Past Speakers
Spring 2023: Laura Zapata
This past Spring, Vanderbilt Women in Business hosted Laura Zapata, the CEO and co-founder of Clearloop, a Nashville-based clean tech company that helps companies of all sizes—from established companies like Intuit to innovative startups like Rivian—cut their carbon footprint and expand access to clean energy in the United States. Zapata spoke about her growth and learnings in the fast-past sustainability and startup realm, inspiring an audience full of socially responsible students.
Helping moderate was Professor Leonora Zilkha Williamson. Prof. Williamson is an Associate Professor for Business Studies classes at Vanderbilt, including her popular Corporate Social Responsibility course and upcoming ESG Investing course.
Fall 2022: Suzanne H. El-Moursi
Vanderbilt Women in Business hosted Suzanne H. El-Moursi as the Fall 2022 Speaker. Suzanne is an inspiring and accomplished businesswoman. She has led innovation and growth strategies at several global brands including IBM, HSBC, GE Healthcare, and SapientNitro. Suzanne’s passion for entrepreneurship led to her career shift to building startup businesses. In the past decade, she has been part of two startup exits. Today, Suzanne is an active investor / venture capital partner with the W fund, a fund focused on investing at seed stage in underrepresented startups and sits on the board for startups in data governance and remote health monitoring. She is also a founding member of the Chief women’s network in Chicago. Suzanne spoke extensively about her Egyptian-American identity and shared an intimate meal with the internal WiB team after the speaker event.
Vanderbilt Women in Business was ecstatic to host a speaker series with Richelle Parham, who is recognized as one of the most influential marketers in the world. Currently serving as Universal Music Group's President of Global eCommerce and Business Development, Richelle is listed as one of Forbes 50 Most Influential CMOs in the World. She is passionate about empowering the next generation of diverse leaders.
Richelle discussed her 25-year career in global strategy and marketing in the c-suite of multiple Fortune 500 companies. In addition to her professional passions, she provided insight and advice to women navigating male-dominated spaces.
Spring 2022: Richelle Parham
Vanderbilt Women in Business was joined by Suzanne Gauron, 2021’s fall speaker. Suzanne Gauron is the managing director of “Launch with GS,” a $1 billion investment strategy grounded in the belief that diverse teams drive strong returns. Launch With GS, Goldman Sachs aims to increase access to capital and facilitate connections for women, Black, Latinx and other diverse entrepreneurs and investors. Beyond Goldman Sachs, Suzanne serves as a Board Member for Lime Connect, a leading organization which empowers high potential university students and professionals with disabilities by connecting them with the world’s leading corporations.
Suzanne shared pieces of advice as students look forward to their futures after college. She urges working individuals to consider two important things: Do you like it? Are you learning? As we move forward with job applications and internship opportunities, these questions become even more crucial for determining our place within the workplace.
Fall 2021: Suzanne Gauron
Vanderbilt Women in Business was delighted to present 2020’s fall speaker, Marne Levine. Marne Levine is the VP of Global Partnerships, Business and Corporate Development at Facebook Inc. Previously, Marne was COO of Instagram and Facebook’s first VP of Global Policy. Before Facebook, Marne was Chief of Staff of the National Economic Council at the White House and Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy under President Obama. Marne stressed to the 180+ attendees to “stay present because the best thing to do to get the job you want is to do the best job in the role you are in.”
Fall 2020: Marne Levine
Vanderbilt Women in Business welcomed back Emily White (‘00) for a fireside chat-style talk, discussing with 75 attendees her time at Vanderbilt and beyond.
White’s “beyond” can be traced all over the tech world, from Employee 200 of Google less than a year after graduation to Facebook to Instagram to Snapchat COO, among others. She currently is President of the private equity and venture capital firm Anthos Capital and is based in Los Angeles with her family.
She highlighted the importance of focusing on people and culture over the prospective job title or even company name when looking to get involved in a company, and credits her success to self-confidence.
Fall 2019: Emily White
Vanderbilt Women in Business hosted a fireside chat-style Speaker Series with Vanderbilt alum Bridget Blaise-Shamai, VP of Loyalty at American Airlines. Blaise-Shamai spoke with Vanderbilt alum and former President of Vanderbilt Alumni Association, Carroll Kimball, about her road to success, women in the workplace, and her recommendations for young women interested in the business world.
As VP of Loyalty, Blaise-Shamai oversees American Airlines’ renowned customer loyalty program, though she explained that she has not always had so much autonomy in her career. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Blaise-Shamai found herself in primarily male-dominated environments, where she worked to prove her worth across various fields including finance, sales, and management.
Fall 2018: Bridget Blaise-Shamai
Vanderbilt Women in Business held its annual Speaker Series event with the Tennessee Speaker of the House, Beth Harwell.
Harwell shared the intricacies of what it means to hold the position of the Speaker of the House and how she implements her personal leadership skills in her job. She discussed various key skills that this job has taught her, including knowing when to speak out, when it is appropriate to raise her hand, and when to use the power of her gavel. Her number one priority within this position is to ensure that proper decorum is held on the house floor at all times, which is a skill that can translate over to be useful in a business setting.
Harwell offered her experienced advice to young women looking to enter the political game: always be engaged and involved in the political game. She explained that, regardless of the profession one enters, all professions are regulated by the state government.
Spring 2018: Beth Harwell
Vanderbilt Graduate Whitney Daane addressed the undergraduate student body at our annual speaker series. Whitney Daane began her career in 1996 at Maverick Music working for legendary music publisher Lionel Conway. She was credited for pitching “This Kiss” recorded by Faith Hill.
In 2000, she launched her own company, Mighty Isis Music, representing writers in Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York and was hired as the first U.S. creative consultant for Kobalt Music Publishing in 2001. In July 2008, Daane began her new role as Sr. VP Creative and head of Kobalt’s Nashville office.
In March 2016, Daane launched her new company DAANEgerous Entertainment that encompasses music publishing, writer management, artist development, and television project development. Daane is on the Nashville Board of Directors of the TJ Martell Foundation, actively involved in fundraising for mental health organization Park Center, The Land Trust for Tennessee, and Cheekwood Museum and Gardens. She is an alumna of Leadership Music and a member of NARAS, AIMP, ACM, CMA, and Chicks With Hits.
Spring 2017: Whitney Daane
Fall 2016: Marjorie Eastman and Christine Owenell
Vanderbilt Women in Business made its official introduction to the Vanderbilt community by hosting its Speaker Series event in Sarratt Cinema from 6-8PM, where two keynote speakers addressed topics relevant to the surrounding community. The first was Marjorie Eastman, a former US Intelligence Commander, and the second speaker was Christine Owenell, the CEO of Owenell Consulting.
Following the speakers, over 20 Nashville businesswomen attended a catered networking reception, where undergraduates had the opportunity to mingle with some of the most accomplished women within our community. Overall, 180 undergraduates attended the Speaker Series, setting the record for the most widely attended Managerial Studies sponsored event.
