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NAWBO-LA Online Newsletter
August 2008 Issue
National’s Conference Builds Access, Opportunities
NAWBO-LA leaders establish additional connections at the NAWBO National 2008 Women’s Business Conference, helping lay the foundation for broader opportunities for LA members
The NAWBO National 2008 Women’s Business Conference drew rave reviews from attendees in the NAWBO-LA contingent, who believe the strengthened National-LA relationship will provide LA and its members with a greater showcase and a greater opportunity to be heard beyond the local and state levels.
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NAWBO National: president, Cynthia McClain-Hill and executive director, Helen Han
photo courtesy of Photography by Hamilton |
Held in Phoenix, AZ in June, the conference drew approximately 600 attendees. Key installations included former NAWBO-LA president and current member Cynthia McClain-Hill as NAWBO National president, former NAWBO-LA CEO Helen Han as new NAWBO National executive director, and NAWBO-LA Immediate Past President Laura Yamanaka as a member of National’s 2008-09 Board of Directors.
“I want to bring our lessons learned and experiences to the national level,” Yamanaka said. “It can only benefit NAWBO-LA and our members to have a strong national presence, because it reinforces the LA brand and increases our voices and access to opportunities at the national level.”
As an example, she cited a high-profile gathering held at the conference with key officials from the two presidential campaigns. “Where else would women business owners from around the country be able to provide input to and have discussions with significant players for the two candidates?”
Raising the Bar
Both Yamanaka and incoming NAWBO-LA President Jane Skeeter said this year’s conference raised the bar, with an outstanding array of speakers, networking opportunities and sponsor contacts.
Skeeter participated in meetings with leaders of other large NAWBO chapters, and the group shared ideas in areas like membership programs and retention, plus learned more about the resources National makes available to chapters.
The LA relationship with National, she added, can create mutual advantages.
“We can provide National the example of our business model, while the LA chapter stands to benefit from the additional resources and services that National offers,” Skeeter said.
Learning from Other Leaders
The National conference featured keynote speeches from these remarkable business leaders:
- Rita Davenport, president of Arbonne International and author of Making Time, Making Money
- Nely Galan, television producer, owner of Galan Entertainment and cast member of The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition
- Oren Harari, professor at the Graduate School of Business at the University of San Francisco, author of the book Break from the Pack: How to Compete in a Copycat Economy and former senior consultant at The Tom Peters Group
- Laura Liswood, secretary general, Council of Women World Leaders and senior advisor, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
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NAWBO-LA president, Jane Skeeter, immediate past-president, Laura Yamanaka, and past-president, Bonnie Nijst at the 2008 Women's Business Conference.
photo courtesy of Photography by Hamilton |
Looking to the Future
While they move forward in applying lessons learned and reaping the benefits of the conference, NAWBO-LA’s leaders also are looking to continue the momentum they’ve established.
“There’s a confluence of events and people to really allow NAWBO-LA to take a huge step forward, both locally and nationally,” Yamanaka said. “We have an amazing opportunity.”
Skeeter said she hopes more NAWBO-LA members will attend the National 2009 Women’s Business Conference, taking place in Chicago next June 25-27. “It’s inspirational, motivational, educational and a lot of fun,” she said. “It helps reignite excitement in being a woman business owner.”
To read and view more highlights from the 2008 Women’s Business Conference, visit www.nawbo.org and click on “Events” and then on “Women’s Business Conference.”
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