You, Inc. – Why taking time to invest in you is just good for business.

68% of us would rather talk about our weight than money. If we overcome that barrier, we can go places. In this breakout session with one of the leading women in finance, you’ll learn more about charting your own path as a woman in business and why your money matters.

Kim Sponem, the CEO of Summit Credit Union, a $3.2 billion organization with 181,000 members and 590 employees across 36 locations, will be speaking at WEDWisconsin. In addition to being one of the leading women in finance in the country, she is also the co-founder of STAR Credit Union, a credit union for kids offering hands-on learning about money and business.

Summit supports women in business. They support our future. They support our families and communities. Kim Sponem is a remarkable leader and she will be one of the leading women sharing their stories to guide you with yours at WEDWisconsin.

Dr. Raj's presentation takes a deep dive into stress in the modern world, survival biology, applied neuroscience, and social, behavioral, and cognitive psychology. All of this can be applied to your life in a new way to help you lead like never before.

Dr. Raj is a practicing physician. He was raised in Milwaukee, WI, graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1992, and completed a medical residency in Anesthesiology/Critical Care at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Raj received a National Institute of Health Scientist Training Grant where he acquired a Master’s Degree in clinical research as he was trained as a clinical scientist and designed and conducted medical research. He is also a healthcare leader and was recruited to run and build several medical departments in a variety of hospitals and healthcare systems. Dr Raj has spent nearly 30 years cataloging, practicing, teaching, and helping people integrate the latest knowledge from the realms of medical, social, and neuroscience into their lives.

Have you ever thought about yourself as a character in a story? What have you had to overcome to be where you are? Where is the character in your story going in the next chapter of your life? Learn how to put the power of story to work for you and your brand.

Laura is a visionary business and community leader with expertise in entrepreneurship, marketing, public relations, digital media and leadership. She is also one of 75 women in Wisconsin to be recognized by the Governor as a Trailblazer in Wisconsin. She is also the Regional Ambassador for WED North America representing the United States of America. As the founder and leader of The Creative Company, a full service public relations and web development agency she founded more than 25 years ago, she has led numerous campaigns for both local and national brands winning many awards along the way including a Gold Award for "Best Ad Agency in Wisconsin" by the readers of Corporate Report Wisconsin.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million tax-exempt organizations in the United States. Funding and sustainability remain among the top challenges for nonprofit organizations. In this session, you will learn what to consider before diving in, what works and what doesn’t in terms of fund development and which tools they are using to track outcomes and impact.

Lisa is an Educator, Social Entrepreneur, Non-profit leader, Women’s Health Advocate, and change agent whose work and service over the last 20 years has spanned the PreK through 16 education spectrum; merged the fields of education, human services, business, community and youth empowerment, and advocacy; and has included extensive leadership experience as a Manager and Administrator. Over the past 10 years, her work has expanded to include health advocacy with a particular emphasis on combating health disparities impacting African American women and their communities.

Through Allison's presentation, you’ll get the practical tools you need to move forward in your life. You’ll understand some of the reasons you may feel stuck and how to break through them. You’ll be equipped, energized, and ready to create massive success in your life through practicing the art of imperfect action!

Allison provides clients massive results, strategic vision, and creative solutions to their challenges. She is an award-winning entrepreneur and a best selling author that teaches from experience on how to build sustainable businesses. She is a leadership expert on change and communication that knows how to engage teams to move forward quickly and get massive results. Allison has spoken at companies in the TOP 15 on the Fortune 500 and many other Fortune 500 Companies. She speaks at many State and National conferences.

According to the Kauffmann Foundation, the average cost of starting a new business is about $30,000. As a business grows, it needs additional influxes of capital. In this session, you’ll learn about various funding routes including SBA loans, angel investors, venture capital and more to take your business to the next level.

As a former attorney-turned entrepreneur, Chandra has a wide set of varying leadership skills including legal, public policy development and implementation, pre-ideation and emerging company business development strategy, community building, charitable organization inception and management, and fundraising. At StartingBlock Madison, she gets to engage in her passion to help cultivate entrepreneurs, accelerate startup growth and drive innovation.

Mary's keynote address will be about the importance of remaining agile, creative and brave. In this keynote address, you will learn the tools and principles for innovative thinking and why seeing your work as an experiment on the way to a solution is essential.

After 20 years in business, Mary left the corporate world to use her talents and energy to try to make the world a little better place. She focused on improving educational opportunities for students at-risk by co-founding the AVID/TOPS partnership between the Madison Metropolitan School District and the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County. Along the way, Mary was unexpectedly drawn into politics, serving as Secretary of Commerce for the state of Wisconsin and in 2014 running for governor of Wisconsin. She lost that race but the experience changed her life and inspired her to start Building Brave.

Save $20 now! Early bird rates will go up on October 15th!

*Please note we sold out last year and may again.

Please contact The Creative Company event organizer, Kirstie Warren, or WEDWisconsin Ambassador and Producer, Laura Gallagher by calling (608) 442-6336 (between 8am-4:30pm) to showcase your company at WEDWisconsin. There are swag bag opportunities for both large and small swag! Product must be Wisconsin made and preferably by a female entrepreneur. A jury panel will decide what gets to go in the bag for WEDWisconsin attendees! 

Laura Gallagher

Kirstie Warren