2024 Women in the Lead: Leadership Conference, Oct. 25

Event is Sold Out! Limited Seats Available thru Sponsorship! For Wait List Email events@BIABayArea.org Subject: WLC Wait List - Qty #


BIA\|Bay Area proudly presents the 7th Annual Women's Leadership Conference featuring three intriguing speakers that will motivate, inspire and educate a sold-out attendance. The event promises to be a day full of inspiration, motivation and education. Contact events@biabayarea.org with questions.
Download Press Release HERE.

	CARA BROOKINS is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, #1 best-selling author of nine books, and renowned thought leader in the science of motivation. Her actionable strategies empower audiences worldwide to overcome
odds that seem insurmountable and thrive in any situation. Ms. Brookins is best known as the mom who built her own house with her kids using Youtube Tutorials. With her eager construction crew consisting of her four young children, Brookins laid the block, framed the walls, and even ran the plumbing and gas lines for her 3,500 square foot house. She shared her story in her #1 best-selling memoir Rise: How a House Built a Family. Brookins’ incredible story went viral amassing more than two billion views in over 100 countries in two weeks time. Media outlets including The New York Times, The Today Show, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, NBC, CBS News, USA Today, TIME, TLC, ABC News, BBC, Fox News Insider, People Magazine, and CNN have featured Cara's compelling journey, and it’s been optioned for film, television, and reality television. With two decades of experience working as a senior software analyst and no construction experience, Brookins was the least likely person to build anything — let alone a house. The idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things is a constant in her work, including her latest self-help book Unstuck: End Procrastination Using The Ancient Psychology Behind How-To Videos and is why she was inducted as a member of the prestigious Society for the Science of Motivation and the National Speaker Association. Told through stories on her unconventional family construction site, Brookins’ entertaining keynotes reveal proven strategies to overcome odds that seem insurmountable. Brookins has shared her motivation strategies with the world’s most respected organizations, including Walmart, Google, Kimberly Clark, YouTube, CenturyLink, Artemis, US Law Network, Lincoln Financial Group, Capital One, and many more. She also works with the United Nations in her role as a United Nations Association Advocate to raise awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
	KRISTINA LAWSON serves as the Managing Partner and Chair of the firm's Management Committee at Hanson Bridgett. As the firm’s chief executive, she oversees all aspects of the firm’s strategic direction and management. She is the first
female Managing Partner in Hanson Bridgett’s 65+ year history. In addition to leading the firm, Kristina serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Bay Area Council, an organization of 300+ influential employers committed to working with public and community leaders to keep the Bay Area the most innovative, globally competitive, inclusive, and sustainable region in the world. Renowned in the legal industry and beyond as a progressive and collaborative leader, Kristina was recognized in the San Francisco Business Times’ 2023 and 2024 Power 100 lists of the Bay Area's Most Influential Business Leaders. She is a former Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek, a city of approximately 65,000 residents in the greater Bay Area. In 2015, Kristina was appointed by California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. to serve on the Medical Board of California, and was reappointed in 2022 by Governor Gavin Newsom, serving as the Medical Board's President from 2020‐2023 and again in 2024. Kristina is an expert in complex California entitlement, land use, environmental/natural resources, and municipal matters. She is a respected statewide authority on California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance and strategy, actively contributing to statewide CEQA modernization efforts. She is a frequent author of complex California land use ballot initiatives/referenda. As a trusted strategic advisor, Kristina often advises clients on public policy, land use ballot measure strategy, and government relations strategy. At Hanson Bridgett, Kristina is committed to leading by example and building on the firm’s strong California foundation. She continues to advance the firm’s values‐driven programs, fostering an inclusive culture of engagement and collaboration, and doubling down on DEI initiatives.
	KRISTIN B. CONNELLY began her term as Contra Costa County’s Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters on January 3, 2023, where she oversees the approximately 72 employees that work in both the Clerk-Recorder Division and
the Elections Division. With respect to the Elections Division, Kristin has spent her first fifteen months in office focused on increasing access to voting, ensuring transparency about elections processes, and battling misinformation about voting. She also proudly promotes the important work of the Clerk-Recorder Division which handles hundreds of thousands of property transactions and vital records each year. In her role as Commissioner of Civil Marriages, Kristin is honored to have officiated wedding ceremonies as part of her department’s Destination Weddings program both at the summit of Mount Diablo and at the COBRA Experience Museum. Prior to being elected Clerk-Recorder, Kristin worked as the President and CEO of the East Bay Leadership Council (EBLC) and the Executive Director of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership (CCEP) for more than 8 years. Through her leadership of EBLC and CCEP, Kristin proudly served as a founding Executive Committee member of the Ensuring Opportunity Campaign to end poverty in Contra Costa County. Kristin served on the Acalanes Union High School District Governing Board starting in 2018 when she was elected to a two-year term and was re-elected in 2020. In 2022, Kristin served as the President of the AUHSD Governing Board. A native of Martinez, Kristin earned a law degree from Fordham, a master’s in public policy from Georgetown and a bachelor’s in political science from UCLA, as a Frank H. Buck Scholar. Kristin is a proud graduate of College Park High School in Pleasant Hill. She practiced employment law at the firm Sidley Austin LLP in New York City. Kristin is grateful to be raising her two teenage children in Contra Costa with her husband, T.J.
	CAROLYN McARDLE, a prominent Bay Area radio presence for more than three decades, Ms. McArdle was named the San Francisco Giants’ full-time Public Address Announcer in July 2024. In addition to her prestigious
announcer position with the San Francisco Giants, she is the morning show Co-Host, Executive Producer and Music Director at iHeart radio’s 98.1 The Breeze. Carolyn has been in Bay Area radio for over three decades. Ms. McArdle began her sports announcing career in 2018, at the University of the Pacific. She later announced for Stanford and then U.C. Berkeley, where she still announces for their football and gymnastics teams. She has been the Public Address Announcer for the Sacramento River Cats, the AAA Minor League Baseball team for the San Francisco Giants for the past five years. A graduate of Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, Ms. McArdle earned a broadcasting degree from San Francisco State. She loves outdoor pursuits and is the “pawrent” to a four-year-old golden retriever named “Perk.”

SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES: All sponsors will receive recognition on the event web page, all marketing and printed programs plus the benefits listed below each sponsorship. KEYNOTE $7,500 10 Event Tickets (includes breakfast, conference & reception) 2 Images of Recognition in Visual Presentation Full Page Ad in Program PLATINUM $5,000 8 Event Tickets (includes breakfast, conference & reception) 2 Images of Recognition in Visual Presentation Half Page Ad in Program RECEPTION (Exclusive) $4,000 4 Event Tickets (includes breakfast, conference & lunch) 1 Images of Recognition in Visual Presentation Quarter Page Ad in Program BREAKFAST (Exclusive) $3,000 - SOLD OUT 4 Event Tickets (includes breakfast, conference & lunch) 1 Images of Recognition in Visual Presentation Quarter Page Ad in Program DIAMOND $2,500 4 Event Tickets (includes breakfast, conference & lunch) 1 Images of Recognition in Visual Presentation Quarter Page Ad in Program GOLD $1,500 3 Event Tickets (includes breakfast, conference & lunch) 1 Images of Recognition in Visual Presentation SILVER $1,000 2 Event Tickets (includes breakfast, conference & lunch) BRONZE $500 1 Event Ticket (includes breakfast, conference & lunch) Questions?: Contact events@biabayarea.org