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Monday, Mar 13, 2023 at 12:00 PM to Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 at 2:00 PM PDT
221 N Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas , Nevada, 89145, United States
There are no registration option(s) available for this event at the moment. Please contact the event organizer if you have any questions.
JW Marriott Las Vegas, 221 N Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas , Nevada, 89145, United States.
WLS Attendees
Current and aspiring female leaders both within and outside the insurance industry find this a valuable program that fosters personal growth, leadership and self-awareness. This is indeed a very special sisterhood, and the objective is that everyone returns home with a deeper sense of self, and tools to unleash their own unique magic.
It’s a unique conference that attracts a diverse group of women who work with insurance carriers, general agencies, administrators, technologists, and various products geared for female success.
Join us in Ellevating Women in our industry!
Preview Schedule of Events (2023)
The Ellevate Foundation is a new educational non-profit founded by the CAHIP (formerly CAHU) members who introduced the Women’s Leadership Summit. Now that we’ve successfully hosted two WLS events, the team has formed this separate and independent, but forever connected, foundation for the purpose of elevating women by providing tools and resources to grow personally and professionally. Specifically, WLS will provide funding toward the foundation’s mission to provide financial support for women new to our field with grants to attend industry events and advance their professional development. Ellevate Foundation has worked closely with CAHIP’s leadership to ensure a smooth transition of the hosting responsibilities for this event beginning with 2023’s Women’s Leadership Summit, and values CAHIP’s ongoing support and collaboration. https://www.ellevatefoundation.org/
This event is currently unable to accept new registrations
Exclusive Partner: Amwins
Premier Partner: Kaiser
Brunch & Bubbles: Warner Pacific
Photo Booth Sponsor: Dickerson
Photography: SOLV
Welcome Bag: HealthNet
Welcome Reception: Ornellas & Associates
Wine Pull: Tech Coordinator Cyber Insurance
Bubbles Wall: MZQ Consulting
Coffee Station: McKenzie Insurance Solutions
Event Sparkle & Event App: Stellar Stories
Giving Library: Centered Insurance Solutions
Marketplace: Claremont Insurance Services
Words of Wisdom (WoW): Empowered Benefits
Centerpieces: Q4intelligence
Diamond Partner: Ease
Breakfast: EBEN
Premier Partner: Sterling Administration
Room Key: Cigna + Oscar
Ladies Night: SunFire
After registering, spend some time in the Marketplace where you will find fun merchandise and keepsakes for purchase.
Don't forget to purchase your raffle tickets at the Registration Table. First raffle drawing will be during the Welcome Reception this evening!
Thank you, Claremont Insurance Services, for sponsoring the Marketplace.
Before heading to the Marketplace, grab a glass of bubbles and cheers to an impactful few days ahead of you.
Thank you, MZQ Consulting, for sponsoring the Bubbles Wall.
Wellevate sessions are limited to 25 participants for a curated intimate experience with a topic expert.
“We can’t change people, but we can plant seeds that may one day bloom in them.” — Mary Davis
Join us in a sacred ceremony to elevate the potential of planting the seeds of grace, joy, love, self-care, self-esteem, and self-journey.
One of the most important principles in life is the concept of sowing seeds. The law of giving and receiving is a vital principle of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. This concept teaches us that the universe always receives something in return if we offer something unconditionally. If we plant something together in the proper conditions, bless it, water it, feed and grow it, we can reap something bigger and more significant.
Sign up early for this optional session.
About Naama Pozniak
A force within the healthcare and insurance industries, award-winning strategic health insurance advisor Naama O. Pozniak is a mother, lifelong yogi, Primordial Sound Meditation coach, NFT artist, collector, author, and Founder/CEO of Paz Holding, Inc. / RightPlan.com. Naama brings a unique balance of proven mindfulness leadership techniques and corporate wisdom to clients across industries. With the mind of a rock star, the heart of a healer, and the generosity of an avid volunteer, Naama’s programs inspire and educate from her 30+ years in the benefits industry and her experiences as a meditation teacher and Radical speaker.
As a market disruptor and influencer, Naama is an Associate Publisher and Editorial Board member of Cal Broker magazine, NAHU Region 8 Media Chair, and serves on the LAAHU’s board as a HUPAC Chair. In addition, she has led meditation sessions with dozens of organizations over the past 10 years, including Women in Cloud, major insurance carriers, BenefitsPro, ASCEND, and the National Association for Health Underwriters, and serves as Chief Mindful Officer for Next Gen Mastermind. She brings her wisdom for holistic wellness, leadership, and healthcare costs discussions directly to industry stakeholders in the hybrid meta workforce environment.
