Award-winning Actress Sally Field And Media Mogul Arianna Huffington To Speak At 36th Annual Simmons Leadership Conference

BOSTON, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Simmons College has announced the keynote speakers for its April 2, 2015 premier Simmons Leadership Conference. Focusing on the theme "Dare to Compete," the conference features award-winning actress Sally Field, author and columnist Arianna Huffington, NFL Chief Marketing Officer Dawn Hudson, Latina magazine Founder Christy Haubegger, and legendary singer Darlene Love. The sold-out event will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center Boston.

This year's conference features more than 15 renowned leaders from business, media, education, and entertainment who will share their wisdom, insights, and practical advice with more than 3,000 business and professional women at the conference.

"These women exemplify our conference theme, 'Dare to Compete,'" said Judy Benjamin, Executive Director, Simmons Leadership Conference. "They have transcended challenges on their way to achieving great success and they have demonstrated the confidence and determination to compete in diverse arenas.

"At last year's conference, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on attendees to 'dare to compete' at a higher level in their careers and lives," said Benjamin. "We took that to heart, and have created a program with resilient women who have pioneered and persevered, and who have never backed down from a challenge throughout their careers."

The Simmons Leadership Conference is the preeminent and longest-running women's leadership forum in the country. Conference proceeds help further the development and advancement of future corporate, organizational, and civic leaders through Simmons graduate scholarships. It is the capstone program of SimmonsLEADS, a set of dynamic programs and events that focus on the empowerment and development of women leaders.

Notable Speakers
The winner of multiple Academy, Golden Globe, and Emmy awards for best actress, Sally Field has been one of the most versatile and durable talents in Hollywood for more than 50 years. From her breakout performance in the miniseries Sybil, to her career-defining appearance in Norma Rae, to her star turn as Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln, Field has portrayed a full range of memorable, psychologically complex characters. She is a long-time activist for women's rights.

The visionary founder and former CEO of Latina magazine, Christy Haubegger is a leading business figure and opinion maker on Hispanic issues. Latina's immediate success brought Haubegger numerous accolades from the media and advertising industries. Currently an agent at Creative Artists Agency, she helps clients develop movies, television shows, and business initiatives that better appeal to today's large and growing multicultural audiences.

A rare combination of high-energy executive, consensus builder, and sports aficionado, Dawn Hudson is the newly named chief marketing officer at the National Football League. Until October 2014, Hudson was the vice chairman of The Parthenon Group, a Boston-based strategic consulting company. Hudson is the former president and CEO of Pepsi Cola's $6 billion North American beverage business, where she helped to revolutionize tie-ins with sports.  

Arianna Huffington is the chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, as well as a nationally syndicated columnist, radio host, and author of 14 books. In 2005, she co-founded the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely read and frequently cited media brands on the Internet.

Extolled by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest singers of all time, Darlene Love has captivated audiences around the world for more than 60 years. Love's vocals for The Righteous Brothers, Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye, and Elvis Presley set the stage for her emergence as a star in her own right. Love was prominently featured in the Oscar-winning documentary Twenty Feet from Stardom. She is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

Padmasree Warrior is chief technology and strategy officer at Cisco. In this role, she helps direct technology and operational innovation across the company and oversees strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, integration of new business models, incubation of new technologies, and cultivation of world-class technical talent. Warrior has received the World of Difference Award from the International Alliance for Women, and been named to the Forbes' list of the world's 100 most powerful women.

Other Speakers and Moderators
As vice president of Pratt & Whitney's NGPF – 30K Programs, Jill Albertelli is responsible for the development and certification of the PurePower PW1100G-JM and PW1400G engines, as well as their successful entry into service.

Aileen Allkins is vice president for HP's Global Software Support organization and the leader responsible for its credo of "Exceed Expectations," a vision she developed over a career dedicated to IT support. She leads a team of about 2,000 professionals worldwide.

Provost and senior vice president of Simmons College, Katie Conboy is the school's chief academic officer, with overall responsibility for academic affairs for five graduate schools as well as the women's undergraduate college.

