MEMORIES & SPEAKER REFLECTIONS

To celebrate 30 years of conferences and inspiring keynote speakers, ICAN has collected reflections, stories and lessons learned from past attendees on favorite speakers or topics that made a particular impact. We invite you to enjoy some of the memories shared.

“As an African American female, hearing Dr. Julianne Malveaux’s speech in 2010 was a great reminder to me of the importance of knowing who you are and what you bring to the table. Her words around embracing yourself and liking yourself a lot have been helpful as I have navigated my personal life and professional career. This perspective has been invaluable as it reminded me of the importance of having a level of selfconfidence and a healthy outlet for my emotions. Meeting her was extra special as Julianne, my daughter, and I are all in the same sorority - Delta Sigma Theta.”

INTERNAL SPREAD - REFLECTIONS (THESE WILL BE PDFS, TWO FULL PAGES)

“One of the speakers at the 2019 conference, Tiffany Dufu, significantly impacted me. Since 2016, the year I became a Mom, I’ve struggled with balancing it all. I had this idea that I had to be 110% at everything that I did all of the time to be successful. Listening to her story and everything she had to share, I realized that I could change what success looked like for me. I started to see that 110% at any ONE thing is unrealistic. Once I started to redefine what success looked like for me, and allowed myself to ‘drop the ball’ on certain things that didn’t contribute to that success, I became better. I’m grateful for that moment!”

AILEEN WARREN ICAN President & CEO

“I loved Kindra Hall from 2018. She shared with us the gift of storytelling and I found it very helpful when I am presenting. If I can share a story around the point I am looking to get across I am able to captivate the audience a lot better! This not only brings an entertainment factor but sometime vulnerability and emotions to the audience. As Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel.”

SHASTA WRAGGE

Chair - ICAN Board of Directors Bank of the West / BMO

“Every conference has amazed me, but the one presentation that had the greatest impact on me was explanation of Setting Intention. She said “as is your desire, so is your intention and as is your intention, so is your will.” It made me realize that I had to be more clear about what most mattered to me in my life. That one comment was powerful and changed my life.”

LAURA ROCCAFORTE ICAN Faculty Member

“The most memorable was the sit down interview I did with Tina Brown in 2018. She was preparing to leave for London for Meghan and Harry’s wedding (as she was known for being on wedding watch) and her tremendous “style” for all those she has interviewed---so interviewing the interviewer, journalist and author stood out for me!”

JANE MILLER

Past Conference Co-Chair & Longtime ICAN Advocate Gallup COO (Retired)

BETH NELSEN

ICAN Conference Advocacy Committee Member

Fusion Medical Staffing

“The 2022 conference was inspirational in that so many women were gathered in one place to hear all the wonderful speakers! I developed a very close connection to the women seated at my table. You could literally feel the energy in the room. Therefore, I had to make sure my staff knew about their leadership programs. As a result, one of them is starting ICAN’s Defining Leadership Program in 2023! It’s really all about strong women amplifying other strong women.”

DULCE SHERMAN

ICAN Friend & Conference Attendee

Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative

“In her 2005 keynote, The Future of the World Depends Upon Women, Meg Wheatley shared “all change begins with a conversation.” Concepts in her ICAN address took me to India and became part of a kit we used at Catherine Place in Tacoma to co-create We-Can and Si, Se Puede Circles for low-income, immigrant and refugee women. Thank you, ICAN & Meg!”

SHERRY HELMKE

Former ICAN Executive Director

“The ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference is an event that is empowering and has proven possibilities are endless. I can still remember a quote from 2022; “I can do hard things” by Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe. This quote has stuck with me all year. We all struggle through hard things. A person’s resiliency is what gets us through this thing we call “Life”. If the employees from Haleon Consumer Health can grab just one little nugget like this quote, we will all be able to do hard things together and come out stronger in the end.”