Naama teaches timeless techniques proven to help reduce stress and instill a sense of peaceful well-being to family, friends, clients, students, and colleagues. She has developed and led two continuing education courses approved by the Departments of Insurance in California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas, showing that implementing an intelligent heart connection and 360-degree care will reduce stress, help us know ourselves better, create happiness, reduce the costs of care, and raise collective awareness.
Founder/CEO
A+ Insurance Services
Please be present and seated no later than 3:55pm to kick things off!
CEO & Founder
DARLIS, LLC
About Becky Patel
For over three decades, Becky’s leadership has been key to making the organization what it is today and shaping the General Agency market in California. As Chief Executive Officer, she has been instrumental in every facet of the business. Becky joined the company in 1985 as a receptionist, and within three months, was licensed and selling insurance. After becoming Vice President in 1994, Becky was promoted to President in September of 2004 and then Chief Executive Officer in 2010. Known for her business savvy, she has led the charge in developing strong relationships with carriers and setting industry standards with sales models, products, and services. Becky developed CoPower, Inc. (formerly the California Employers’ Benefits Alliance).
Her guiding principle is a commitment to integrity – doing what’s best for everyone involved. She considers the needs of the broker to be a top priority. She also gains great satisfaction from the work that the team does in helping employers and members and their dependents become more informed about benefit options so they can make better health care decisions.
Becky has built and managed an amazing team that inspires her every day. She finds great rewards in seeing employees break barriers to achieve personal and professional growth. In an ever-changing industry, Becky looks forward to guiding innovative solutions for brokers including products, services, special events, educational opportunities, and customized sales support.
CEO
Amwins Connect
Join us as we collectively gather for small bites, greetings and raffle!
Thank you, Ornellas & Associates, for sponsoring the Welcome Reception.
Raffle Tickets can be purchased at Registration:
Pay $20 to pull a cork and grab a mystery bag.
All wine is valued at $25 or more.
Wine must be consumed in your room or taken home. Please do not open in event venue.
Thank you, Tech Coordinator Cyber Insurance, for sponsoring the Wine Pull.
But first, coffee!
Come down before the Morning Welcome to grab a cup of coffee and connect with other attendees. Find a new face that you have never met before and introduce yourself. Share something about Monday that you are grateful for experiencing.
Thank you, McKenzie Ins., for sponsoring the Coffee Station.
Please be present and in your seats by 8:25am so we can begin our day on time. Lisa Hutcherson will lift our spirits and the corners of our mouths as we take hold of day 2 at #EllevateWLS2023
Starting our day off with a bang, Sandra Gebhardt will provide you with ideas to enhance your social media presence. Open your notebook and write down 3 things that you can do when you leave #EllevateWLS2023 (or while you're here) that will impact what you're already doing or not doing.
About Sandra Gebhardt
Sandra’s goal is to see a world in which people are able to confidently use their unique voice, follow their dreams, embrace and monetize their passions and find a way to understand exactly what a toddler is trying to tell you.
As a digital marketer with years of experience, Sandra has worked with 1,000’s of small business owners, trained in high ticket consulting groups, spoken at multiple events including TedX, been featured in two documentaries, runs a top rated Podcast (Binding Authority) all while being a wife and keeping the worlds cutest four year old entertained, happy and from falling off of tall things he climbs.
Sandra is extremely passionate about helping people solve problems they are having in business. She has been described as being “a bit too much” or “a busy body” and voted “most eager to please” by her Highschool Senior Class. Sandra took these labels and turned into being famous for being a power connector and helping small business owners fix advertising and marketing issues. Known as the “Queen Bee Of Organic Social Media Marketing” Sandra is passionate about teaching agents to build their own personal brand. She also runs a group consulting course where she focuses on coaching and helping agents build smart marketing plans!
Online Marketing Strategist
Sandra Gebhardt Marketing
Words of Wisom are short TED talk style pieces led by our industry leaders.
