MAY 19, 2023
8:30am - 3pm
Tyler Junior College
Rogers Student Center
1400 E. Fifth St. Tyler, Texas 75701
EMERGING
sTRONGER
Keyote Speaker
Dr. Nancy Bernardino
Executive Director for Single Gender and TransformationSchools in Dallas ISD
Speakers
Evan Young is an Executive Trainer with Express Pros Training and is a certified distributor of multiple leadership and organizational assessment tools. As a U.S. Navy Commander (Ret) who has over two decades of leadership experience as a Naval Officer and Aviator. He has led at both the Executive level and managed small, cross-functional teams worldwide. He has demonstrated success in fast paced, extremely complex environments by developing and mentoring professional teams to achieve elite-level performance. Session: From Meh to Motivated: Inspiring Your Team Without the Over-the-Top Hype After a 20-year career in naval aviation, I’ve learned firsthand the power of finding your own motivation and using it to inspire those around you. Join me for a breakout session where I’ll share the strategies that helped me reignite my passion as a leader and how you can do the same for your employees. We’ll explore ways to foster a culture of growth, trust, and high performance, while also learning how to identify and tap into what truly motivates others—empowering both you and your team to unlock potential and transform tomorrow!
Evan Young
Kim Beckham is a highly regarded speaker, leader, coach, and lifelong learner who has been leading people to success for over 45 years. He has led organizations as small as 10 people and as large as 1000. Kim has a passion for the development of leaders and has a thriving coaching and leadership training business as a John Maxwell certified coach.
Session: Leveling Up- Tackling the Transitions that Transform our Lives
What got you here, won't get you where you want to go." If you are going to succeed at the highest possible level you have to keep growing in both your skills and mindset. I will teach how to overcome limiting mindsets and how to "level up" to the next stage of your professional and personal growth.
Kim Beckham
Brooke Mott
Brooke Mott, CRCM is the Fair & Responsible Banking Officer at Southside Bank where she oversees the Community Reinvestment Act, Fair Lending and Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices Programs. With over two decades of experience in the financial sector spanning both the private and federal government, Brooke has led initiatives that drive meaningful change in communities. Her leadership has played a pivotal role in fostering financial inclusion and responsible banking practices. Beyond her professional achievements, Brooke is a passionate advocate for empowering individuals and strengthening communities that goes beyond the workplace.
Session: Empowering Communities: How Banks Support Economic Inclusion
Strong leaders unlock potential by leveraging financial resources to drive lasting community transformation. The Empowering Communities session explores how visionary leadership, strategic banking partnerships, and innovative financial tools can fuel economic empowerment. The session encourages empathetic leadership, problem solving and relationship building.
Kimberly Lewis
Kimberly B. Lewis, the President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of East Texas as more than 24 years of nonprofit experience. She is also a bestselling author, speaker, consultant, executive coach, and frequent contributor of Forbes Magazine. As an innovative leader she has been recognized for her work by Goodwill Industries International, the National Disability Institute, the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Barron's, the Chronicle of Philanthropy and others.
Session: Good, Better, Best: Creating a Sustainable Future
The founder of Goodwill Industries, Edgar J. Helms proclaimed over 100 years ago that "No matter what difficulties or problems you face...the future is in your hands. This presentation will engage attendees in global sustainable textile recycling plans and the lessons leaders can learn from the recycling of things and careers.
Karen Holt: Karen Holt is the Executive Director of the American Red Cross East Texas chapter, overseeing Red Cross programs and services for over 1.9 million people in 29 counties throughout East Texas. Holt has a passion for volunteerism —serving on numerous city, county, and state boards over the past 25 years, including Texas Homeless Network, The Arc of Gregg County, and the Mayor’s Homeless Taskforce. She is also a Rotarian. The primary focus has been on community engagement and implementing asset-based community development. Karen is also a former New Diana ISD trustee, and she served the district for eight years, from 2014 to 2022. She has helped the most vulnerable throughout East Texas, previously serving as the Executive Director of East Texas CASA, serving over 600 children in the foster care system and as the Housing Navigator with the Local Mental Health Authority, Community Healthcore. Dr. Linda Braddy: Dr. Linda Braddy is CEO of the American Red Cross North Texas Region, overseeing service delivery, fundraising, external relations, and community resilience efforts. She previously served as President of Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, inaugural Provost of Dallas College, and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Tarrant County College, leading institutional transitions and academic initiatives. With a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Oklahoma, she has also led national efforts to improve mathematics education through her work as Deputy Director of the Mathematical Association of America in Washington, D.C.
American Red Cross
Karen Holt, and Dr. Linda Braddy
Session: Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Resiliency Over the past decade, America, including the East Texas community, has faced a growing number of disasters. By exploring the transformative journeys of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy, and the Wizard, we reveal the key leadership qualities essential for guiding communities through adversity during disaster. In this session, community leaders will learn how to champion efforts that help neighborhoods truly “bounce back better,” focusing on social cohesion, collaboration, and resilience powered by effective asset-based community mobilization.
