Thank You!
I just want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who made this event such a fantastic success! From our amazing sponsors and dedicated volunteers to all of you enthusiastic attendees and wonderful vendors—each and every one of you played a key role in creating such an inspiring and powerful experience.
Here is a snapshot of our day together…
Tricia Wagner, the Director of Outpatient Services at Shodair Hospital, is a seasoned expert with over 18 years of dedicated experience in the Mental Health Field. Widely recognized as a mentor, leader, and visionary within the Montana Mental Health Community, Tricia has significantly influenced and inspired numerous individuals and professionals through her remarkable contributions.
Meet the Speakers
Topic:
Authentic Leadership Inspired by the Sanctuary Model
Explore a leadership model that emphasizes creating a safe and supportive environment, fostering authenticity, resilience, and boldness in leaders. Learn how to cultivate a culture of emotional safety and open communication to empower your team to lead with confidence and integrity.
Anna Kazmierowski's story is all about blending authenticity with bold leadership—qualities that have shaped her journey from a temporary associate to the CEO and Founder of two thriving Montana-based businesses, A2Z Staffing Solutions and Adroit Employment Resources. Inspired by her immigrant mother's grit and the support she received from a Chicago staffing firm, Anna found her passion in helping people find life-changing careers and businesses discover top talent.
Her companies, nationally certified and partnered with local, national and international organizations, focus on more than filling roles. Anna is all about driving forward innovative recruiting strategies, upskilling and reskilling the workforce, and ensuring businesses operating in Montana are set up for success with everything from HR consulting to executive placements.
Anna’s knack for turning challenges into opportunities has earned her some serious accolades and scholarships, like the SBA Montana Women-Owned Small Business of the Year, YWCA Woman of the Year, Woman Business Advocate of the Year, Goldman Sachs business programs at Babson College. She’s also made her mark through leadership roles with the Montana SHRM State Council, Regional chair & co-chair for women business enterprise organization, and the Montana Chamber of Commerce Foundation, to name a few.
Excited to dive into the "Authentic Voices and Bold Leadership" theme at the Women Leadership Network conference, Anna's ready to share her journey, sprinkle in some fun, and inspire others to lead with courage and authenticity!
Emily has lived in Montana her whole life. She and her husband, Mike, raised their children in Helena, participating in a number of extracurricular activities such as Boy Scouts and sports. Emily’s background includes a formal education in culinary arts, sociology, and public relations, and she has a master’s degree in Public Administration. Her nonprofit experience includes working at Florence Crittenton Home, Montana Youth Homes under Rocky Mountain Development Council, as well as volunteering for other nonprofit organizations. Emily worked for the state of Montana for six years and continues to contract services for licensing kinship foster families for Child and Family Services. Emily was glad to return to the nonprofit sector in 2019 to work alongside other nonprofits to make meaningful change happen in the tri-county area. When she is out of the office, Emily enjoys cake decorating, and trying out new hobbies by taking adult education classes.
Topic:
Embracing Authenticity
Explore the transformative impact of authenticity in leadership. Emily will share practical tips for cultivating authenticity in leadership roles, navigating challenges, and leveraging individual strengths to lead with integrity, purpose, and authenticity. This session will empower you to embrace your unique identity, harness the power of authenticity, and lead with confidence and impact.
I joined New York Life in January 2024 after realizing I could put my education background to use helping women-owned businesses with financial empowerment.
Prior to my current position, I obtained a Master's degree in Education and worked in K-12 schools for almost 10 years. I enjoyed working with youth and seeing young minds grow.
Before I became an educator, I worked in Silicon Valley at various high-tech companies in sales and business development. I've seen both sides of the workplace, the corporate world and the school systems that are graduating the next generations of workers. Companies and businesses are rarely able to meet the needs of these new workers, as well as these new consumers. This puts a strain on small businesses as they become short-staffed and customers become pickier and harder to retain.
Now, as an agent with New York Life, I have to tools and skills to help small businesses navigate workforce, economic, and healthcare challenges. My commitment to clients is to lead with integrity, provide superior service, and develop long-term relationships. I look forward to connecting with WLN members!
Topic
Finance 101
The Finance 101 seminar is for both women new to managing their finances, and experienced money managers. The focus of this session is to explore your money mindset and offer empowering strategies to help you take the next right step in your money management journey.
Topics we'll cover:
** Your money mindset, is it positive or negative?
** What do all the things on my paystub mean?
** How do I create a spending plan that I'll stick with?
** How do I determine which financial goal I should focus on?
Bridgid Crowley, MD earned her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, where she also completed her residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in consult-liaison psychiatry. Dr. Crowley received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry degree from Montana State University in Bozeman.
Dr. Crowley practices general psychiatry, providing treatment for conditions including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and psychosis. She is board certified in general adult psychiatry and psychosomatic/consult-liaison psychiatry.
Before joining St. Peter’s Health, Dr. Crowley served as inpatient consult-liaison psychiatrist and outpatient consult-liaison psychiatrist focusing on Collaborative Care at Catholic Health Initiatives in Tacoma, WA.
