The Office of Access and Community Connections (OACC) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business hosted its 10th annual Women in Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit on March 7. With the theme of “Embrace Change, Empower Resilience,” the 2025 summit focused on reframing uncertainty as an opportunity for growth.
Open to all Haslam faculty, staff and students, the annual summit enriches the college community by bringing together attendees with female business leaders from multiple industries to share inspiring stories, practical business advice and various perspectives on leadership and the professional world, all on the UT campus.
Encouraging Accounts of Leadership and Entrepreneurial Journeys
The 2025 summit opened with welcoming remarks from Stephen L. Mangum, Haslam’s dean and Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair, and Javiette Samuel, UT associate vice chancellor and executive director of community engagement and outreach. Mangum reminded all attendees of their power as leaders regardless of job title. “Leadership is not a function of position; the power of your example is an act of leadership,” he said. Samuel echoed Mangum’s remarks, calling the summit a chance to elevate, celebrate and illuminate all things leadership.
Sara Easler, Haslam assistant dean for international programs and partnerships, later introduced students who traveled to Vietnam as part of the college’s first study abroad service-learning project. While in the nation, students collaborated with Mekong Quilts, a business supporting female artisans in disadvantaged areas. Proceeds from the business fund the artisan community, micro-financing, scholarships and education. The project broadened students’ understanding of social enterprise and international business, and summit attendees were gifted patchwork tote bags made by the artisans.
Opening keynote speaker Tia Konzer chronicled her journey from a medical student to an uncertain doctor questioning her path before ultimately finding her calling as a mental health expert in the world of professional sports. Now the mental health consultant for NASCAR’s Medical Liaison Unit, Konzer shared that failure was part of the journey toward her dream career, not a hindrance to it. “Failure is not the opposite of success,” she said. “It is part of the process.”
Nona Jones: Building Resilience, Igniting Growth
During the summit’s lunch, attendees gathered for a keynote address from Nona Jones, author, speaker and YouVersion’s global ambassador.
Jones’ talk took the Haslam audience on an odyssey through her life — from childhood to her leadership at Meta and her early days as a professional speaker. She focused on the concept of being “beyond fireproof” — building resilience not just to withstand challenges, but to adapt, grow and thrive in the face of adversity. “Everyone wants to be resilient, but few people want to build resilience,” she said, encouraging all attendees to cultivate this resilience, while explaining that it can only be done when pushing beyond comfort.
Jones conveyed her excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to address summit attendees, saying, “This is a room full of power and potential. It is an honor to be able to ignite that growth.”
Guiding Participants to Embrace Perseverance, Nurture Adaptability and More
The Women in Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit included two breakout periods, each offering attendees a choice of three individual sessions.
The first period featured three speakers. Dionna Widder, chief revenue officer with the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena, used her session to equip attendees with strategies to reframe failures as learning opportunities and cultivate growth through perseverance. Claudia Caballero, president and CEO of Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, delivered a presentation on mastering change, embracing growth and building a strong support network to define and achieve personal success. Marianne Wanamaker, dean of the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, led a workshop on imposter syndrome, in which a person suffers from nagging self-doubt despite evidence of accomplishments, guiding attendees on how to identify and overcome it.
During the second breakout period, portrait photographer and speaker Jasmine Newton gave a talk on resilience, emphasizing the role of boundaries in protecting well-being through stories, strategies and interactive reflection. Catherine Porth, founder and executive director of the non-profit Let Her Speak, spoke in her workshop on confidence and resilience, exploring self-trust, authentic leadership and building a supportive community. Breanna Hale, executive director of UT’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and public relations firm owner Cortney Piper led a session on embracing change, sharing insights on navigating uncertainty, fostering collaboration and building resilience in dynamic environments.
A Decade of Empowering Women to Attain Success in Business
Nayasha Farrior, summit organizer and OACC assistant director for academic support and partnerships, called this year’s summit a resounding success. “As in previous years, we assembled an exceptional lineup, with one attendee telling me the event truly reflected the decade milestone,” she said. “I sincerely thank the planning committee, the UT Office of Community Engagement and Outreach and Haslam’s OACC for their invaluable contributions to the summit.”
Next year’s leadership summit is set for March 6, 2026.
CONTACT
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Leah McAmis, senior editor, leah@utk.edu
Benefits, membership, attendance, and all events associated with programming for faculty, staff, community groups, and high school and prospective students are open to all members of the aforementioned communities. All audiences receive equal consideration by the college and the university.
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