The Mazzotti Summit for the Development of Women Leaders features inspiring speakers, engaging sessions and meaningful conversations. Each Summit equips participants with tools for success, fosters lasting connections and builds a thriving community of women leaders.
Explore our 2023 Summit below to revisit the moments and lessons that continue to inspire this movement.
2023 Summit
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I am writing to extend a warm invitation to attend the upcoming Mazzotti Women’s Leadership Summit, Full Circle Thriving: An Intentional Choice, on May 22 and 23.
Our 2023 Summit will present a unique and powerful opportunity for women to come together, share experiences, and learn from one another about what it takes to create a fulfilling and purpose-driven life. The Summit will empower participants to take control of their own happiness and success and will create a supportive community that will help attendees achieve their personal and professional goals.
In addition to compelling keynote addresses, there will be a series of engaging breakout sessions, each designed to help you reflect, grow and connect with others. Whether you are established in your career or are just starting out, you will leave the Summit with a renewed sense of purpose and the tools to help you make your own full circle thriving a reality.
Each participant also will have the opportunity to share their own story, making this a truly collaborative and inclusive event. Through this exchange we will enhance our self-awareness, identify what is important to us and find renewed inspiration.
I am deeply grateful to the Summit’s planning committee who are working extraordinarily hard to make this a meaningful and stimulating experience for all of us. This group of thirteen women truly demonstrates what it means to thrive.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Summit's planning committee by emailing mwl@rider.edu.
As space is limited, it is my great hope that you will register soon to confirm your attendance.
I look forward to seeing you in May!
Ms. Joan Mazzotti '72
For those of you who engaged with us this year, thriving means . . .
For those of us planning this year’s Summit, thriving means all these things and more. . .
Thriving is also resilience in the face of change and adversity, requiring a deliberate and conscious decision to do more than simply survive. It is a core tenet of leadership, one that is particularly relevant as we face a ‘new normal’ coming out of the pandemic and as we confront head on the challenges facing higher education today.
Thus, was born the theme for this year’s Mazzotti Women’s Leadership Summit – Full Circle Thriving: An Intentional Choice.
Monday, May 22, 2023
Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. | OFF TO A GREAT START optional pre-summit sessions |
| Campus Walk Cathlene Leary-Elderkin, Associate Director for Grants Development & Science Literacy and Director, Rider SELECT Location: The pub patio. Rain location is the SRC track. | |
| Yoga Ruth Gatling, Yoga Instructor Location: Sweigart Patio. Rain location is the SRC Aerobics Room. | |
| Morning Meditation Fred Housel, Certified Reiki Master and Network Technician/Electrician, Rider University Location: NJM Community Room on the top floor of the BLC. | |
| 10:45 – 11:15 a.m. | Registration |
| 11:15 – 11:30 a.m. | Welcome! Dr. DonnaJean Fredeen, Provost and Sr. Vice President - Academic Affairs |
| 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Lunch and Mingling |
| 12:15 - 1:00 p.m. | Keynote Ms. Joan Mazzotti ‘72, Vice Chair, Rider University Board of Trustees |
| BREAKOUT SESSIONS | |
| 1:15 – 2:00 p.m. and 2:15 - 3:00 p.m. | Breakout Session 1 Are You Wearing Mental Health Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Masks or Wellness Masks for Effective Personal and Leadership Thriving? Dr. Debby Haskins ’81, ‘84, Rider Trustee and Owner, Mosaic Consulting and Counseling Services |
| Breakout Session 2 Creativity and Body-Mind Presence in Leadership Dr. Eri Millrod, Assistant Professor and Director, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Dance/Movement Therapy Concentration, Rider University | |
| Breakout Session 3 Lead Like a Woman to Achieve Success Like a Man Ms. Kimberly Hairston- Hicks, Founder and CEO, Good Beauté | |
| Breakout Session 4 Leader Gratitude and Team Interactions Dr. Quinn Cunningham, Associate Professor, Management, Rider University Dr. Hee Young Kim, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Management, Rider University | |
| Breakout Session 5 The Importance of Building a Quality Network; No Hammer Required Ms. Laura Glotzbach ‘97, President and Founder, LGS Marketing Services | |
| Breakout Session 6 Two Mindset Shifts to Live with Intention and Be Content Ms. Brett Davis, SRC Fitness Manager and Mental Performance Coach | |
| Breakout Session 7 Women and Wealth: The Power of "Investing" in Yourself, It is Never Too Late Ms. Annmarie Woods, Rider Trustee and Regional VP, Guggenheim Investments | |
| 3:15 – 3:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks |
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Pub Reception |
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
River House at Odette’s, New Hope, PA