Fred Smith, Founder, The Gathering
Fred Smith, author of "Where The Light Divides" and “The Edge Of The Inside” is a graduate of Denver University and Harvard Divinity School. He is the co-founder of Leadership Network with Bob Buford and served as President for 12 years. He founded the Fourth Partner Foundation in 1996 and served as President for 20 years. Fred is the founder of The Gathering, an international association of individuals, families and private foundations.
Session: Philanthropy in East Texas
What is the state of philanthropy and charity in our community? This panel will discuss the role, the contribution of and future of philanthropy in East Texas. Our panelists and moderator represent a wide range of perspectives. Nancy Lamar, Patrick Willis and Zoe Lawhorn each have years of experience in the field.
Philanthropy Panel : FRED SMITH
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson is the co-founder of Express Pros Training and is a certified distributor of multiple leadership and organizational assessment tools. His experience is in Management, Business Development, Consulting, Training, Speaking and Teaching. He’s worked on projects with companies from a range of industries: from Financial Services to Manufacturing; from Engineering Firms to City Governments.
Session: The Game Between Your Ears: Are You Playing It Safe or Playing to Grow?
Are you playing it safe or playing to grow? The biggest game you'll ever play happens between your ears, and your mindset determines whether you stay stuck or move forward. In this highly interactive session, we’ll explore the key shifts that help you move past fear, let go of the impulse to chase certainty, and adopt growth-oriented thinking. You may think your current approach is helping you—but what if the very assumptions you rely on are the ones holding you back?
Cris Berlingeri, MD
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Wendy Frizzell - Executive Director Leadership Tyler
Wendy Frizzell, her husband, Barry, and daughter, Megan have made Tyler their home for more than 20 years. Wendy worked in fundraising for over 15 years then decided to change careers and went into retail pharmacy as Operations Manager for 2+ years. The door opened for her to work at Leadership Tyler, and she is in her third year as Executive Director. Her passion is to encourage others to become the leaders they were meant to be.
Session: Treasure Hunting: Uncovering Our Hidden Strengths
As leaders, we have strengths, and our team members have strengths that sometimes we don't even recognize. In this session we will explore hidden strengths that will enhance our leadership skills, and we will learn how to recognize the strengths of our team members. When we do that we unlock our potential, our team's potential, and we transform tomorrow.
Wendy Frizzell
Dr. Julie Philley
Julie V. Philley, MD
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Martinez CPA
Real Estate Panel
Session: Growing East Texas: Advancing Real Estate Opportunities with a Collaborative Approach
The session examines the power of collaboration in advancing real estate opportunities in East Texas. This session will also highlight how local leaders through a collaborative environment can foster innovation, attract investment, and strategically develop properties to contribute to the region's economic growth.
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Todd Buchanan
Todd Buchanan, President of Greater Texas Capital Corporation (GTCC) & Lending Avenue .Todd Buchanan is a senior leader with over 35 years’ experience in finance, accounting, and operations. He has a strong business acumen, adept at identifying financial and operational drivers that impact the bottom line, a value architect strategically geared toward execution. He serves as President of GTCC, a Certified Development Company that provides SBA lending to small businesses, in role since 2016, having joined in 2012 as EVP of Operations. He additionally founded and serves as President of Lending Avenue, an emerging Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and subsidiary of GTCC. Lending Avenue is focused on providing access to healthy and affordable capital, resources for financial literacy and mentoring to historically underserved, underestimated small businesses throughout East Texas.Todd’s previous experience includes six years as a business advisor and consultant and 17 years with four Fortune 500 companies serving in various roles including accounting, finance, corporate development, and VP/GM. He has a BA in Accounting from Texas Lutheran College and passed the Texas CPA exam. Todd has a passion for giving back to his community and currently serves on multiple advisory, non-profit, faith-based, and industry boards as well as a Deacon at Southern Oaks Baptist Church.
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Ana Barnson
NCC, LPC-S, EMDR Certified Therapist
Owner/ Therapist Sense of Self Counseling Ana Barnson is a licensed professional counselor and supervisor with national certification. She was formerly the Director of Client Services at the East Texas Crisis Center, where she led a team of counselors, interns, advocates, and volunteers to provide support and build resilience in survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and crime. Ana has been a therapy companion for many trauma survivors, families, caregivers, children, and professionals in East Texas. She is very passionate about providing care and support to the East Texas community, and her specializations include unique interventions such as EMDR and sandtray. She now runs her Private Practice: Sense of Self Counseling. Session: Building Resilience in Leadership Resilience refers to the ability to recover quickly from difficulties and challenges. In the context of leadership, it means leading teams or organizations through uncertain situations effectively. It involves withstanding the pressures and setbacks that come with leadership roles and proactively adapting and thriving in the face of adversity. Let's explore some important aspects that can help us become more resilient team leaders.
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