Women's Fresh Perspectives Conference Schedule

Sunday, April 13, 2025

3:30 PM - 4:25 PM

Welcome & Networking Activity

Together We Grow is more than just this year’s conference theme—it’s a shared commitment to not only drive change but to take action. We’re kicking off the conference with a fresh perspective on the one thing we all need to grow: courage.

Join Melissa J. Nixon, Founder & CEO, The Courage Company, as she shares how to network and navigate this year’s conference by showing up as your most courageous self. Every attendee walks in with a story—our goal is for you to walk out with the courage to transform your life and our industry.

Co-Chair Welcome Speakers

Carrie Mack
Senior Sourcing Manager II Apples & Pears
Walmart

Angie Rowland
Chief Commercial Officer
Offshoot Brands

Speaker

Melissa J. Nixon
Founder & CEO
The Courage Company

4:25 PM - 5:25 PM

Authentic Leadership: Be Yourself, Lead with Impact

Join Erika Ayers Badan as she kicks off our Conference sharing surprisingly relatable, actionable insights - debunking common myths and sharing captivating stories from her career as an acclaimed leader in media and technology at Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, and Barstool Sports. You'll learn the importance of genuine leadership at every level of an organization, the unique challenges and successes faced by women leading with authenticity in industries where they are often underrepresented, and how you can embrace authenticity beyond just performing your duties - you'll discover that yes, you can drive powerful leadership and create transformative workplaces!

Speaker

Erika, Ayers Baden
CEO
Food52

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Making Connections: WFPC Welcome Reception

Over cocktails and great food, we'll reconnect and forge new connections, getting to know each other and preparing for Day 2, a full day of professional development, women's empowerment, networking, and fun.

Monday, April 14, 2025

7:45 AM - 8:30 AM

Networking Breakfast

8:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Morning Kick-off & Opening General Session - Own Your Focus: Break The Addiction to Distraction

How do you own your focus in an age of constant distraction? For Penny, focus isn’t just about attention and execution, it is more importantly about clarity and direction to ensure you are working on the most important task, issues, and objectives. Penny shares how to Capture Reset Moments with her 3-Step Reset Practice to remain focused and adaptable despite change, challenge, and uncertainty. Productivity, collaboration, and innovation start and end with this practice.

Speaker

Penny Zenker

9:50 AM - 10:05 AM

Take a Break

10:05 AM - 10:50 AM

Workshop Block #1 A
The Importance of Self-Awareness

Not just knowing, but understanding your thoughts, feelings, and actions - what they say about you and how they affect others - is essential to how you experience your own life and how others experience their time with you. In this workshop, you'll learn to be more aware of how you affect those around you, how you're perceived, and the impact your words and behaviors have on all your interactions. These discoveries will help you make sure you're part of the solution and are creating positive interactions at work and in your personal life, while remaining true to yourself.

Speaker

Britt Frank

Workshop Block #1 B
Controlling Your Online Image

Here's an understatement: social media is powerful. From your personal posts on Facebook to business posts on LinkedIn, the words, images, and links you choose to share tell the world a great deal about you, and it's a wise woman who uses the power of social media to her advantage. This workshop will help you make good choices when deciding when, what, and where to post - thinking of the impact what you share will have on your team, your employer, and your personal relationships.

Speaker

Giselle Ugarte

10:50 AM - 11:05 AM

Transition Time

Take a breath and take what you learned in the first Workshop Block and wait for your new speaker to arrive!

11:05 AM - 11:50 AM

Workshop Block 1 A&B Repeat – Choose a New Session

11:50 AM - 1:20 PM

Networking Lunch and Professional Photos

Meet up for Mentor Program

1:20 PM - 2:00 PM

Workshop Block #2 A
Do We Really Need So Much Stuff?

In a word, No! Clutter, whether it packs our home or creates visual chaos in our office, weighs us down and makes our lives more complicated. From overspending on things we don't really need to hanging onto things when they no longer serve us, to staying connected to toxic people, all the "stuff" we gather in life gets in our way, prevents positive change, and keeps the people we need at a distance. Learn to seek and cherish simplicity, creating an environment where you feel lighter, more agile, and more free to be yourself in all your roles in life.