About Jen Berman
Jen Berman is an employee benefits attorney and entrepreneur. She is a leader in analyzing health care reform developments and frequently serves as a speaker and commentator on a wide variety of health care reform and employee benefits issues. In addition to her work leading MZQ, she is a member of Holder Law Group LLC. Jen graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor and Employment Law. Jen also completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude. She is an avid lover of textile arts, frequently wearing stunning pieces she hand-crafted herself.
Thank you, E-Powered, for sponsoring the WoW Talks.
MZQ Consulting
The ROI of LOL: Harnessing Humor for Influence and Success
Our speaker, Karyn Buxman, has shared the platform with world famous leaders, rocket scientists, Olympic Gold Medal Winners, and celebrity ball players. A little known fact is that Karyn was active in athletics and even lettered twice in cheerleading. The first letter asked her to resign from the squad. (pause…) The second letter asked her to return her uniform!
While her classmates were dissecting frogs, Karyn was dissecting humor. Through her years of research and experience she’s determined that humor provides benefits that move groups forward and allow individuals to live more positive, productive and happier lives. Clients range from the Mayo Clinic to the Million Dollar Round Table and they hire Karyn to entertain, educate and inspire their audiences again and again.
If writing burned calories, Karyn would be a Size 2. She’s written numerous books, has been published in various professional journals, and has appeared in publications ranging from USA Today to Investors Business Daily. She’s received ‘The Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the Association for Applied & Therapeutic Humor, and is one of 58 women in the world to be inducted into the ‘Speaker Hall of Fame’. From the Mayo Clinic to NASA to the Million Dollar Round Table, Karyn’s clients bring her back again and again to entertain, educate and inspire their audiences.
Today Karyn will share how harnessing humor and leveraging laughter can help you create a life of success, significance, and happiness! Please help me welcome—speaker, author, and neuro-humorist—Karyn Buxman!
Books available for sale at event ($15): Lead with Levity: Strategic Humor for Leaders (Venmo or Paypal).
The HumorLab • Karyn@KarynBuxman.com • 858-603-3133
CEO, Founder
HighPerformanceHumor.com
Yes, you can have it all! Indulge in your favorite bites and a glass of bubbly. Sit with an old friend or someone you have been wanting to connect with.
Share a recent WIN that you haven't taken the time to celebrate yet.
Cheers!
Thank you, Warner Pacific, for sponsoring Brunch & Bubbles!
DYLAN STAR is that unique combination of convenience and intentionality; of quality and affordability, and personal touch in an increasingly digital age.In a world that tells us to go online, Dylan Star is on a mission to pay tribute to a time when shopping was FUN.Where the woman behind the counter is as invested in the dreams in your heart as the clothes on your hips. Where every woman—regardless of her shoe size, her social status, her student debt—can feel good about who she is.
At Dylan Star, we believe in the EXPERIENCE of shopping. That there is no substitute for personal connection. That, at the end of the day, if you start with what you like… we can show you something you love. And that every day you wear it, you will be reminded of the star that you are.Dream big. Shop small.
Owner
Dylan Star Clothing Boutique
Words of Wisdom are short TED talk style pieces led by our industry leaders.
Key takeaways: Passion, Belief in yourself, Taking risks, Staying in touch with core values, staying connected with family, friends, colleagues.
About Cora Tellez
Ms. Tellez serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Health Services Administration, Inc., a company she founded in 2004. Ms. Tellez previously served as the President of the health plans
division of Health Net, Inc., a national medical insurance provider. She also has served as President of Prudential‘s western healthcare operations, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Shield of California, Bay Region, and Regional Manager for Kaiser Permanente of Hawaii. Ms. Tellez has served on the boards of publicly traded companies including Pacific Premier Bank, HMS Holdings, Inc., and Bank of Hawaii. She also serves on several nonprofit organizations such as the Amazing Care Charitable Foundation (Board Chair), and the Hawaii Community Healthcare Alliance (Board Chair). Ms. Tellez received her B.A. from Mills College and her M.S. in public administration from California State University, Hayward.
Sterling Administration
Exhale... today has offered an abundance of opportunities to plug in and connect. Now it's your time to recharge, however you see fit.
FYI: The Marketplace is open during this time.
Beginning at 1pm, you have 2 optional Wellevate sessions available. These are intimate sessions led by topic experts. Capacity is limited to 25 people. Please view more details in their agenda tab.
At 2pm there will be a mid-day snack available to pick you back up for an energized second half.
See you back in Marquis at 3pm for a powerful Workshop.