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. | Registration and Continental Breakfast |
| 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. | Welcome and Morning Table Discussion – Who Am I? Participants will bring their own Who Am I? Board with them for presentation and discussion in small groups. For additional information download the Who Am I Boards (PDF) here. |
| 9:45 – 10:10 a.m. | Break |
| 10:10 – 11:30 a.m. | Keynote Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, Harvard physician, Forbes contributor and NBC News medical commentator |
| 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Lunch |
| 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Sharing Your Story Dr. Ivonne Diaz-Claisse, Founder and CEO, Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement (HISPA) |
| 1:30 - 2:15 p.m. | Sharing Our Story - Table Discussions |
| 2:15 – 2:30 p.m. | Break |
| 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Full Circle Thriving: An Intentional Choice Dr. Felicia Ganther, President, Bucks County Community College |
| 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. | Engagement Superstars! |
| 3:45 – 4:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks |
Off to a Great Start
Morning Walk
Come join colleagues as we start our day of learning with a morning walk around campus and an opportunity to get to know one another. We might even spot some birds to identify! Beginning on the pub patio, we will take in the sights and sounds around the lake and across campus, returning with enough time to change out of sneakers before the Summit begins. If the weather does not cooperate, we will instead walk on the SRC Track.
Yoga
This yoga session is an opportunity to pause and create a space for self-care, rejuvenation, relaxation, and mindfulness. Ruth Gatling, who discovered yoga through her love of meditation and mindfulness practice over 25 years ago and started teaching in 2008, will lead the session. No prior yoga experience is required, and modifications will be offered to accommodate different levels of ability.
Morning Meditation
Join us for a meditation session led by Rider’s very own Fred Housel who is a certified Reiki Master who has been practicing for over 18 years. With his holistic approach, Fred will lead us through a series of empowering affirmations and breathing techniques on our path to higher consciousness.
Breakout Session Descriptions
Breakout Session 1: Are You Wearing Mental Health Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Masks or Wellness Masks for Effective Personal and Leadership Thriving?
Women leaders (including Nonbinary, LGBTQ+ Spectrum, and Culturally Diverse persons) face a myriad of leadership challenges that male counterparts do not. The “glass ceiling” is often a “cement ceiling” when cultural identities and the intersectionality impact career and leadership experiences/ opportunities. Pierre-Bravo (December 14, 2022) stated that an estimated 43% of women leaders feel burned out, compared to only 31% of men who are at the same level, and COVID-19 pandemic and social injustice resulted in even more mental distress. What are the costs to one’s wellbeing? Do you practice mental wellness consistently or do you put on your ICU masks on your way to burnout? Does your leadership definition include mental wellness?
Session Objectives:
- Identify ICU mental health “life support” risk factors to wellness.
- Learn effective strategies for ongoing mental wellness for personal/leadership excellence.
- Identify mental health wellness resources for continued development.
Dr. Debby Haskins ’81, ‘84
Rider Trustee and Owner, Mosaic Consulting and Counseling Services
Dr. Haskins owns MOSAIC Consulting and Counseling Services after having enjoyed a long and highly successful academic career at Loyola University of Maryland and Trinity Washington University. She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, and is a widely recognized academic scholar and practitioner in the field of gambling addiction and other dependencies. Dr. Haskins is also a proud Rider alumna and Trustee.
Breakout Session 2: Creativity and Body-Mind Presence in Leadership
The body and the mind work together to facilitate a creative process that inspires the co-construction of new ideas, perspectives, and solutions. Dance/movement therapy empower others to listen to their bodies as a source of both wisdom and creativity. In this session, there will be opportunities to explore the mind/body connection and the important role of sensory knowledge that, together, define what we mean by aesthetic leadership.
Session Objectives:
- Understand the role of sensory knowledge in leadership as a means of fostering creativity and building self-awareness.
- Identify factors that enhance creativity.
- Describe the key concepts of aesthetic leadership.
Dr. Eri Millrod
Assistant Professor and Director, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Dance/Movement Therapy Concentration, Rider University
Dr. Millrod has 27 years of clinical experience providing dance/movement therapy (DMT) and verbal therapy to adults with mental illnesses, addictions, and dual diagnoses in an inpatient psychiatric hospital where she also ran specialty groups for trauma and grief.
