EVENTS

Ritu Bhasin - Keynote

 The Power of Authentic Leadership

Ritu Bhasin is a women’s empowerment and diversity and inclusion consultant and author of The Authenticity Principle.
 

With a global reputation for her work in leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and women’s advancement, Ritu is committed to disrupting the status quo to build a world in which we celebrate our own differences and the differences of others.
 

As President of the leadership and inclusion
firm Bhasin Consulting Inc., she coaches C-Suite leaders, executives, and diverse  professionals on leveraging their differences for success.  As
a global speaker, she challenges others to take ownership of their role in addressing racism and discrimination and is a passionate champion of authentic leadership as a path to empowerment and success. 

Tonia Loran-Galban 

 Kanonion

Tonia Loran-Galban, Bear clan, is Mohawk
from Akwesasne. She is a traditional Basket Maker, Historical Interpreter, Native American Educator, Bead worker and Storyteller.  She comes from a long line of basket makers both maternal and paternal and specializes in utilitarian baskets of the 17th-18thC.

Tonia is a Native Interpretive Guide at Ganondagan State Historic Site since 1991.
Her work is focused on the Haudenosaunee
way of life as it pertained to the 17thC. She
and husband Michael Galban have been
working with a dedicated group of Native Historians/Educators to revive interest in
ancient material culture traditions among
the Haudenosaunee.

Kristen Fragnoli

 Redefining Leadership with a New 3Rs

Kristen Fragnoli is a Certified Professional Coach  with 30 years of experience  in higher education as a Professor of Communication
and senior administrator. She supports others through her business Quest Potential Leadership Coaching.
 

Through one-on-one effectiveness coaching, workshops, and motivational speaking she helps others develop resilience, improve performance and find balance and joy in their work and life. She teaches practical skills with a focus on mindful, values-aligned personal empowerment.

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Kristen believes we all have within us
exactly what we need to courageously pursue
our deepest desires and tap our own potential.
She has a master's degree in human communication and certifications from Cornell University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, State University of New York and University of Rochester. She is the founder of FLX Women.

Danielle Ponder

 Setting Intention and Finding Purpose

Danielle Ponder is a musician and attorney. A native of New York she performs internationally with her band Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People. She is a Professor in the Department of African American studies at The State University of New York College at Brockport, where she teaches Legal Rights of the Disadvantaged.

At Northeastern University, where she received her Juris Doctorate, Danielle was awarded the prestigious Public Interest Law scholarship. 
Danielle worked for 5 years at the Monroe County Public Defender’s office where she provided criminal defense to indigent defendants. Danielle has dedicated the past
15 years to organizing and advocacy. She has worked on issues such as education funding, women's rights, and has spent the past 8 years advocating for criminal justice reform. 

You can find out more about Danielle at www.danielleponder.com

Dr. Lesli C. Myers-Small, Ed.D

 Going Through Fire, Without Smelling Like Smoke

Brockport Central School District Superintendent Dr. Lesli Myers-Small has dedicated her life to the pursuit of high-quality education. The recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the NYS Women of Distinction Award, Breakthru Magazine Empowering Women Award and the Urban League of Rochester Educator Award, among others, Dr. Myers-Small has made a tremendous impact of the field of Education.
 

Her 2018 book Life’s Leadership Lessons is a collection of reflections, stories and experiences applicable to all areas of personal and professional Leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, two master’s degrees in counseling and human development and urban educational administration and a Doctorate of Education in Executive Leadership. She is passionate about her professional work and
her volunteerism.

Melina Carnicelli

 Connecting the D.O.Ts...Doing  Outrageous Things

Melina Carnicelli is a longtime activist and community leader in the Finger Lakes region. She is the lead organizer of Women March in Seneca Falls and is currently planning the annual women’s march in Seneca Falls for January 2020, the centennial celebration of American women’s right to vote.  She is the founder of 1st Amendment-1st Vote, a civic engagement initiative for high school girls and leads a local chapter of the campaign leadership program for adult women called WomenElect. 
 

She served as Mayor of Auburn and is a recipient of the Central New York NOW Unsung Heroine Award, the Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes Sharing the Light Award, was named a “Woman of Distinction” by the New York State Senate and was the first recipient of a local Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major Award for founding the Mayor’s Social Justice Task Force in Auburn.