This will be your last opportunity to visit the partner experiences, pet a puppy, purchase any keepsakes or gifts before the Marketplace shuts its doors.
Wellevate sessions are limited to 25 participates for a curated intimate experience with a topic expert.
About Irma Romero
Teaching Mindfulness through the practice of meditation, breathing exercises, body movement, and honoring the natural rhythm and cycles of mother nature.
Director
Quick Learning School
This session will include a mind/body grounding and embodiment practice and a powerful discussion on how to integrate more feminine energy in business and in life for more presence, more impact, more connection.
About Cori Moyes
Cori Moyes is a trained bioenergetics intuitive healer, spiritual mentor, and transformational guide. She completed her Yin Restorative/Yoga Nidra teacher training at Sage Yoga & Wellness in Boise and teaches at multiple studios throughout the Treasure Valley, as well as being in private practice with clients all over the United States.
Cori has an extensive background in bioenergetics studies including multiple lineages of Reiki, ThetaHealing, shamanism, and therapeutic and somatic trauma release techniques. She is the owner and creator of a private healing studio, StarHawk LLC/Inner Fire Wellness, and creator of the signature healing protocol, Healing Sacred Relations. She is deeply passionate about guiding others back to a place of personal sovereignty through trauma release, integration, and the alchemy of ancient and modern healing modalities.
StarHawk Consulting
Prevent that mid-day crash by energizing yourself with a snack before joining us back in Marquis for a powerful workshop that will include a soundbath performed by Breanne Swenson to demonstrate the healing power of sound.
Join as we dive into the WooWoo and Science behind energy and sound frequencies. We're going to explore how it relates to our overall wellbeing and raise our good vibrations in a sample sound bath experience.
Soul Element Retreats
Words of Wisdom are short TED talk stle pieces led by our industry leaders. Kelly Gorman is the RVP of Sales at Homestead Smart Health Plans. She will share with us her Words of Wisom as she navigates being the caretaker for her mother with Alzheimers.
About Kelly Gorman
Kelly Gorman is the Regional Vice President of Sales for Homestead Smart Health Plans. Kelly has been in the Health Insurance Industry for almost 20 years and has been a member of NABIP since 2008. She has served as Oregon State president, Portland chapter president and held the Region 8 Professional Development chair. She currently holds the chapter development chair seat on the Region 6. Her and her husband Eric have 7 grown children and reside just north of Austin, Texas with their two fur doggies Willow and Cooper.
Regional Vice President of Sales
Homestead Smart Health Plans
About Jessica Word
Jessica Word is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Word & Brown General Agency, the recognized leader in developing and distributing comprehensive health benefit plan models and insurance solutions through licensed brokers. She was named CEO in December 2021, after serving more than eight years as General Agency President. Jessica’s broad experience working across The Word & Brown Companies has given her great insight into different facets of the insurance industry. After working in several departments across the organization while in high school and college, she began her professional career as a renewal specialist with Word & Brown’s sister company, CHOICE Administrators, in 2000. Her work highlights include executive management, sales, claims, benefits administration, and broker services. Her thorough understanding of the business led to the implementation of many process improvements to enhance both the broker and consumer experience in the past two decades. Prior to being named President in 2013, she was Executive Vice President of Operations for Word & Brown, managing small- and mid-sized Group Underwriting, Individual and Family Plan Underwriting, Product Management, Broker Services, Customer Care, and Plan Maintenance. In addition to her leadership role at Word & Brown, Jessica is a member of the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) Board of Directors. She joined the business group in 2020. She is also a member of the Board of Directors at the Center for Leadership, California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), and an active member of the Orange County Chapter of the Connected Women of Influence. Jessica previously served as Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for the Orange County Association of Health Underwriters (OCAHU). She is also the lead for the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) first-ever Technology Committee.Jessica was selected by the Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ) as one of its six 2022 honorees in the 28th Annual Women In Business Awards. She was recognized for her significant contributions to Word & Brown, her profession, and the Orange County community. Also in 2022, she was acknowledged by the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) with the J.A. “Jack” Ferguson Associate Company award for her outstanding support of the health insurance trade group, including service as lead for NAHU’s Technology Committee. Jessica was an Excellence in Leadership Development Honoree (for Innovation) in 2020 by CSUF’s College of Business and Economics. She served as a mentor for the CSUF Titan Women’s Collective for the Center for Entrepreneurship, serving women in their senior year. She was a CEO panelist in 2019 for the “Connected Women of Influence” event in Orange County. Jessica is a multi-year nominee for the Orange County Business Journal Women In Business Award and Innovator of the Year Award Jessica’s contributions to the insurance industry led to recognition by CEO Today magazine in 2019 as a health care CEO award winner. She was named in 2018 one of the “Top Women in Benefit Advising” by the editors of Employee Benefit Adviser. She was recipient of a Bronze Stevie® Award for Women in Business in 2015. Jessica regularly contributes to industry publications including California Broker, Employee Benefit News, and American Benefit Specialist published by NAHU, as well as the Orange County Business Journal.Jessica earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton. She has a Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) designation.