CAROL WISECARVER

ICAN Conference Advocacy Committee Member Haleon

“The ICAN Conference has contributed incredibly to my professional growth in terms of leadership and networking. I attended my first conference in the early 2000s and sat on my first panel at a conference in 2004. I remember the 2004 conference vividly because I was pregnant with our twins and freshly launched from the ICAN Influence experience. That conference propelled my desire to want to have an impact like the leaders who spoke at the conference and even more, it let me see clearly the joy and happiness that cascaded through the rooms as voices and laughter echoed through the walls. We had so much fun and learned so much from each other as we talked about our celebrations, disappointments, promotions, leadership desires, and for me, my anxiety about being a working mom. I made it!”

SHERRYE HUTCHERSON

Former ICAN Board Member Bellevue University

“While attending the 2008 conference, I was taking in recommendations from various speakers, including Suze Orman. One aspect of Suze’s message was the importance of women saving money for either retirement or other big life events. Being the mother of four daughters, all I could think about was the fact that somewhere in my future would be weddings for my four daughters and the expense that comes with such events. The week following the conference, I took the initiative to open a savings account that I called the “Wedding Fund” and started automatically transferring money to it every month. Over the years, I’ve continued to increase the amounts transferred and have made a few extra contributions as well. In 2022, we celebrated my oldest daughter’s wedding, and I was so relieved to have the “Wedding Fund” available to pay for the big event! I am very thankful that I was engaged in the conference in 2008—it made paying for a wedding much less stressful.”

BRANDEE SCHULTZ

ICAN Conference Advocacy Committee Member

Deloitte

“There has been so much created + offered to community through the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference. World class keynotes, educational sessions worthy of credits in an MBA program, connections and creativity on a global scale - all have had impact beyond measure. For me, every minute of learning came from what happened behind the scenes - the 364 days leading up to the next Women’s Leadership Conference. The wisdom that the presenters served up was world class, but the impact on my own life + leadership came from the ICAN team and the community represented at the ICAN table. Their grit, experience, honesty and dedication in service of the mission of evolving leaders taught me to hold true to my own purpose: to elevate human consciousness for the sake of humanity and the planet Earth.”

MARY PREFONTAINE

Former ICAN President & CEO

“The Annual ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference has always been inspirational to me. I attended over 15 conferences, some as an attendee, some as a Board member of ICAN and some as the leader of ICAN.

Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour, a smart, focused, successful news journalist who “made it” in a man’s world, and she did so with professionalism and integrity.

Erica Volini, senior executive with Deloitte, speaks her truth in business to guide clients. Showed that women can speak up, have a voice and be successful in business. She loves breaking old rules and making new ones.

Carla Harris, Vice Chairman of Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley, showed that women of color have to sometimes just make their own opportunities, have to make sure their work gets noticed in the organization and have to be confident.

Erik Wahl, an artist, a motivational speaker, a difference maker. He showed how art and vision and perception converge, and how to understand and use this convergence.

From each of these keynote speakers, I learned how to adapt my style, my communications, my creativity and my leadership skills.”

SUSAN HENRICKS Former ICAN President & CEO

“I have had the distinct pleasure of attending many ICAN Women’s Leadership Conferences over the years. Every time I have attended this conference it has been absolutely EXCEPTIONAL, the quality of speakers, program topics and organization by the ICAN team has created an experience that is second to none. The conference may be titled the Women’s Leadership Conference but is very much inclusive to men and creates an experience that is rewarding for ALL in attendance. One moment, of many, that standout is hearing Kindra Hall, in 2018, speak to the power of storytelling. The investment made to attend this conference is worth EVERY penny.”

Cecil Hicks

Former ICAN Board Member Immanuel Communities

“One of my fondest memories attending the conference was the year we had Lisa Ling as a keynote speaker in 2005. It was the first time an Asian woman was selected as a keynote and Lisa’s message was real, direct, and challenging to hear. It was the perfect balance of a real life diversity, equity and inclusion message and storytelling. Seeing Ms. Ling’s role in journalism and geopolitics a couple years later also gave me a higher perspective of what it takes to bring unbiased news to our screens.”

CRISTINA CASTRO-MATUKEWICZ ICAN Conference Advocacy Committee Member Wells Fargo