Speaker

Penny Zenker

Workshop Block #2 B
Don't Apologize for Having a Life

Whether you have to drive your kids to school every morning, are the caretaker for an elderly relative, or have dogs to walk, you've got a life. You have a home to care for, people to look after, personal appointments - a life to attend to - separate from work. Yes, work often pays for the house you live in and provides access to healthcare, but that doesn't mean you have to hide your life and your need to make time for it from your employer. In this workshop, learn not only how to stand up for your need to create and preserve that "work-life balance" but to create an environment where your team feels safe carving out time to take care of themselves, knowing their commitment to work is never in doubt.

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM

Workshop Block 2 Series A&B Repeat – Choose a New Session

3:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Take a Break

3:15 PM - 3:55 PM

Afternoon Breakout Activity

4:05 PM - 4:35 PM

Take a Break

4:35 PM - 6:00 PM

Women in Leadership: Unplugged

As you’ve come to expect from sessions at the WFPC, select industry leaders will be there to share their experiences, insights, and ideas – and in this session, they’ll gather to moderate a discussion on the issues that are challenging, taboo, or rarely addressed in a business setting. Bring it to this safe, conversational space, and with empathy and experience, your peers will help you find a solution.

Moderator

Cathy Burns
CEO
International Fresh Produce Association

Panelists

Stefanie Katzman
CEO
S. Katzman Produce

Sonya Constable
Vice President Produce
Sprouts Farmers Market

Brianna Shales
Marketing Director
Stemilt Growers LLC

6:00 PM - 6:45 PM

Girls Night In Happy Hour

After an empowering and inspiring Women's Leadership Panel: Unplugged, unwind and let your hair down at our Happy Hour that captures all the cozy and delightful vibes of a Girls Night In. Join us for an evening that feels like hanging out with your besties, where you can be your true self, laugh, share stories, and create lasting memories. This Happy Hour is not just an event; it's a heartfelt experience designed to bring women together in a space of trust, joy, and camaraderie.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

7:45 AM - 8:30 AM

Networking Breakfast

8:30 AM - 9:40 AM

Women Fight for Fresh
Advocacy for Women in the Fresh Produce Industry: Owning Your Voice and Driving Change

This session empowers women in the fresh produce industry to become stronger advocates—not just for fresh produce but for women's broader societal issues. We will explore advocacy topics that directly impact women while discussing strategies to amplify women’s voices in both political and industry spaces. Through data, examples, and personal experiences, attendees will learn how to step into advocacy roles confidently, purposefully, and effectively. A panel discussion with IFPA's Sara Neagu-Reed and Amalia Zimmerman Lommel, a fresh produce female leader, will highlight her personal advocacy journey and provide practical insights for women in the industry. Attendees will walk away with strategies for setting goals and making meaningful changes both within the industry and beyond.

Speakers

Sara Neagu-Reed
Director of Production & Environmental Policy
International Fresh Produce Association

Amalia Zimmerman Lommel
Director of Social Responsibility
Good Farms

9:45 AM - 9:55 AM

Take a Break

9:55 AM - 10:40 AM

Workshop Block #3 A
The Patriarchy: Recognizing and Countering Institutional Gender Bias

On Day 3, let's leave The Women's Fresh Perspectives Conference charged up and ready to stand up for women - in all aspects of their lives. In this workshop, we'll learn to identify all the ways women are still very much at risk - of being undervalued at work, taken advantage of at home, and unable to make significant life choices without scrutiny and judgement. We've only had the vote in the United States since 1919, and only been able to get a credit card in our own names since 1974 - so the days of legally being "second-class citizens" are not that far behind us. Let's find out how to make sure what lies ahead is on our terms and put an end to the patriarchy and the gender bias that threatens our future.

Speaker

Dima Ghawi

Workshop Block #3 B
Growing Our Industry's Next Crop of Female Influencers

The strength of our industry lies in the strength of the people working in it - from the intern just getting her feet wet to the new Director managing big things for the first time in her career, the potential for greatness within all of us needs nurturing so we can truly grow - together. This workshop will help us identify and implement the ways we can support women in the workplace, helping amplify great ideas, reward passion for innovation, and free the women in the Fresh Produce industry to speak up, speak out, and influence the industry now and for generations to come.

