Women in Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit
March 6, 2026
8:30 am - 2:20 pm
Leading With Agility, Purpose and Impact
The Office of Access and Community Connections at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business proudly presents the 11th annual Women in Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit.
The 2026 summit will focus on remaining agile and flexible in the professional world, as well as the best ways to maximize impact. Join us for a day of inspiration, connection and actionable strategies designed to empower leaders at every stage of their career journey.
What to Expect
This summit brings together industry experts, influential professionals and higher education leaders to explore the evolving business landscape. Through keynote presentations, breakout sessions and networking opportunities, attendees will gain practical insights on adapting to change, building resilience and creating meaningful impact in their organizations and communities.
Who Should Attend
Haslam’s Women in Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit is ideal for students and professionals at all career levels. From launching a startup, focusing on career advancement or leading organizational change, this summit offers the tools, connections and strategies needed for navigating uncertainty and amplifying influence.
Opening Keynote Speaker
Sheree Cain-Jones
Sheree Cain-Jones is a women’s advisor and relationship coach who helps high-functioning women set boundaries to reclaim their time, energy and money. She draws on her lived experience and professional training to teach practical strategies women can apply immediately to turn vision into action.
Cain-Jones is a speaker, former TEDx coach and creator of The Ps of Communicating with Presence and The Power Experience and has been featured in Stagetime with Darren LaCroix and the EquipHer Conference. Through actionable frameworks, she equips women to communicate boundaries with confidence, align relationships with purpose and move forward with intention.
Lunch Keynote Speaker
Lauren Beene
Lauren Beane is an acclaimed TEDx and Top 50 Female Speaker focused on helping audiences take steps to fulfilling their goals by offering tools and her personal stories so they can embrace and own their unique talents.
Too often, Beane found herself not acting toward her goals unless she had all the answers. In 2020, Beane grew tired of waiting until she felt ready to pursue new opportunities. After taking a leap and launching a consulting business, she is now on a mission to empower others to feel they are ready enough to live out the life they deserve.
Session Speakers
Donna Corlew
Donna Corlew is a marketing and business development leader who works with architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms nationwide to strengthen strategic vision, deepen client and partner relationships and help teams win profitable work. Grounded in research, collaboration and practical execution, her work focuses on aligning strategy with results.
With more than a decade of experience in the AEC sector, Corlew is committed to advancing women’s leadership in historically underrepresented industries. She is the co-founder of AEC Power Women in Nashville and a Certified Professional Services Marketer and Fellow. An active member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), she has served as society president and foundation trustee.
Angel Howard
Angel Howard is a certified somatic movement therapist, executive coach, retreat host and speaker with over 25 years of experience enhancing personal performance for business leaders, authors and entrepreneurs. She is the founder and CEO of WildHeart Expressive and creator of the somatic movement ChakraMental Method™.
Howard hosts the “Upshift” podcast, created the PBS show “Women Our Age” and wrote “Issues in Your Tissues.” Her new book, “What’s Messing with your Messages,” will be released in 2026. Howards professional background includes executive roles at Coca-Cola, Atlanta Financial Group and the Legacy Housing Foundation.
Ashley King
Ashley King is a senior lecturer in the Department of Accounting and Information Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in information management, business process analysis, databases and emerging technologies.
King’s instructional approach is informed by her doctoral training in learning, design and technology and has been recognized through multiple teaching awards at the college and university levels.
Prior to joining Haslam, King worked in public accounting as a senior auditor. Her professional experience continues to shape her teaching and curriculum development.
CortneyJo Sandidge
CortneyJo Sandidge is the chief strategy officer for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Center for Global Engagement, where she leads division-wide strategic planning, advances global learning initiatives and strengthens organizational practices that enhance UT’s global engagement efforts.
Across her 18+ years in higher education, Sandidge has guided transformative work in student success, leadership development and organizational culture. She is a certified CliftonStrengths coach and equips leaders to embrace their natural talents and cultivate cultures rooted in trust, accountability and collaboration. Outside her executive role, she is the founder of M.U.C.H. Woman Ministries and host of the “I Am M.U.C.H. Woman” podcast, platforms where she empowers women to live boldly grounded in faith, wisdom and resilience.
Register For The Event
Registration will end for this event on 2/25/26.
Registration has ended for this event.
Agenda
Friday, Mar. 06
8:30 - 9:15 am
Check-In
9:15 - 9:25 am
Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:25 - 9:50 am
Opening Presentation by International Programs and Study Abroad
Sara Easler, Students
Women’s Economic Empowerment in Vietnam
Sara Easler and Halsam students will share reflections from a service-based program in Vietnam, where they partnered with female artisans in the Mekong Delta to support social enterprise and women’s economic empowerment. Through hands-on engagement in rural communities and Ho Chi Minh City, students explored ethical supply chains, entrepreneurship and the power of business to create global impact.
Ballroom
9:55 - 10:55 am
Opening Keynote
Sheree Cain-Jones
FOCUS-Forward Leadership
FOCUS-Forward invites professionals in all areas of leadership to recognize that the personal tragedies they have been through do not disqualify them from creating a compelling vision for their life. Attendees will remember their "why," discover their goals, develop a leadership statement and will identify one step to get more FOCUSED.
Ballroom
11 - 11:50 am
Morning Session Options
Human First: Leading with Authenticity in an AI-Enhanced World
Donna Corlew | 262A/B
As AI tools become more embedded in business operations, it’s easy to get swept up in automation and efficiency. Leadership, however, still hinges on trust, empathy and human connection. This session will explore how to stay grounded in values, communicate with clarity and build relationships that thrive, even as technology evolves.
Rooted to Rise: Grounding Leadership to Stand Strong, Lead Clear and Grow with Integrity
CortneyJo Sandidge | 262C
Agility propels, but grounding endures. This session will explore the stability behind confident leadership, as well as how clarity, courage and meaningful growth flow from leaders who know who they are and what they stand for. Participants will leave with practical tools to build a leadership foundation that remains steady through pressure and change.
12 - 1 pm
Luncheon Keynote
Lauren Beane
Ready Enough: Activating Confidence with Only 50% Of the Answers
Professionals often delay action until they feel “ready enough” to seize an opportunity or take a leap. This keynote will challenge the illusion of readiness and demonstrate how confidence is built through action, not certainty. Beane will equip attendees with the mindset and strategies needed to pursue ambitious goals with conviction. The session will show that progress rarely comes from one dramatic change, but from a series of intentional steps and the decision to trust your own capability.
Ballroom
1:10 - 2 pm
Afternoon Session Options
Using AI to Reclaim Time and Cognitive Space in Business Leadership
Ashley King | 262A/B
Women in leadership often carry a disproportionate share of invisible labor. AI offers a powerful opportunity to reduce this cognitive burden when used intentionally and ethically.
This interactive session will focus on identifying high-effort, low-visibility tasks and exploring how AI can be used to support thinking, preparation and clarity rather than replace expertise. Participants will map their own work patterns and experiment with AI-assisted approaches that free time and mental energy for higher-impact leadership activities.
What’s Messing with Your Messages: The Art of Embodied Leadership and How to lead with Agility, Purpose and Impact
Angel Howard | 262C
Embodied communication moves beyond “power posing” to true alignment between message, presence and intent. While effective leaders inspire alignment, many women feel pressure to mask their natural style to fit traditional expectations, leading to burnout and disconnection. This session will introduce embodied leadership, a somatic and psychological approach that strengthens authentic presence and equips attendees with practical techniques for confident, impactful communication.
2:10 - 2:20 pm