We have restructured the Conference timeline to give our 300+ attendees the most development and networking in addition to the most impactful topics and speakers. Attendees can expect both personal and professional development, the opportunity to connect with other women engaged in community and mentorship, and a look at female-owned businesses here in Berks County.
Why Women Attend:
“I loved having the opportunity to learn about myself during the breakout sessions. It’s also nice to have the opportunity to grow my network with others that are out in the Reading Community. This conference was engaging, refreshing, and motivating as a women leader.” – 2023 Attendee
“I am not great at networking events (especially around the energy of men), but I will always go to Women2Women because of the people; just genuine, kind, ready to connect you with someone they know. Women working together in circles like these is how the world will heal.” – 2023 Attendee
“This is a positive event, promoting women, and a great place to network and meet new people! The seminars are always educational! You will have MANY take-home ideas to improve your professional and personal life.” – 2023 Attendee
Nominate the 2024 ATHENA Recipient
2024 Schedule of Events
7:30am – Registration, Breakfast, Networking & Visiting Expo
8:15am – Welcome & Keynote Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez
9:25am – Workshop 1
10:35am – Workshop 2
11:45am – Lunch, Networking & Visiting Expo
1pm – Workshop 3
2:10pm – Closing & ATHENA Celebration
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez
Presenting: Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Taking Credit For Your Ideas
Dr. Damary M. Bonilla-Rodriguez is a national leading authority on leadership development, especially as it pertains to diversity and inclusion. She delivers keynote addresses and presentations drawing upon her experience from roles in the non-profit, private, and government sectors, as well as her doctoral research. Her research about Latina leadership in the United States has served as the foundation for events, conference sessions, publications, and content development – to address the urgency of leadership development for a fast-growing population and create a pipeline of diverse leaders.
Dr. Bonilla-Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Social Work from the College of New Rochelle where she received the College President’s Medal, graduated with Departmental Honors, and was awarded the Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Award. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Organizational Communications and a Specialized Certification in Corporate Communications, both from the College of New Rochelle. Personal endeavors of overcoming statistics and accessing higher education, led her to earn a Doctorate in Education focusing on Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College. She self-identifies as a lifelong learner and recently completed the Harwood Institute’s Coaching program.
To change the political and leadership landscape for Latinos, Dr. Bonilla-Rodriguez ran for State Representative in the 189th District of Pennsylvania in the 2016 election cycle where she became the 1st Hispanic to make a State ballot in Pike and Monroe Counties. In November 2019, she became the 1st Hispanic elected as School Board Director in the East Stroudsburg Area School District where she served a 4 year term, Chaired the Education committee during her full tenure. She represented the ESASD on the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 Board where she was the 1st Hispanic and person of color appointed and served as Vice President for 3 years. Passionate about supporting professional organizations, she is a Board Member of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Latina VIDA, Latinas on the Plaza and an Advisory Board member for several organizations including: The Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs, Monroe County Children and Youth where she Chairs the Education committee and the League of Women Voters PA DEI steering committee.
Further accomplishments include serving as a Gubernatorial appointee to Governor Tom Wolf’s Latino Commission where she served for 6 years and Chaired the Statewide Education committee, serving on the Brodhead Watershed Association Board, serving as Vice President of Professional Development for Prospanica New York, serving on the Pennsylvania Department of Education Equity Task Force where she Chaired the Advocacy subcommittee and more efforts relating to social justice and equity at the local, state and national levels.
Dr. Bonilla-Rodriguez was recognized as a 2014 Coors Light Lideres finalist and is the recipient of numerous awards including a proclamation from the NYS Assembly, Proud to Be Latina Soy Poderosa award, GACLA recognition award, SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership award, and Latino Diamante Comunidad. Her published written accomplishments include the books Gender, Race and Ethnicity in the Workplace and Today’s Inspired Latina (Volume II), as well as contributing to the Huffington Post and being featured by several media outlets including NBC Latino, Chief Writing Wolf, and the Empowered Latinas series.
While, she is proud of her many accomplishments, she highlights her greatest as being the mother of thirteen-year-old twin boys, Caleb and Joshua. She resides in Pennsylvania with her boys and husband Robert. Her favorite quote is: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” (Newton).
Workshop Speakers
Courtnie Nein – Wealth Manager, Good Life Financial Advisors
Presenting: Reinventing Your “Meeting Personality”: Be the Leader at the Table
Courtnie Nein has been in the financial services industry since 2007. She is one of the original co-founders of Good Life Companies, a nationally known financial services company serving both financial advisors and middle American families nationwide. Courtnie was President of Good Life for over the past decade, but in 2022 she stepped away from her duties as President to follow her true passion as an independent financial planner. As an independent advisor, she has the freedom to explore a wide array of investment opportunities and strategies without being tied to any single institution’s products or services. This independence is key to her unique, personalized approach, ensuring that her clients’ best interests are always at the forefront of her planning.
