On March 13, Bryant University welcomed more than 1,000 attendees to its 28th annual Women’s Summit®. This year's theme, Elevate Your Journey, celebrated women’s inner strength. 

“Remember, during the difficult times, that there is strength inside each of us and support from those around us,” said Bryant University’s Inge-Lise Ameer, Ed.D., vice president of student affairs, dean of students, and executive director of the Women’s Summit. “Elevate your journey and dig deep for all the great resiliency, gifts, courage, heart, and intelligence that I know you have inside of you.”  

Following Ameer’s welcome and thanks to Director of Student Case Management Kelly Boutin and Associate Director of Wellbeing and Nutrition Amy Webster, who played key roles in the planning and execution of the Women’s Summit, platinum sponsor Amica Insurance welcomed opening keynote speaker Scarlette Joyce Rojas to the stage. Rojas, a renowned speaker on financial empowerment, began her presentation by asking attendees if they were ready to dominate the money world. The response was thunderous. 

“We all have a financial thermostat, and that financial thermostat is set at a certain temperature. It's based on what you saw and heard as a child,” said Rojas. 

Rojas noted that beliefs about money, as well as our daily actions and feelings, all have an effect on one’s ability to generate wealth. Know what you make, spend, own, save, and want, she implored, and keep tabs on emotional patterns of spending to become the most financially successful version of yourself. 

Acknowledging the changemakers 

Following a series of morning breakout sessions, Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., addressed a lunchtime audience and referenced The Economist’s annual Glass Ceiling Index, which analyzes working conditions for women around the world. While significant progress has been made over the last few decades, he noted, there is still much work to be done. 

“We can and should be doing better for women. That’s why we are committed to expanding and further strengthening educational and career pathways for women at Bryant University,” said Gittell, who pointed out that the university’s women graduates earn more equitable wages than their peers across the nation, with a 4 percent wage gap, compared to the national average of above 15 percent. 

He also praised summit attendees for their role in helping to build a brighter future. “It is inspiring to stand before this gathering of strong leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers — women and allies who are shaping the future of organizations, industries, and communities,” said Gittell. 

Pamela Everhart, senior vice president and head of regional public affairs, inclusion, and impact at Fidelity Investments, was then honored as the recipient of the year’s Kati C. Machtley Businesswoman of the Year Award. 

"What drew me to Fidelity 30 years ago is its concern and focus on empowering women to build a secure financial future for themselves and their families,” said Everhart. “The work that I lead at Fidelity is even more impactful when we can partner with outstanding organizations such as Bryant University, which makes accepting this honor so special." 

She then acknowledged Kati Machtley herself, the summit’s founding director and the award’s presenter, for her work in creating the summit. Everhart also took a moment to address the area high school students in attendance. “You are our future leaders,” she reminded them. 

Transformation in the face of fear 

One of the biggest limits to our potential is fear, afternoon keynote speaker Michelle Poler told the audience — and its effects can be devastating. “You start dreaming of 150-foot yachts and, somewhere down the line, you settle for a kayak,” the entrepreneur, brand strategist, and author lamented.  

Throughout her high-energy presentation, which began with a reggaeton dance, Poler told the story of her 100 Days Without Fear project, through which she faced 100 of her greatest fears — from tarantulas to sky diving to public speaking to, yes, dancing in public. The project, she said, proved to be transformative, and taught her about our ability to transcend what we believe ourselves to be capable of.  

Poler encouraged the audience to confront, and overcome, their own fears, both personal and professional, and turn those moments into stepping stones. "The more we open ourselves up to what we fear, the more we allow growth to jump in, too,” she said. 

 
Breaking out, together 

In an afternoon breakout session, Bryant alum Aubrey Waz-Grant ’15 discussed how leadership starts with self-awareness and that your beliefs directly impact how you lead others.  

“You're setting that tone for your team, whether you are formally leading or not. Emotion is communicable and that means if I come into a room and I'm in a foul mood, at least some of you will catch it. Your assumptions will also guide how people perform because you will look for instances of confirmation bias that support what you already think about that person,” said Waz-Grant, who provided tips on addressing biases. 

Kirsty Beauchesne ’17, director of corporate partnerships for the Connecticut Sun, led her breakout audience through interactive exercises that helped them examine their current professional position and own their skillset, and begin to identify ways in which they could match their career with their passion, purpose, and potential. 

Beauchesne also shared her own career journey — which has taken her from Bryant to broadcast journalism to basketball — and the lessons she’d learned about finding opportunity in unexpected places. “I never knew the WNBA was going to be my dream job. I had barely watched a single game of basketball, but it aligns with everything that I really care about in a way that I didn't expect,” she reflected.” 

Bryant Management Professor Lori Coakley, Ph.D., led attendees through two dynamic discussions on women's leadership, a topic she covers in her long-standing “Women and Leadership” course at Bryant. The unifying theme? “We undersell our value,” Coakley emphasized. 

Alumni panelists Samantha Coakley ’19, Denae Monaco ’18, and Sarah Lanza ’17 urged attendees to leverage networks and build workplace relationships to overcome imposter syndrome early in their careers.  

Later in the day, Kelly Nevins, CEO of Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, encouraged mid-career professionals to hone their expertise and take strategic risks, saying, “Choose roles where you have the opportunity to learn and stretch.”  

Fit and Fresh CFO Marianne Caserta added, “Take that leap; take on what scares you.”