Past Events
Expand All Collapse All
Navigating Work Life Balance and Jewelry Pop Up Shop
Lindsey Leigh Hohlt, Founder of Lindsey Leigh Jewelry, what it is like starting a business being a female, balancing a family, the struggles of it all, basically anything and everything!
About Lindsey Leigh Hohlt:
Being a female in a male-dominant industry, Lindsey Leigh Hohlt wanted to set a new standard for custom jewelry design. The industry was in desperate need of an experience that's comfortable and relaxed, but also very chic and elevated. Breaking free of outdated jewelry practices, Lindsey created something fresh, new, and modern. So, in 2018, she launched Lindsey Leigh Jewelry (LLJ) in a duplex in Houston, TX, where both she and her husband lived and worked. Since LLJ's humble beginnings, Lindsey has persevered through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, laid roots in Houston with a brand-new headquarters, grown a team of expert jewelers, and expanded her collection to include elegant, everyday jewelry. Clients who start out with a one-time engagement purchase continually come back for an LLJ-spin on statement pieces, special keepsakes to memorialize milestones, and one-of-a-kind, custom classics. What set Lindsey up for entrepreneurial success: her background in fashion merchandising and business at LSU and her General Manager role at a local Houston jewelry boutique. Well, that, and a lot of grit and determination. While working at a previous employer, she put herself through Gemological Institute of America to receive her GIA certification. Family is everything to Lindsey, including her husband John, son Henry, daughter Lilly, the LLJ team, and their little ones who are frequently seen running around the showroom. Currently, she is involved in She Has Hope, an organization dedicated to restoring a life of hope to vulnerable girls and women in Asia and Africa. As part of She Has Hope, Lindsey has participated in several mission trips to Nepal to teach women how to make jewelry. Lindsey is a frequent public speaker, loves to spend time with her family at the lake, and her work has been featured in Houston Chronicle, Houston Business Journal, The New York Times, and Texas Weddings.
Details
Speaker
Topic
Sponsored By
Houston Market Overview
Jennifer Ostlind (Interim Director of the Planning & Development Department for the City of Houston) and Marsha Murray (Director at City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity) will provide a Houston market overview.
Jennifer Ostlind
Jennifer Ostlind is Interim Director of the City of Houston’s Planning and Development Department. With over 25 years of service to the city, she has contributed to many of the programs that make Houston a place people proudly call home. Her experience includes community engagement, neighborhood planning, transportation planning, demographic analysis, and administering the City’s platting, off street parking and site plan standards. She serves as Secretary for the Houston Planning Commission and Houston Archeological and Historic Commission. Jennifer earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Administration from Indiana University and the University of Pittsburgh respectively. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Marsha E. Murray
Marsha E. Murray, Esq., was appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner and confirmed by City Council to serve as the Director of the City of Houston’s Office of Business Opportunity (OBO) in April 2020, after having served as OBO’s Interim Director and Deputy Director. As Director, Ms. Murray is responsible for leading the City’s supplier diversity, workforce development, and inclusion efforts, with a focus on administering programs and initiatives that increase access to economic opportunity for historically underutilized businesses and disenfranchised individuals. Ms. Murray’s commitment to public service spans almost two decades. Prior to joining the City of Houston, she served as legal counsel to New York City’s government for 10 years.
Ms. Murray has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Spanish from Colgate University and a Law Degree from Villanova University School of Law.
Speaker
Topic
Sponsored By
Don't Let The Job Break You
Know about the legal issues you face and what you can do about them.
- Define stories related to sexual harassment, discrimination, hostile work environments that female executives face in the workplace
- Learn about what you can do about it
- Discuss why you should do something about it and the consequences of not doing so
- Learn about the importance of protecting your mental health through the legal rights available to you and the protections you are afforded
About Bridget Truxillo:
Overwhelmed and frustrated female executives can leverage Bridget’s 30 years of wellness, leadership, law enforcement, and legal training and experiences for a blueprint on how to feel more comfort, ease, and support for increased balance and joy in life. Bridget is passionate about helping powerful, successful, and hardworking women discover their ability to find happiness daily, regardless of the environment or circumstances surrounding them. Bridget is an attorney, former Deputy Sheriff (SWAT and undercover narcotics), and the founder and CEO of Protective Wellness and the Lady Law Shield Law Firm.