She also previously served as a Clinical Instructor at University of Washington, worked at Wellspring Family Services in Seattle, was an on-call inpatient psychiatric consultant at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, WA and an on-call psychiatrist at Kitsap Mental Health Services in Bremerton, WA.
During her residency, Dr. Crowley was Chief Resident and elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She received the Clinical Excellence Award and the Stephen C. Hoffman Memorial Award in her graduating residency class.
Crowley is originally from Helena. In her free time, she enjoys trail running, cycling, skiing (downhill and cross-country), fly fishing, photography, cooking and baking.
Topic:
Work - Life Balance
Kylene is CEO of Falcon Performance Partners LLC, a Certified Executive Coach, and an Insights Discovery Licensed Practitioner. She served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force leading teams of hundreds of highly trained military professionals charged with accomplishing no-fail missions, at home and deployed. Kylene now works with leaders looking to make lasting positive change in themselves and their teams. With the goal of creating a climate that allows every teammate to optimize their performance, Kylene partners with leaders to assess where they are today, craft a plan for future growth, and ultimately achieve their goals. Kylene grew up in Missoula and is excited to be back in her home state. She and her husband are the proud parents of two school-age boys and live in East Helena, Montana.
Topic:
Navigating Change
Learn strategies to manage transitions and lead with resilience during times of uncertainty with Kylene Ruth from Falcon Performance Partners.
Sara Groves is a connector, collaborator, and communicator, who specializes in bringing people together to affect positive change for corporations, communities, and individuals. Sara has worked as a marketing executive in the healthcare and finance industries for the last ten years, leading teams that manage internal and external communications, marketing and advertising, brand management, analytics, competitive intelligence, and corporate strategy. Sara has also worked as an innovator in early childhood, launching programs that have impacted the lives of children from birth to five years old throughout the nation. Sara is also a successful freelance writer, publishing thousands of pieces that focus on parenting, health, and conservation; her writing has been recognized with awards from the Associated Press, the Montana Newspaper Association, and more. She is active on several boards in the Helena community that work to ensure access to nutrition, education, information, and the arts. She is a single mom, and her proudest accomplishment is raising two very kind and thoughtful young men. In her spare time, you can find her on the trails and on the water with her rescue dog, Moose, hosting friends at her house, or exploring the world.
Topic:
Your Value-Driven Life
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll work to align your values with how you spend your time to help you live your most authentic life! You’ll leave with an understanding of what drives you, how to prioritize your time, and a clear path moving forward.
An Enormous Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors!
Sponsorship Opportunities
Additional Opportunities for All Sponsors:
Mentions and gratitude during Women's Leadership Network monthly luncheons leading up to the summit.
Inclusion in post-event thank-you communications and press releases.
Visibility through Women's Leadership Network social media channels during and after the summit.
1 Year Membership to Women’s Leadership Network
Recognition as the Platinum Sponsor in all event materials and communications.
Prominent logo placement on event banners, signage, and promotional materials.
Acknowledgment in pre-event and post-event press releases.
Five complimentary VIP tickets to the Leadership Empowerment Summit.
Exclusive opportunity to address the audience during the opening or closing session.
Recognition on Women's Leadership Network social media platforms, including dedicated posts.
Featured logo and link on the Women's Leadership Network website homepage for six months.
Opportunity to contribute a featured article in our post-event newsletter.
VIP access to a private networking session with keynote speakers and leaders.
Recognition at Women's Leadership Network monthly luncheons leading up to the summit.
1 Year Membership to Women’s Leadership Network
Recognition as a Gold Sponsor in event materials and communications.
Logo placement on event banners, signage, and promotional materials.
Four complimentary VIP tickets to the Leadership Empowerment Summit.
Opportunity to address the audience during one of the breakout sessions.
Recognition on Women's Leadership Network social media platforms.
Featured logo and link on the Women's Leadership Network website for three months.
Opportunity to contribute an article in our post-event newsletter.
Recognition at Women's Leadership Network monthly luncheons leading up to the summit.
1 Year Membership To Women’s Leadership Network
Recognition as a Silver Sponsor in event materials and communications.
Logo placement on event banners, signage, and promotional materials.
Three complimentary VIP tickets to the Leadership Empowerment Summit.
Recognition on Women's Leadership Network social media platforms.
Featured logo and link on the Women's Leadership Network website for two months.
Recognition at Women's Leadership Network monthly luncheons leading up to the summit.
1 Year Membership to Women’s Leadership Network
Recognition as a Bronze Sponsor in event materials and communications.
Logo placement on event banners, signage, and promotional materials.
Two complimentary VIP tickets to the Leadership Empowerment Summit.
Recognition on Women's Leadership Network social media platforms.
Featured logo and link on the Women's Leadership Network website for one month.
Recognition at Women's Leadership Network monthly luncheons leading up to the summit.
You may Pledge to support Women’s Leadership Network with any amount. We greatly appreciate your support!
Recognition as a Sponsor in printed program and other materials at our Summit!