Among the most popular signature elements of the AWESOME Symposium have been the Up-Close Conversations – the opportunity to hear directly from women with truly extraordinary careers about how they advanced, how they encountered obstacles and overcame them, and how they view the future of women’s leadership.
At the 2017 Symposium, AWESOME is adding a new feature: “Out in Front.” In these presentations, accomplished, successful women with a wide range of experience will offer leading edge ideas and leadership insights.
Out in Front with Pat Mitchell, media industry leader
Pat Mitchell is President and CEO of Pat Mitchell Media and TEDWomen — Curator, Host and Executive Director. She is known for her leadership in the media industry as a CEO, producer and curator. Her career has focused on using media as a force for social change, with an emphasis on the representation of women’s stories.
Pat is the former president of CNN Productions, where she executive-produced programs that have received 35 Emmy Awards and five Peabody Awards. In 2000, she became the first woman president and CEO of PBS. She also served as president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media. In 2011, she partnered with TEDTalks to co-curate the TEDWomen global conference, which will be held this year in New Orleans on November 1st – 3rd.
Pat is especially proud to have been recognized by The Women’s Media Center with its first Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Since then, the “Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award” is given annually to women for advancing women through media. Pat also advises foundations and corporations on women’s empowerment issues and leadership development as well as media relations and governance.
Up-Close Conversation with Ellen Kullman
AWESOME’s Fifth Anniversary will feature an Up-Close Conversation with Ellen Kullman, who served as Chair of the Board of Directors and CEO of DuPont from 2009 to 2015. Among her accomplishments during her seven-year tenure as CEO, Ellen positioned the company for its next generation of growth and championed the power of DuPont science and market knowledge to change industries. That included developing a plan to transform DuPont by moving out of commoditized businesses and establishing it as a premier, market-driven science company. She was the 19th chief executive and the first woman named CEO in the company’s 212-year-history.
Ellen’s perspective on leadership also includes her experience on major corporate boards, including United Technologies Corporation, Dell Technologies, Amgen, Goldman Sachs and Carbon3D. She is a strong proponent of improving STEM opportunities for students in grades K-12 and recently was named a co-chair of Paradigm for Parity, a coalition of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members, and business academics dedicated to addressing the corporate leadership gender gap.
Leading the conversations with Ellen Kullman will be Donna Zarcone, President & CEO, The Economic Club of Chicago.
Out in Front with Trish Lukasik, Chief Operating Officer, SpotHero
After two decades of leadership achievements with companies such as Pepsico, Proctor & Gamble, and Coca-Cola, Trish Lukasik made the bold move to become COO of SpotHero. Her focus is on accelerating the growth of SpotHero’s parking marketplace and applying her expertise in leveraging talent to the increasingly diverse transportation space.
Trish most recently served as the Chief Customer Officer for a $10 billion division of PepsiCo with a brand portfolio including Gatorade, Tropicana, Naked Juice, IZZE sparkling beverages and Quaker Foods and Snacks.
SpotHero was launched in 2011 and has become the nation’s leading parking reservation service, as measured by cars parked, parking facilities, and app downloads.