Speaker
Topic
Sponsored By
Membership Kick Off Happy Hour
Membership Kick Off Happy Hour
Tuesday, February 13th
4:00 - 7:00 PM
To be held at:
Kirby Ice House - Upper Kirby
3333 Eastside St
Houston, Texas 77098
Come out and join us for drinks and lite bites and learn more about becoming a member of WFE! Learn about our events that are scheduled for 2024 and the available committees that you could join. Do not forget to bring a friend, colleague, or prospect!
Houston Economic Update and Outlook
Jesse Thompson, Senior Business Economist at the Dallas Fed, Houston Branch will present on macroeconomic trends across regional industries and discuss what local economic data tell us about prospects for 2024.
About Jesse Thompson:
Jesse Thompson serves as senior business economist at the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Thompson, who joined the Bank in 2010, performs research and analysis on issues affecting the Houston and Gulf Coast economy. In particular, he studies issues surrounding area hydrocarbon industries. He also collects information for the Dallas Fed’s Beige Book summary of current economic conditions. He is author of the monthly Energy Indicators, the Houston Economic Indicators, and contributes to the quarterly publication Southwest Economy. Thompson earned an MA in economics, with emphasis on empirical microeconomics, and BA in philosophy and economics from the University of Houston.
Speaker
Topic
Sponsored By
Annual Business Meeting and Holiday Dinner
Tickets can no longer be purchased online. Please reach out to Kim Marek (kmarek@melton-melton.com) or Katie Price (kprice@bdo.com) with any questions.
Pickeball Charity Event
We welcome women AND men in the finance industry to support a great cause. 100% of the ticket sales will be donated to Ben Inizio and Dress for Success.
Details about this event:
3:00 - 3:30pm: Networking
3:30 - 4:00pm: Pickleball Clinic
4:00 - 5:00pm: Pickleball Session
Sponsored By
Women's Wellness
About Dr. Elyse Cho
Elyse is a certified nurse midwife, and has been serving women for the last 11 years. She has a Doctor of Nursing Practice with a specialization in nurse midwifery and women’s health from Baylor University. Elyse is certified in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. She strives to help all women, regardless of age or life stage, find a hormonal balance that allows them to have the best quality of life! She believes womanhood is a beautiful thing, and should be cherished.
Outside of work, Elyse has been blessed with two sweet babies, that she loves more than anything! Being a Mama is her favorite job of all. She likes to spend as much time as she can with family, baking all the things, beach time, and wouldn’t trade a good puppy or kitty snuggle for too much else. She is a Baylor Bear through and through, and grateful for the opportunity to be a participant in your care!
Speaker
Topic
Sponsored By
Houston Real Estate Market Overview & Investing Strategy
About Tiffany Kaileh:
As a native Houstonian, Broker and founder of The LaRose Kaileh Group, Tiffany Kaileh, loves Houston and all it has to offer. She has been in real estate for over 6 years in Houston, after leaving a prior career in Corporate America at several Fortune 500 companies. Tiffany loves the art of the deal and negotiating fiercely on behalf of her clients, but most importantly, she loves being a matchmaker of properties for her clients. Whether on the buying or selling side of representing her clients, she is so fulfilled by getting to be a part of whatever chapter of life her clients are going through. Whether growing their family, retiring and downsizing, investing, or whatever the need may be, Tiffany is a trusted real estate resource for many.
At The LaRose Kaileh Group, Tiffany and her team’s mission is to go above and beyond for their clients. The LRK Group is a full service, boutique real estate brokerage in Houston that represents a portfolio of luxury residential and commercial real estate listings. They strive to make each transaction seamless from end-to-end. They are extremely hands on and provide a concierge level of customer service. They are knowledgeable in all market areas of Houston and focus on the luxury market.
