SMITHFIELD, RI – Three distinguished business leaders will be recognized for leadership excellence at the Bryant University Women’s Summit^® on June 16.

Established in 1997, the Bryant University Women’s Summit^® is the largest and longest-running conference for women in Rhode Island and the region and has sold out every year since its inception. This year's event, focused on the theme of resilience and growth, will be delivered via a multi-feature virtual format designed to make the inspiring and empowering content accessible for a wider audience at every career level, from students to the C-suite. More information and registration details are available at https://wsummit.bryant.edu/.

Kati Machtley Businesswoman of the Year Award

Bryony Bouyer ’90 MBA, Senior Vice President, Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural strategies at Hasbro, will receive the Kati Machtley Businesswoman of the Year Award. An annual tradition at Women’s Summit for 15 years, this distinguished award is named for recently retired Women’s Summit co-founder and director for 23 years Kati Machtley, and recognizes the highest level of excellence in business leadership.

Inaugural Bryant University “Women Who Lead” Awards

Bryant University will also recognize two highly accomplished leaders with the "Women who Lead" Award, a new award established in 2021 that recognizes women leaders who demonstrate leadership, excellence and pursuit of growth and improvement; advocate for and actively develop others; champion diversity equity and inclusion, and are innovators who creatively challenge the status quo.

Kim Anderson, entrepreneur and Creator and Co-Founder of PLANT CITY in Providence, RI, and Brenda Galgano '91, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Perdue Farms, Inc., headquartered in Salisbury, MD, are the inaugural Women Who Lead award recipients.

More about the honorees

Bryony Bouyer ‘90MBA, Senior Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion and Multicultural strategies, Hasbro

Bryony Bouyer leads Hasbro’s Global Diversity and Inclusion initiatives to foster a more diverse workforce while ensuring that the company derives incremental growth from the Multi-cultural consumer. Boyer was appointed to this role in 2018 and has led the execution of the company’s first-ever performance-based diversity and inclusion goals. Bouyer began her Hasbro career in 1995, serving in a variety of roles on the Global Brand and Global Consumer Products team. She developed and drove the global licensing strategy for all of Hasbro’s iconic brands, including My Little Pony and Transformers. Her leadership led to expansion into more 70 than countries to deliver over $12 billion in retail sales since 2014. Bouyer currently serves on the board of the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and is a Trustee for the Community College of Rhode Island. Bouyer received her BS in marketing and Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and and earned an MBA at Bryant University.

Kim Anderson, Creator and Co-Founder PLANT CITY, PLANT CITY X

A successful retailer and business leader for more than 35 years, Kim Anderson created and co-founded PLANT CITY, the world’s first plant-based food hall and marketplace in 2019. Anderson worked with celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to show that food systems can be sustainable and delicious. In January 2021 she opened PLANT CITY X, the northeast’s first plant-based drive-thru in Middletown, RI. Anderson and her family are impact investors against climate crisis, specifically with an interest in plant-based foods as a critically needed alternative to animal agriculture. After beginning her career working in management for retailers Jordan Marsh and Macy’s, Anderson and her 15-year-old daughter co-founded Ava Anderson Non-Toxic, the safest full line of personal care and home cleaning products, sold via direct sales. In six years, the company reached a $60M run rate, was honored by Inc., Fortune, and Entrepreneur, before being sold in August 2016. Anderson serves as a board member of Lincoln School and Social Enterprise Greenhouse, a judge for Rhode Island Business Competition, and mentors many socially responsible entrepreneurs.

Brenda Galgano ’91, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Perdue Farms, Inc.

Brenda Galgano is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Perdue Farms Inc., and is responsible for all financial aspects of the company, including financial planning and analysis, accounting and financial reporting, tax strategy and risk management. She also leads information technology, strategy and corporate development.

A Certified Public Accountant with close to 30 years of diverse business experience, Galgano started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers serving for eight years in Audit and Business Advisory Services across various industries. She moved served in a number of corporate finance roles including as Chief Financial Officer of major retail brands including the Vitamin Shoppe and the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company.  Prior to her move to Maryland to take the post at Perdue in 2018, Galgano served on the Advisory Board of the Rutgers University Business School of Finance and Economics and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Brand of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Galgano graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Bryant University.

Past Women's Summit Businesswoman of the Year Award winners

• 2020: Kim Keck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island 
• 2019: Marie Ghazal, CEO of Rhode Island Free Clinic
• 2018: Suzanne Bates, CEO of Bates, a Wellesley-based global leadership development firm
• 2017: Katryn “Trynka” Shineman, CEO of Vistaprint
• 2016: Colette Smith A. M. Phillips, president and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications
• 2015: Martha Sullivan, president and CEO of Sensata Technologies
• 2014: Cheryl Merchant, president and CEO of Hope Global
• 2013: Karen Kaplan, president and CEO of Hill Holiday
• 2012: Navyn Salem, founder and CEO of Edesia
• 2011: Constance Howes, former president and CEO of Women and Infants Hospital
• 2010: Maryanne Cataldo, former CEO and founder of City Lights Electrical Co.
• 2009: Cheryl Watkins Sneed (1958-2018), president and CEO of Banneker Industries
• 2008: Merrill Sherman, former president and CEO of Bankcorp Rhode Island and Bank Rhode Island
• 2007: Cheryl LaFleur, former Acting CEO for National Grid U.S. Energy Distribution
• 2006: Kathleen Hittner, M.D., former president and CEO of Miriam Hospital, educator and clinician

Keynote speakers for Women’s Summit 2021: Resilience and Growth

Women’s Summit 2021 offers a powerful slate of presentations, workshops, and keynote speakers who will offer valuable perspectives on leadership, perseverance, and success.

• Angela Duckworth – Founder and CEO, CharacterLab; Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor, University of Pennsylvania; and author of the New York Times bestseller, “Grit”

• Amy C. Edmondson, Ph.D., Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, acclaimed psychologist, author, and one of the world’s top management thinkers

• Jody Hoffer Gittell, Ph.D., Author and Professor at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management; originator of Relational Coordination Theory and Executive Director of the Relational Coordination Research Collaborative

• Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a fund dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT; and author of “It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage.”

In addition to accomplished keynote speakers, the 2021 Bryant Women’s Summit will feature breakout sessions and panel discussions led by engaging presenters who are industry leaders and Bryant faculty experts in their fields. More information at https://wsummit.bryant.edu/.