Best Practices for Networking & Communication – Panelists will discuss strategies to help you better communicate and network with others.  Learn techniques that will broaden your communication skills and make you a more effective communicator. 

Moderator:

Ivette Mendez - Director of Communications, Office of the Governor

Panelists:

• Leslie A. Anderson - Executive Director, New Jersey Redevelopment Authority
• Judy Chapman - Editor & Founder, Garden State Woman Magazine
• Kathy Ellis - Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, New Jersey Resources
• Bernadette McPherson - Bergen County Freeholder Chairwoman & Mayor of Rutherford Borough

Her Place at the Table: Negotiation Skills – Learn how to develop or enhance your skills from experts in negotiation.  Panelists will introduce a guide to using negotiation to achieve long-lasting personal and professional success.

Moderator:

Karen Kominsky - Governmental Affairs Consultant, Verizon

Panelists:

• Susan M. Baer - General Manager, Newark Liberty International & Teterboro Airports
• Karen F. Leisten - Partner, Morgan Lewis Technology Licensing and Global Outsourcing Group
• Ann Twomey - President, Health Professionals & Allied Employees, AFT, AFL-CIO
• Karol Corbin Walker - Partner, St. John & Wayne, LLC

Issues Affecting Non-Traditional Families – For many modern households, the concept of the nuclear family is a thing of the past. Hear about issues that affect non-traditional families in New Jersey and what strides have been made to protect their rights. Topics discussed will focus on same-sex parents, single parents and grandparent families.

Moderator:

Oadline D. Truitt - Assemblywoman, District 28

Panelists:

• Lisa B. Eisenbud, M.S.W - Chief of Staff, Department of Children and Families
• Jayne Gordon - Co-Chair, Mercer County Foster/Adoptive Services Association
• Christine Heer - Partner, Heer & Lyons, LLP
• Jeanine LaRue - Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor

The Art & Science of Leadership – The verdict is in – women possess the leadership, problem-solving and decision-making skills required for managing.  Learn how to become a more effective leader.

Moderator:

Maggie Moran - Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor

Panelists:

• Elsa Candelario, MSW, LCSW -Executive Director, Hispanic Family Center of Southern New Jersey, Inc.
• Tahesha Way - Freeholder, Passaic County

Violence in America: Where are We Today? – Panelists will discuss issues relating to gangs and domestic and sexual violence, and highlight how these issues are interconnected.  Learn about the depth and breadth of the problem, and how to find solutions to stop the cycle of violence.

Moderator:

Anne Milgram - First Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General

Panelists:

• Dr. Stephanie Bush-Baskette - Director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University in Newark
• Rev. Nidia E. Fernández - Chaplain, Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health Services
• Alana Goebel - Assistant Director, New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Barbara Price - Executive Director, NJ Coalition of Battered Women