Tiffany knows what sells luxury properties and how to best market them for the highest possible price. She also knows how to help her clients on the buying side with all of the best resources and vendors to make sure they are doing all of their important due diligence on their purchase. Tiffany also works with many investors who look to build their real estate portfolios, both in commercial and residential properties.
Outside of work, Tiffany enjoys spending time with her husband and family, traveling, and volunteering for several Houston nonprofit organizations, including Hope Media Group, Homemade Hope, SkyHigh for Kids, and Dress for Success.
Speaker
Topic
Sponsored By
Duck Hunt
Registration for this event will close on Monday, August 14th. Register now!
Our Annual Duck Hunt is more than just a fashion show, it’s a great time for women in the finance industry to get together and network while learning the new trends in fashion and work attire. Join us for this popular event, enjoy light bites and drinks, and end the night with exclusive shopping! Bring your friends and business cards for this fun ladies night out!
$10 per ticket will be donated to our charity partners – Nerdy Girl Success and The Women's Resource.
We'd like to thank our sponsors of this event:
Title Sponsors
- Forvis
- Paylocity
Gift Bag Sponsor
- Crowe
General Sponsors
- BDO
- Human Interest
- Higginbotham
- Insgroup
Sponsored By
Summer Sizzle - Afternoon Tea Party
Join us for a lovely afternoon tea party and network with ladies dominating in the finance industry. Enjoy tea sandwiches, scones, treats, and don’t forget your tea hats! We look forward to seeing you at this event!
For all dietary restrictions, please email Christa Jaganath at christa.jaganath@crowe.com. We will do our best to accommodate your request or inform you if otherwise.
Sponsored By
Executive Communications: From Management to Leadership
Every company needs leaders – those who inspire others, create change in the company, elevate profitability and expand market share. But few managers understand the unique strengths needed to become such a leader. You’ve been an individual contributor until this point; now, you’ve been elevated to a new role. Suddenly old methods for interactions change. Expectations deepen. How can you develop the new strengths needed to be successful in your new role? During this hour-long, highly engaging session, we will learn about the Seven Seismic Shifts in Leadership, according to Harvard Business Review. We will also discuss the critical skills you will need to advance from tactical to strategic; from contributor to achiever; from manager to leader.
You will be involved in break-out discussions, where you’ll discuss the unique leadership styles that will help lead your company through change; what obstacles hold leaders back; how to lead the new team at the enterprise level; and how to develop a strategic mindset.
Once complete, you will have the strategies, tools and techniques to enhance your leadership potential.
About Marianne Gooch:
Marianne Gooch is the Founder and President of DynaComm LLC. She is a business communication and leadership coach, a management training consultant, and keynote speaker who also teaches executive education to business leaders at Bauer Business Executive Development program at the University of Houston.
For the past 35 years, she has led business transformation efforts for global companies with annual revenue of $50 million to over $30 billion during acquisitions/mergers, organizational change and reputational matters. She advises CEOS and business leaders in their responses to business-critical issues; provides counsel to leaders on their communication technique and delivery methods and ensures that a company’s message is clearly articulated and understood by all audiences.
During her career, Marianne helped companies navigate several high-profile, multi-year corporate issues and crises. Her corporate experience includes heading up communication efforts for Chevron Corporation, KBR, Inc., Parker Drilling, American General, and Service Corporation International
The value she brings to her clients is helping business leaders grow from being tactical thinkers to embracing a strategic mind-set.
Marianne has given keynotes addresses at business leadership meetings. She has also presented to numerous associations and at conferences on topics of leadership, women in business, and leadership communication. She has published articles in the Houston Business Journal and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal.
Marianne has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication and Rhetoric from the University of Houston and an Executive MBA in Global Leadership from C.T. Bauer College at the University of Houston.