keep the cost of this vital program affordable. Lewis Gale Hospital – Montgomery has been a huge supporter of this program with a sponsorship at the highest level. We are so appreciative of the local business community who recognizes the contributions of women and the value they add to our community. Other companies sponsoring the conference are:
- Champion Level- LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, Pointe West Management
- Advance Level- First Bank & Trust Company, The Orange Bandana
- Advocate Level- Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, Coldwell Banker Townside REALTORS, English Meadows Blacksburg, First & Main, Freedom First Credit Union, Hurt & Proffitt, National Bank of Blacksburg, Servpro of Montgomery & Pulaski Counties
- Promote Level- American National Bank & Trust Company, Automation Creations, Inc., Budget Blinds Serving Salem, Roanoke, Botetourt & the New River Valley
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