Her progressive work mindset has earned her numerous awards and accolades such as 2019 and 2018 Top 10 for Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce Top Businesses, 2019 Wealth Management Thrive 500 List, 2019 and 2018 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, 2018 and 2017 Forbes Top Millennial Advisors and 2018 and 2017 Working Mother Top Wealth Adviser Moms. Courtnie was also recently featured in Forbes Magazine. Courtnie is an advocate for local nonprofit organizations and donates her time regularly. In 2022, Courtnie and partner raised $15,000 for Dancing with the Reading Stars. In 2023, she and partner raised over $10,000 for Opportunity House’s Wine, Women, & Shoes annual event and in 2024 will be Co-Chairing the category “Shoe Guys” with the goal to increase donations YOY.
Growing up on a Christmas tree farm in Bern Township, Courtnie learned the value of hard work, dedication, and the importance of nurturing growth—principles she applies to her financial planning practices today. This early exposure to the cycles of nature and business instilled in her a profound respect for sustainable growth and the dedication necessary to achieve long-term success.
Courtnie’s academic journey took her to Syracuse University, where she was awarded a full tuition scholarship for field hockey. At Syracuse, she pursued a degree in Marketing from the renowned Whitman School of Management. This background equipped her with a unique blend of analytical skills and creative thinking, enabling her to craft bespoke financial strategies for her clients.
For Courtnie, her greatest accomplishments are not found in the accolades of her career but the joys and challenges of raising her two sons Colt and Graham, and embracing her future stepson, James. Each of her boys brings a unique light into her life, with their individual personalities. She is very engaged with her children’s schools and is currently the President of the Schuylkill Valley Education Foundation while also offering personal finance classroom workshops for high school students. She also enjoys coaching and watching her boys’ soccer teams and participating as a volunteer at many of their school functions. For Courtnie, her family is her team, and together, they navigate the complexities of life with the same strategic planning, adaptability, and heart that she applies to her career. Courtnie enjoys living a physically active healthy lifestyle. She spends much of her free time working out and focusing on fitness.
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Ann Pehle – Past President AAUW Pennsylvania, HR Professional, & Certified Career Coach
Presenting: Know Your Worth: Exploring Pay Equity
Ann Pehle is a retired human resource professional with over 30 years of human resources executive experience in a wide range of firms, from family-owned businesses to a global Fortune 125 company. Specializing in talent management, her interests include recruitment and career planning. After retiring from Textron, she became a Certified Career Coach and helped clients navigate career transitions.
Ann joined AAUW in 2015 because of the organization’s advocacy on issues impacting women and girls in matters of economic security, education, workplace equity, and leadership. Becoming a facilitator for AAUW’s salary negotiation workshop (Work Smart) leveraged her facilitation skills and human resources knowledge. If you want to know why Pennsylvania‘s current equal pay law doesn’t protect you, ask her.
Since joining AAUW Carlisle, Ann served as Public Policy Chair for the branch and Public Policy Co-Chair for AAUW Pennsylvania. She served two terms as AAUW Carlisle President and AAUW Pennsylvania President. She continues to be active on committees for both organizations.
Ann is a Chicago native and the eldest of three girls. She attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is a proud Badger. She has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Her professional career allowed her the opportunity to work and live in Chicago, IL; Rockford, IL; Dayton, OH; New Orleans, LA; Charlotte, NC; and Providence, RI. She now enjoys retirement in Mechanicsburg, PA.
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Danielle Stewart – President & CEO, Paragon HR Consulting
Presenting: Conflict in the Workplace: Leading with Emotional Intelligence
Danielle Stewart has been providing a vast array of human resource solutions to organizations of all sizes and across multiple industries and geographic locations since founding Paragon Consulting Group over 16 years ago. Her experience in this multi-dimensional capacity has given her a unique expertise that provides Paragon clients with a highly valuable and effective perspective in resolving their human resources challenges.
Danielle’s experience includes supporting highly sensitive matters such as death and violence in the workplace, successfully addressing workplace culture issues, developing HR strategy to resolve organizational challenges, policy development, and creating and facilitating mentorship programs for individuals looking to build their skills or transition into the field of HR. She is a strong advocate for building workplace cultures that lead to operational and financial success for her clients. Danielle has built successful Human Resources Departments from the ground up and is also an expert in renovating existing departments to maximize efficiency. She is passionate about effectuating positive change and seeing her clients thrive, especially as it relates to their Human Resources functions.
Danielle has over eighteen years of comprehensive human resources leadership experience and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Corporate Leadership at Alvernia University, an ACBSP-accredited program. She holds an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources from Alvernia University and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Towson University, in Baltimore, Maryland. Danielle is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and she is a professional member of both the Institute for Management Consultants and the Society for Human Resources Management.
2024 Expo Vendors
Join us at the 2024 Expo! —> Click here for application
Who should attend?
Woman-owned businesses I Non-profits I W2W Sponsors