Word & Brown General Agency
This portion of the event requires a separate ticket. Please see Registration Desk for more information.
You will have plenty of time after the Fireside Chat to get ready for tonight's on-site ladies night. There will be dueling pianos, premium bar with cocktails & mocktails as well as Fajitas Bar hors d'oeuvre.
Make sure to bring cash if you plan to make a dueling request! If you've never been to a dueling piano experience, you are in for a real treat. All of your favorite songs covered by 2 dueling pianists for the ultimate rendition.
Tonight's theme is little black dress - it's ALL about the shoes.
Let's dance!
Thank you, SunFire, for sponsoring Ladies Night.
We hope you got some rest last night after Ladies Night. What was your favorite song performed?
This is our last day together - what did you say you wanted to get out of this event but have yet to make it happen? Now is your chance.
Events like this take a village to produce and execute. We hope this year's Women's Leadership Summit has created space for you to show up and tune in.
Now for the final moments.
Enjoy!
Thank you, EBen, for sponsoring today's Breakfast.
Please be present and seated by 8:55am so that we can begin promptly. You will have time after closing remarks to check out of the hotel if you plan to depart today.
Make it count!
About Heather Siems
Heather has been in the insurance industry spanning fourteen years. The first ten years were spent running a business with one of the largest voluntary benefit carriers on the market. Her favorite part of her tenure was the six years in leadership mentoring others. The most recent four years brought her to co-founding and running Vice President of sales for a voluntary benefits outsource agency, with a focus on the employee benefits experience. Heather currently serves on the California Association of Health and Insurance Professionals (CAHIP) as California Vanguard Council chair and San Diego Co-Vice President of Professional Development. She is a proud Arizona State University Alumni with a bachelor of science in Biology, Psychology, and a minor in Spanish. Her favorite college memory is the creation of the ASU Dancing Devils, which is still going strong today over seventeen years later. After fifteen years in San Diego Heather loves experiencing all that the city has to offer with her husband Dennis, and two small children Chloe and Tucker. Her passion for helping others and love of life allows her to attract clients that she can best assist to navigate the insurance landscape. When not immersed in insurance, you can find her dancing, singing, at the beach, learning something new, meeting new people, and enjoying food and drinks with friends.
Employee Benefits Specialist
Morrison Insurance Services
When we originally founded this platform, we decided to encourage our male counterparts to share their support of our purpose (to gather existing and aspiring women leaders in our industry to help develop, grow and encourage leadership). The Mars Squad is an annual invitation-only membership that helps us promote female leadership in our industry through support of the Women’s Leadership Summit via a $250 sponsorship.
They believe in elevating female leaders and stand beside us in our collective efforts to impact the furture of our industry.
Susan Combs! It's an absolute honor to have her close us out in our last keynote of #EllevateWLS2023
In Pancakes for Roger: A Mentorship Guide for Slaying Dragons — a series of quick, straightforward snapshots delivered with no fluff and a whole lot of heart — Susan L. Combs offers lessons from her father, Roger, and others so that you can lean on them, too, as you set out to slay your own dragons.
President
Combs & Company, LLC
We may all be in different boats rowing through different waters - but learning how to plug the holes, navigate rough waters and thrive through the storm is something that only by learning from others who have weathered the storm - do we realize it's possible. We invite you to call on the women you’ve connected with over the past few days and lean on each other’s gifts.
Thank YOU for showing up for yourself these past few days.
Travel forward, confidently.
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Monday, Mar 13, 2023 at 12:00 PM to Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 at 2:00 PM PDT
221 N Rampart Blvd,
Las Vegas ,
Nevada,
89145,
United States