Cathy Graham is the chief financial officer of 2U, Inc., an education technology company that partners with colleges and universities to deliver online degree programs. Graham led the company's successful initial public offering in 2014.

Jeffery Tobias Halter is president of YWomen, a consulting company focused on engaging men in women's leadership issues. Drawing on 30 years of experience, he helps organizations develop measurable plans to tap the power of women in the workplace and marketplace.

Simmons alumna Joyce Kulhawik will serve as the conference host and moderator. Kulhawik is an integral part of New England's cultural landscape, having served as a long-time arts and entertainment anchor/critic, covering events from Boston and Broadway to Hollywood.

As senior vice president and chief information officer for Liberty Mutual Insurance Global Specialty, Mojgan Lefebvre drives technology strategy and execution for Global Specialty's specialty, commercial, and reinsurance business entities.

Erin McSweeney, the senior vice president of human resources at EMC, oversees the company's Product and Marketing Divisions and supports over 10,000 employees worldwide. She is known as a change agent with a track record of transforming organizations and cultures.

Business visionary Nilofer Merchant has launched more than 100 products that have netted $18 billion in sales. A famed TED talk presenter, she is the author of "11 Rules for Creating Value in the #SocialEra," one of Fast Company's best business books of 2012.

Dr. Pamela Peeke is founder and CEO of the Peeke Performance Center for Healthy Living. A thought leader in the science of integrative medicine, she is a nationally renowned expert in nutrition, metabolism, stress, and fitness. Dr. Peeke is the lifestyle expert for WebMD.

An expert on strategic thinking, leadership, and motivation, Mel Robbins is a regular CNN and FOX News commentator and legal analyst. She is also a syndicated talk radio host and the founder of Inspire52.com, a content hub providing news and entertainment for women.

A regular contributor to "Good Morning America," award-winning journalist Claire Shipman has covered politics and international affairs for more than two decades. She co-authored the New York Times bestseller The Confidence Code: The Art and Science of Self-Assurance – What Women Need to Know.

Cisco Vice President, Chief Inclusion, and Collaboration Officer Shari Slate is a widely recognized thought leader focused on the tangible business value of inclusion and the links among inclusion, collaboration, and innovation.

Personal finance expert and TV personality Farnoosh Torabi is on a mission: to help people take control of their finances so they can live their richest, happiest lives. She is a contributing editor at Money Magazine and a frequent contributor to DailyWorth and The Today Show.

Pre-Conference Seminars
Four pre-conference seminars, which require separate registration, kick off the conference on Wednesday, April 1. Topics include:

• Leadership: Create Your Powerful Future,
• Breaking the Glass Border through Global Mindset: the Next Leadership Challenge for Women,
• Leading Teams that Deliver Results, and
• Getting to Better Ideas: Creativity and Innovation in Practice.

A pre-conference reception that evening is complimentary for registered conference attendees.

About the Simmons Leadership Conference
Held continuously for 36 years, the Simmons Leadership Conference is the premier women's leadership conference in the country. The conference has featured such notable speakers as Madeleine Albright, Christiane Amanpour, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Billie Jean King, Toni Morrison, Anne Mulcahy, Queen Noor, Jehan Sadat, Oprah Winfrey, and the late Benazir Bhutto.

2015 Corporate Sponsors
EMC, Seaport World Trade Center, United Technologies, Cisco, HP, 2U, Liberty Mutual, Biogen Idec, Philips, Putnam Investments, The Hartford, Analog Devices, RBC Wealth Management, MFS Investments, PwC, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, BNY Mellon, Carbonite, Collegiate Press, John Hancock, MIT Lincoln Lab, Vision Quest Consulting, Watson's Candies, McGladrey, Women's Toolbox, WGBH, and Friends of Mel.

Twitter: @SimmonsLeads, #SLC15 - https://twitter.com/simmonsleads
Facebook: Simmons Leadership Conference - https://www.facebook.com/SimmonsLeadership
LinkedIn: Simmons Leadership Conference - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/SimmonsLEADS-1783827

SOURCE Simmons College

Related Links

http://www.simmons.edu/