Moderator

Mary Heslep
Senior Vice President
Ten Acre Marketing

Panelists

Leah Halverson
Founder & CEO
Ten Acre Marketing and
4th Generation woman in agriculture

Lucy Halverson
5th Generation woman in agriculture

10:50 AM - 11:30 AM

Workshop 3 Series A&B Repeat – Choose a New Session

12:00 PM - 1:20 PM

Closing General Session - The New Sound of Power

Is it possible for anyone to be a good public speaker? To show up with their best ideas and big hearts and actually get heard, even when the stakes are high and the world isn’t fair?

In this moving, interactive keynote—driven by surprising stories from Samara’s Hollywood days and behind-the-scenes discoveries working with political hopefuls—she invites the women of the fresh produce and floral industry on a journey from private worries to collective A-HA’s: We are the new sound of power.

Sharing the most potent takeaways from her #1 bestselling book, Permission to Speak, Samara offers tips, tricks, and transformation. She’s renowned for delivering a reframe on public speaking that awakens folks’ courage and confidence and frees them to use their voice to get what they want—starting now.

This session is about leadership and legacy, a call to the spirit and a call to action. And just what you need before heading home!

Speaker

Samara Bay
Permission to Speak

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM

Key Takeaways

In our wrap-up session, we will review the key takeaways from the last two days under the inspiring theme ‘Together We Grow’. This session will emphasize the importance of collaboration and mutual support, encouraging everyone to share their newfound knowledge and experiences. By doing so, we can help each other grow, foster a thriving community, and continue our journey towards collective success.

Speaker

Melissa J. Nixon
Founder & CEO
The Courage Company

1:25 PM - 2:00 PM

Schedule

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Welcome & Networking Activity

Carrie MackSenior Sourcing Manager II Apples & PearsWalmart

Authentic Leadership: Be Yourself, Lead with Impact

Erika, Ayers BadenCEOFood52

Making Connections: WFPC Welcome Reception

Monday, April 14, 2025

Networking Breakfast

Morning Kick-off & Opening General Session - Own Your Focus: Break The Addiction to Distraction

Take a Break

Workshop Block #1 AThe Importance of Self-Awareness

Workshop Block #1 BControlling Your Online Image

Giselle Ugarte

Transition Time

Workshop Block 1 A&B Repeat – Choose a New Session

Networking Lunch and Professional Photos

Workshop Block #2 ADo We Really Need So Much Stuff?

Workshop Block #2 BDon't Apologize for Having a Life

Workshop Block 2 Series A&B Repeat – Choose a New Session

Take a Break

Afternoon Breakout Activity

Take a Break

Women in Leadership: Unplugged

Cathy BurnsCEOInternational Fresh Produce Association

Girls Night In Happy Hour

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Networking Breakfast

Women Fight for FreshAdvocacy for Women in the Fresh Produce Industry: Owning Your Voice and Driving Change

Take a Break

Workshop Block #3 AThe Patriarchy: Recognizing and Countering Institutional Gender Bias

Dima Ghawi

Workshop Block #3 BGrowing Our Industry's Next Crop of Female Influencers

Leah HalversonFounder & CEOTen Acre Marketing and 4th Generation woman in agriculture

Lucy Halverson5th Generation woman in agriculture

Workshop 3 Series A&B Repeat – Choose a New Session

Closing General Session - The New Sound of Power

Key Takeaways

Lunch of Convenience

Carrie Mack
Senior Sourcing Manager II Apples & Pears
Walmart

Erika, Ayers Baden
CEO
Food52

Workshop Block #1 A
The Importance of Self-Awareness

Workshop Block #1 B
Controlling Your Online Image

Workshop Block #2 A
Do We Really Need So Much Stuff?

Workshop Block #2 B
Don't Apologize for Having a Life

Cathy Burns
CEO
International Fresh Produce Association

Women Fight for Fresh
Advocacy for Women in the Fresh Produce Industry: Owning Your Voice and Driving Change

Workshop Block #3 A
The Patriarchy: Recognizing and Countering Institutional Gender Bias

Workshop Block #3 B
Growing Our Industry's Next Crop of Female Influencers

Leah Halverson
Founder & CEO
Ten Acre Marketing and
4th Generation woman in agriculture

Lucy Halverson
5th Generation woman in agriculture