ONCE1112 - Guest Speaker Series
Course Description
2020 Guest Speaker Series: Inflection Points
An inflection point is where a line changes direction. Over the course of our careers, we encounter many inflection points, and we have to decide how to react to these changes. What should our strategy be? How can we intentionally create and guide our own inflection points? How are we affected by 2020's global inflection points of COVID-19 and renewed calls for racial equity and justice?
Our guest speakers join us from a wide range of industries and career pathways. They’ll talk to us about their inflection points, navigating change, and adapting to changing circumstances. You’ll get the opportunity to ask questions and hear more about their journeys and expertise. Our series will also include some time for small group networking, so you can catch up with former classmates and meet new ones.
Speaker line-up:
October 14, 2020: Dionne Long, CPA and Business Owner, Mantra Consulting
Dionne specializes in providing Consulting, Business Strategy, and Accounting Services to Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs, and Not-for-Profit Organizations. She has been an accounting professional in both California and Pennsylvania, serving as an auditor, Virtual CFO and business strategies. She now owns her own company, Mantra Consulting.
November 11, 2020: Barb Hadley, VP of Education and Workforce Development at Project HOME
As Vice President of Education and Workforce Development, Barb Hadley leads Youth and Adult Education, Employment Services, and Social Enterprises. Hadley joined Project HOME from Maternity Care Coalition, where she designed and implemented the agency’s first program performance and evaluation system. She has focused on program development throughout her career, and has had operating experience in a variety of fields, including for-profit manufacturing and technology start-up operations. Prior to Maternity Care Coalition, she provided operations leadership in diverse settings with Technoserve in Accra, Ghana and Booz & Company in New York.
December 9, 2020: Rebecca Collins, Director of Sustainability, Temple University
Rebecca Collins is the Director of Sustainability at Temple University. Prior to joining Temple University, she was the Corporate Initiatives Manager for Sustainability at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and a Sustainability Program Manager for Waste Management. Ms. Collins has been working in the field of sustainability for the past decade, however, her first career led her to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. Starting out in court TV, and later moving to music television and awards show management, she believes that the skills she developed during her seven years in television production have helped her as a sustainability professional.
January 13, 2021: Nick Nistico, Project Manager, Overproof
Nick Nistico is an award-winning bartender who began his career working in the beachside casinos of Atlantic City. After moving to south Florida, he quickly rose to the top of the national and global craft bartending movement, developing some of the most unique and successful bar programs in the industry today, including for Michelin Star chefs Marc Forgione and Jose Garces. Nick currently serves as VP of Sales for Overproof, an AI-driven business intelligence and strategic planning platform for the alcoholic beverage industry that's also committed to furthering their social mission of fighting social challenges, improving gender equality, and decreasing the waste footprint in the industry.
February 10, 2021: Kimberly McGlonn, Founder and CEO of Grant Blvd
Kimberly McGlonn was inspired to launch Grant Blvd because she was “determined to be of service to not only marginalized people, but also to the planet.” Grant Blvd’s mission is to design and make clothes that are centered within the fight for justice and reform. Kimberly’s bio continues, “For me, sustainability also means hiring womxn, particularly those that are returning citizens, immigrants, & those working through homelessness. I believe that we if demand more, if we think differently about not only what we buy, but who we buy from, we have the power to challenge not only the social issues exacerbated by mass incarceration, but to more meaningfully address climate change.”
March 10, 2021: Kim Cayce, Founder and CEO of The Women Entrepreneurs Network and creator of Luna Startup Labs
Kim Cayce is one of the world’s leading experts on women's entrepreneurship. She is the founder and CEO of The Women Entrepreneurs Network, the fastest growing business networking group for female founders in the world. Kim is also the creator of Luna Startup Labs, a leading online accelerator for female and minority founders that has empowered more than 350 women with the education, mentorship, resources and support they need to launch and grow a profitable business. Prior to founding The Women Entrepreneurs Network, Kim was the Chief Operating Officer of a multi-million dollar international professional development organization.
April 14, 2021: Anne Gemmell, Founder, Future Works Alliance PHL
Anne Gemmell is the founder of Future Works Alliance PHL, an open group working to make the region more resilient to rapid technological change already underway. She is the former director of Special Initiatives in the City of Philadelphia Office of Workforce Development, where she was responsible for creating strategic plans related to emerging technologies and talent pipelines, aka future of work. A longtime policy strategist, she led the Kenney administration in 2016 on the equitable design, advocacy and the successful launch of PHL PreK program. In 2014, she played a key role in the local marijuana decriminalization effort. She was born and raised in this region, taught in Philadelphia public schools and is a proud parent of three adult "city kids" - 2 of whom are Temple Owls.
May 12, 2021: Julie Kimble, founder and CEO of KimbleCo Real Estate
Julie Kimble is founder and CEO of KimbleCo, a full-service commercial real estate company. Prior to launching KimbleCo in 2014, Julie was vice-president/general manager at Johnson Controls Global Workplace Solutions; she was also vice president at Opus (a nationally recognized commercial real estate development firm) for 13 years. Julie is the 2021 President of the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She is also a Women of Influence, Hall of Fame winner as awarded in 2018 by Real Estate Forum, a 2018 Women Who Lead Honoree, as awarded by Minnesota Business magazine, and a 2017 Top Women in Finance as awarded by Finance and Commerce.