JUNE 18, 2025

Ticket sales end June 12, 2025

🎟️🎟️

Ticket sales end June 12, 2025 🎟️🎟️

EMPOWERING WOMEN. ELEVATING LEADERSHIP.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Quest Conference Center - Polaris

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Founded to Inspire. Built to Empower.

The Columbus Women’s Leadership Conference is where Central Ohio’s most driven women gather to learn, connect, and grow.

Whether you’re a rising leader, established entrepreneur, or pivoting toward your next chapter—you’ll
walk away with strategies, connections, and clarity to lead with purpose.

What to Expect:

Incredible Keynote Speakers & Breakout Sessions

Engage with a diverse lineup of speakers who bring actionable insights and innovative strategies to elevate your professional prowess.

Networking Opportunities

Connect with 300+ dynamic and influential women leaders from various sectors across Ohio, creating a network that supports professional and personal growth.

 

Empowering Energy

Leave the conference feeling energized and empowered, equipped with new knowledge and insights to achieve your next career milestone.

 

 2025 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

JUDY CARTER

Stress Is a Laughing Matter: Turn Your Mess into Success

You may have seen Judy Carter on your TV — she’s made over 100 appearances as a standup and starred in four HBO comedy specials. But as an author, she doesn’t like to brag… well, maybe a little. After all, she did write the Bible. No joke, Judy is the author of The New Comedy Bible, a powerful guide that even had Oprah asking, "Can you teach people to be funny?" Spoiler alert: The answer is yes.

 

Judy’s insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, and NPR, where they all ask the same burning question: "How can we stress less and laugh more?" Her answer is simple: laugh at your stress before it laughs at you. Known for her engaging blend of humor and insight, Judy is a motivational humorist speaking at Fortune 500 companies as well as the less fortunate.

 

With a style that unites people through laughter, Judy Carter is here to remind us that humor is not just a coping tool; it’s a superpower.

If you’ve been feeling burned out, overwhelmed, or stuck in the chaos of building your business — help is on the way (and it comes with punchlines). In this hilarious and transformative keynote created for women in business, comedy legend and bestselling author Judy Carter reveals how to turn life’s messes into successes — and stress into your greatest asset.

You may have seen Judy on HBO, Comedy Central, or read her bestselling books The New Comedy Bible and The Message of You. Her TEDx talk explores how your journey from mess to success forms your essential life message — a message you can use to lead, inspire, and grow your business with authenticity and humor.

This isn’t about pretending everything’s fine — it’s about finding the funny in what isn’t, and using it to build connection, confidence, and leadership presence. Judy shows how humor isn’t just a coping tool — it’s a business strategy and a superpower.

You’ll laugh. You’ll learn. You’ll leave with tools to:

  • Use humor to connect with clients, teams, and audiences

  • Turn stressful moments into unforgettable messages

  • Identify your personal "Message of You" to lead with purpose and impact

Get ready to own your story, lighten your load, and laugh your way to success.

Are you ready?

 

2025 BREAKFAST SPEAKER

LUBNA NAJJAR

Unapologetically You: Owning Your Authentic Power in Life and Business

In this empowering morning keynote, you will be inspired to embrace who you truly are, lean into your strengths, and build authentic personal and professional brands. Through real stories and hard-earned lessons from her journey as a fashion entrepreneur and business strategist, Lubna will show you why authenticity is the foundation of confident leadership and lasting success.

You will walk away with practical strategies to silence self-doubt, break free from societal expectations, and confidently own your unique value. Get ready to feel motivated, emotionally connected, and fully equipped to step into your power purpose and unapologetic confidence.

Lubna Najjar is a dynamic entrepreneur, fashion visionary, and business strategist with over 15 years of experience in brand development. As the founder of IL Moda Brands since 2012, she has successfully launched and scaled national fashion labels, including Lubna Designs and Her Denim, which have gained recognition for their innovation and commitment to quality. With a strong background in fashion branding, Lubna has guided emerging and established brands in navigating the complexities of the industry, offering expertise in manufacturing, sustainable brand growth, and consumer engagement. Through her University Textbook and her National Podcast, she continues to empower businesses with the tools and strategies needed to build authentic, purpose-driven brands. Lubna’s expertise delves into the intersection of sustainability, marketing, and consumer behavior. She is also leading a national initiative to unite fashion organizations and strengthen the industry’s ecosystem, the National Fashion Alliance. A sought-after speaker, Lubna brings thought-provoking insights on leadership, brand authenticity, and the evolving fashion landscape.

“The women that come to the Women’s Leadership Conference are what make the day so special. It’s all levels of business and all levels of experience, and everyone is here to learn, network, and create authentic relationships. ”
— Lubna Najjar

Closing Session

The Modern C-Suite

A look behind the curtain at leadership, legacy, and what it takes to thrive at the top.

 

Jill Frey is a trailblazing leader in facilities services as CEO of Cummins Facility Services, a national, independent, 100% women-owned company in Central Ohio. As a second-generation CEO, she’s transformed the family business founded in 1972 into a pioneer of smart building innovation, championing sustainability, data-driven solutions, and cutting-edge technology.

Beyond leading CFS, Jill founded four ventures shaping the built environment: FacilityGenius (real-time sensor platform), FacilityInsites (tech-integration consulting), and serves as Chairwoman of Facility Data Standard, uniting industry leaders around standardized, actionable building data. She’s implemented AI, sensor-based tracking, and indoor air quality technology to bring transparency and real-time insights to clients.

As a sought-after speaker at Interclean and ISSA, Jill champions women’s leadership and advocates for data-driven smart cleaning. When she’s not revolutionizing an industry, she’s exploring the world and dreaming up her next big idea.

Jill Frey

CEO, Cummins Facility Services

Shannon TL Isom, named President and CEO of Community Shelter Board in 2023, has a twenty-year track record leading strategic teams and is deeply connected to continuums of care for communities of color, especially focused on social determinants, intersectionality, gender, and race. She has expertise in science, public health, non-profit management, medicine, and business. During her nine-year tenure as President and CEO of YWCA Dayton, Shannon increased the operational budget by 196%. She secured the first $1M biennial appropriation for the Ohio Council of YWCA.

Shannon Isom

CEO, Community Shelter Board

Jenny brings 40 years of community banking experience to FCBank, maintaining a customer-centric philosophy that emphasizes superior service, tailored solutions, and meaningful community engagement. A graduate of The Ohio State University, she has established herself as a distinguished leader in both banking and civic circles and is a national speaker.

Her extensive leadership portfolio includes serving as Chairwoman for the Worthington Resource Pantry and the Ohio Bankers League, along with prominent roles in the Worthington Chamber of Commerce and Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Jenny is actively involved in the Worthington School District and has been honored as a Worthington Leadership for a Lifetime Honoree.

Her accolades include multiple SMART 50 Awards, CEO of the Year by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Exceptional Women in Banking Award from the Ohio Bankers League, WELDing the Way Calendar Honoree, and the Paul Harris Fellows Community Service Award. Under Jenny's leadership, FCBank has earned the Corporate Citizenship Award four times, the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Ethics, and was named Vanguard Honoree by Columbus Business First.

Jenny Saunders

President, FCBank