Breakout Session 3: Lead Like a Woman to Achieve Success Like a Man
There are a sufficient number of qualified women to fill leadership roles. So why aren't women leaders rising to the highest levels of leadership compared to their male counterparts? During this session, I will provide tools to break down barriers and biases to define a leadership playbook.
Session Objectives:
- Understand personal barriers and bias.
- Identify essential leadership tools.
- Create a personal 12-month leadership playbook.
Ms. Kimberly Hairston-Hicks
Founder and CEO, Good Beauté
Kimberly Hairston-Hicks is an award-winning C-suite Executive with 17 years of global beauty industry experience. Before joining Combs Global as the Head of Combs Labs, she founded Good Beauté; the first Vitamin C skincare brand formulated for black women. She also served as the Chief Marketing Officer for a multicultural haircare portfolio backed by L. Catterton Company and held leadership roles for Unilever, Coty, L'Oreal, and The Coca-Cola Company. Kimberly earned her MBA from Clark Atlanta University and her Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Kean University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the National Black MBA Association. In addition, she serves as an advisory board member for Clark Atlanta University and several non-profit organizations.
Breakout Session 4: Leader Gratitude and Team Interactions
Engaging in effective teamwork can be difficult because of the all-time high stress experienced by employees in an increasingly demanding workplace. The question is how to help employees see their work in a more positive light and feel encouraged to collaborate with their colleagues. There will be opportunities to explore leader gratitude and team dynamics in today’s demanding work environment.
Session Objectives:
- Understand the role of gratitude in stressful environments.
- Identify factors that enhance groupwork/group collaboration.
- Discuss how to help employees engage in more positive reflection of their work.
Dr. Quinn Cunningham
Associate Professor, Management, Rider University
Quinn Cunningham earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Drexel University and joined Rider in 2014. She has taught Team Management classes since 2015 and her research interests include information sharing and psychological safety in teams.
Dr. Hee Young Kim
Associate Professor and Department Chair, Management, Rider University
Hee Young Kim has been at Rider since 2014 after receiving her Ph.D. in Management at NYU Stern. Her research interests include work stress, cross-cultural differences, and social hierarchy in organizations. Prior to entering academia, she worked in investment banking in Hong Kong, Korea, and New York.
Breakout Session 5: The Importance of Building a Quality Network; No Hammer Required
Discover what a network is, why a quality network is important to help you thrive professionally and personally throughout your life and, most importantly, what your current network looks like.
Ms. Laura Glotzbach ‘97
President and Founder, LGS Marketing Services
Laura Glotzbach has 25 years of marketing experience with a focus on direct response advertising and campaign analytics. She spent 10 years working in several of the top New York advertising agencies (Wunderman, MEC Interaction and Neo@Ogilvy) before branching out and starting her own marketing analytics firm 13 years ago. Laura graduated from Rider University with a Business degree in Advertising. She is on the Executive Board of the Gail Bierenbaum Leadership Council at Rider University, an Executive in Residence for the Norm Brodsky College of Business at Rider University and Co-chair of the Rider Business Analytics Advisory Council. Laura was awarded the Hooper/Gibbons Mentor award in 2020 for her work with the Gail Bierenbaum Leadership Council. She is currently attending Penn State for a Master of Professional Studies, Psychology of Leadership.
Breakout Session 6: Two Mindset Shifts to Live with Intention and Be Content
Are you making yourself a priority? Learn two mindset shifts you can practice to bring more purpose, intention, joy and belonging into your life. Get ready to bring the energy, share experiences and leave the session with a proven approach to create big change in your life and THRIVE.
Session Objectives:
- Identify a comparison mindset and how to shift to a competitive one.
- Shift from the things outside of your control to focusing on the 10 “controllables”.
- Identify above and below the line behaviors to maintain the two mindset shifts.
Ms. Brett Ashley Davis
SRC Fitness Manager and Mental Performance Coach
Brett Ashley Davis has been at Rider since 2008, managing, leading and mentoring over 300 student employees at the Student Recreation Center. She has her masters in Sport Administration from Arkansas State University and recently started her own business as a mental performance coach for athletic minds.
Breakout Session 7: Women and Wealth: The Power of "Investing" in Yourself, It is Never Too Late
This session will empower women to be engaged with their finances to thrive in their lives and careers. Financial well-being enables women to reach their goals and the opportunity to pursue their dreams. We will discuss how to make the most of what you earn, spend, and save whether you are single, married or in a committed relationship.
Session Objectives:
- Understand the power of controlling your finances.
- Learn to “pay yourself first”.
- Learn to make the most of what you earn, spend, and save.
