Diane C. Creel
Chairman, President, and CEO, Ecovation
“Separating the Leaders from the Managers”

Diane C. Creel is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Ecovation, Inc. Ecovation is a waste stream technology company using patented technologies, headquartered in Victor, New York. Ms Creel joined Ecovation in May of 2003 to lead the growth of the company. Prior to Ecovation, Ms Creel was chief executive officer and president of Earth Tech, an international consulting engineering firm headquartered in Long Beach, California. After becoming CEO in January 1992, the company’s revenues grew from $50M to $1.6 billion including 21 acquisitions. Ms. Creel currently serves as a corporate Director of Allegheny Technologies Inc., Teledyne Technologies, the American Funds of Capital Research Management, Foster Wheeler Inc, and Goodrich Corporation. Ms. Creel holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in journalism from the University of South Carolina, and she was named the Most Outstanding Alumni of the College of Journalism. Ms. Creel will be discussing separating the Leaders from the Managers and the extra effort required to be considered for leadership positions. Is there still a glass ceiling? If so, how do you get through it without killing yourself? Having survived with only a few concussions, Diane Creel will speak to you from thirty-three years of experience in a male dominated profession including being the first woman CEO in the United States of a publicly held engineering firm.

Leslie Yerkes
President and CEO, Catalyst Consulting
"Four Principles for Running Your Business and Life in Good Times or Bad"

Leslie is a paradox. She is a fountain of ideas, but concerned with the smallest detail. Her comfort for risk taking is extreme yet, regarding her role in life and her concern for others, she is overly responsible. She is a voracious learner and places a high value on her own journey of discovery. Leslie earned her Master of Science in Organizational Development at Case Western Reserve University after graduating cum laude from Wittenberg University with a Bachelor of Arts. She founded Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc. in 1987. Her job is to provide a framework in which people can draw on their own inner resources to find creative solutions. Leslie is co-author of the bestselling 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work and the author of Fun Works: Creating Places Where People Love to Work. Leslie’s third book entitled Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad was published in 2003. She will deliver a meaningful message about the core of a good business — honor your customers, trust your employees, and build passion around your product. These universal principles are the blueprint for creating a better business in any industry.

Annette Taddeo
President and CEO, Language Speak
“There’s Nothing Minor About Me: Creating Opportunities for Business Success.”

Annette Taddeo is President and CEO of LanguageSpeak, a comprehensive language-services company that provides translation, interpretation, and training services to help businesses compete and excel in the global marketplace. As a successful, nationally certified Woman- and Hispanic-owned business enterprise, Taddeo has earned numerous awards and accolades. She shares her expertise in the areas of international business development, women-owned businesses, and networking fields. Ms. Taddeo will discuss how women and minorities are shaping the future of American business. She will present tips for building relationships through active participation and leadership roles in business and civic organizations, leveraging minority status to create new business opportunities, and providing services and expertise that turn those opportunities into long-term business successes.

Marilyn Tang
President, Certified Handling Systems
“Stick Your Neck Out & Make a Difference for You and the World”

Recently referred to as the “Grand Dame of Women Business Owners”, Marilyn is the founder and President of Certified Handling Systems, a distributor in materials handling and storage equipment. In 1967, Marilyn found herself divorced and unemployed with a son to support. What started out in one small office, Certified Handling Systems soon grew to beyond her wildest dreams. Ms. Tang is believed to be the first woman-owned business in the United States in the industrial field of materials handling & storage equipment --- a traditionally male-dominated field. CHS now has annual sales of over 6 million. As a woman, Marilyn has overcome challenges on the way to her success, from not receiving a business loan because she didn’t have a husband to co-sign, to being shunned by professional associates. Ms. Tang has received numerous honors and accolades including: Women to Watch, 30 Women Risk Takers Award, Pathfinder Award, 1 of 9 Outstanding Utah Women of the 20th Century, and Women Business Owner of the Year. She will be discussing how to have fun and be a success too! As Marilyn says, “You may have to stick your neck out to get what you want.”

Lori Chillingworth
Senior VP/Manager, Zion’s Bank Women’s Financial Group
“Smart Women, Smart Money”

Lori Chillingworth, Senior Vice President of Zions Bank, has been the manager of the Women’s Financial Group since it was created in 1997. Dedicated to helping women achieve financial goals, the Women’s Financial Group has been recognized nationally as the U.S. Small Business Administration Women in Business Advocate of the Year. Lori has nearly 20 years of banking experience, having also worked for Key Bank as a commercial loan officer and SBA relationship manager. She graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School of the University of Washington. Active in the community, she is the past president of the board of trustees for The Family Counseling Center, a non-profit United Way Agency; and past chair of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce – Business Women’s Forum. Lori will be addressing such issues as, Do you know where your money goes? Are you spending your money on the things that matter most to you? What have you done to fulfill your dreams? Life’s vital questions are addressed during this energetic and motivational presentation. You’ll discover how important it is to work through your personal financial planning process. Learn practical tips on saving, setting goals, and funding your dreams. Regardless of your financial circumstances, you’ll walk away feeling empowered and “fiscally fit.”

Crystal Call Maggelet
Managing Director, Crystal Inns
“Balancing Career and Family : A Work in Progress”

Crystal Maggelet founded Crystal Inns and along with her husband now manages 14 hotels that they like to say are INconveniently located from coast to coast. She has four children ages 4–9. She has lived the majority of her life in Utah except when she left to pursue a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University in Marketing and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has served on the Board of Directors of her father’s company Flying J for 15 years and with her fathers death has taken a more active role in the direction of Flying J. In her free time she enjoys running, skiing, and spending time with her family. Ms. Maggelet’s presentation will focus on her experience and history as a businesswoman, wife, and mother. She will share what she has learned about being there for her family while furthering her career. Ms. Maggelet’s objective will be to leave the audience with a few ideas and insights that they can apply in their own life.

Jane DiRenzo Pigott
Managing Director, R3 Group LLC
“Effective Self-Promotion for Women Professionals”

Ms. Pigott practiced law for 22 years, most recently at one of the ten largest global law firms where she was the first female equity partner, first female department head and first women on the firm’s Compensation and Executive Committees. While at this firm, she created and ran the firm’s Diversity Initiative. Her measured and sustained success enabled the firm to win coveted inclusion awards and become an employer of choice for women and attorneys of color. She began her own business two years ago and specializes in leadership, change, and inclusion consulting. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, top 20 law firms, the Big 4 accounting firms, and top 20 universities. Jane will discuss how women are socialized not to expect or demand the acknowledgement that accompanies the same type of success for men. This session provides specific self-promotion strategies and tactics for women professionals that they can implement immediately in their professional lives.