- Enhance your knowledge about your financial future.
Ms. Annmarie Woods
Rider Trustee and Regional VP, Guggenheim Investments
Annmarie is the Regional Vice President at Guggenheim Investment. She joined the firm in 2020, after reaching a milestone of 30 years’ experience in the mutual fund and retirement plan marketplace. Annmarie graduated with a B.A. from Regis College, and holds FINRA series 7, 63, and 65 registrations, as well as her Life and Health Insurance licenses. She is a proud Rider Trustee, a member and mentor for the Gail Bierenbaum Leadership Council at Rider and has hosted workshops at the University in financial literacy and planning.
Speakers
Founder and CEO, Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement (HISPA)
President, Bucks County Community College
Vice Chair, Rider University Board of Trustees
Harvard physician, Forbes contributor and NBC News medical commentator
Breakout Presenters
Associate Professor, Management, Rider University
SRC Fitness Manager and Mental Performance Coach
Associate Director for Grants Development & Science Literacy and Director, Rider SELECT.
Yoga Instructor
President and Founder, LGS Marketing Services
Certified Reiki Master and Network Technician/Electrician, Rider University
Founder and CEO, Good Beauté
Rider Trustee and Owner, Mosaic Consulting and Counseling Services
Associate Professor and Department Chair, Management, Rider University
Assistant Professor and Director, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Dance/Movement Therapy Concentration, Rider University
Rider Trustee and Regional VP, Guggenheim Investments
Attendance
Am I required to attend both days of the Summit?
We believe that the Summit is an opportunity to invest in yourself by being fully immersed in the learning opportunities provided by attending both days.
Do I need to take vacation time to attend the Summit?
Absolutely not. Both days are considered work days that are dedicated to your professional development.
What if I cannot attend both days?
Please reach out to mwl@rider.edu regarding your particular circumstances. Someone from the Summit Committee will respond to you.
Breakout Sessions
Am I guaranteed my 1st and 2nd choices for the breakout sessions?
Our intent is to accommodate attendees’ choices to the extent possible. However, due to room availability and capacity, we cannot guarantee that you will receive your 1st and 2nd choices. We will do our best.
Funding
How is the Summit funded?
As with the external development awards provided through the Mazzotti Women’s Leadership Program, the Mazzotti Summits are fully funded through the generosity of Joan Mazzotti and her husband Mike Kelly. Joan is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and a proud Rider alumna. Also contributing to this year’s Summit is Tom Lynch, a proud Rider alumnus and Trustee.
Dress Code
Is there a dress code for the Summit?
Business casual is appropriate for both days.
Morning Sessions
Am I required to participate in the morning sessions on Day One?
No, the morning sessions are optional. However, we encourage you to participate in one of these sessions as an opportunity to focus on your physical well-being.
Meals
Will meals be provided at the Summit?
Yes, several meals and snack breaks will be provided. On Monday, May 22, lunch, afternoon snack and a Pub Reception will be provided on campus. On Tuesday, May 23, a continental breakfast, morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack will be provided at River House at Odette’s.
Will special dietary needs be accommodated?
Yes, when registering, please indicate your dietary needs and we will do our best to accommodate them. If you have additional needs that you did not indicate already, please email mwl@rider.edu.
Parking and Transportation
Will transportation be provided to River House at Odette’s?
Transportation will not be provided. Everyone is on their own to get to River House. We encourage you to consider carpooling with your colleagues.
Is there parking at River House at Odette’s?
Parking is not available on site but there is a dedicated parking lot on W. Bridge Street in New Hope. Shuttles will be available beginning one hour prior to the Summit to take you to the venue and at the end of the Summit to return you to the parking lot. We will provide additional information as the dates approach.
Who Am I? Board
Am I required to complete a Who Am I Board?
Yes, all participants should bring their board to Day Two of the Summit for participation in the morning and afternoon table discussions. Come prepared to share what you feel most comfortable sharing.
Are the blank boards being provided?
Yes, boards are being provided and can be picked up in the following locations: President’s Suite – Ground floor of Moore Library; Associate Dean of Students Suite – BLC 2nd floor; Career Services Suite – BLC 3rd floor; and Norm Brodsky College of Business Dean’s Suite – 2nd floor.
What if I want to create my board electronically?
For those of you creating your board via electronic means, please print your creation and adhere it to the board to bring with you on Day Two.
If I have questions about how to complete the Who Am I? board, who should I contact?
All questions may be sent to mwl@rider.edu and someone from the Summit Committee will respond to you.