2025 Keynotes, Panelists & Special Guests

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Keynotes & Special Guests

Keynote

Christa Hagearty
Keynote

Minessa Konecky
GODDESS

Tara Vargas Wallace

Keynote

Christa Hagearty

Christa Hagearty, President and third generation owner of Dependable Cleaners, has a passion for innovation, sustained growth and identifying her customer’s needs.  Since taking over as President of the company in 1996, Hagearty been recognized by organizations around Massachusetts.  She has been named an “Emerging Business Leader” in Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 as well as earning a spots in Boston Business Journal and Commonwealth Institute’s Top 100 Women-Lead Businesses, was named on the “100 Women We Admire” List presented by the Woman’s Leadership Forum and Ad Club, and a Leading Women by Girl Scouts of Eastern MA, Jack Barth Award by the Association of Wedding Specialists, among others.

Christa continues to respect the heritage of Dependable Cleaners, which was founded by her grandparents in 1944, and has become an advocate for Green Technology and Environmentally friendly solutions which earned Dependable a Greenovate Award by Boston’s Mayor Tom Menino. 

Hagearty is a member of the Young President’s Organization, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, the Dry Cleaning Institute, Quincy Schools Education Partnership, Wedding Gown Specialists Association and the South Shore Women’s Business Network.  She is on the Boards of Quincy Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of MA.

Christa Hagearty holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Vermont, an MBA from Simmons School of Management and completed the Presidents’ Program in Leadership at Harvard Business School.  She lives in Weymouth, MA and enjoys reading, skiing and traveling with her family.

Keynote

Minessa Konecky

Minessa Konecky is a passionate advocate for joyful, human-centered work, with a specialty in research administration and grants management from smaller biotech organizations to large academic health centers. With 25 years of experience managing the chaos behind the scenes of academic and clinical research, they bring clarity, strategy, and an unwavering enthusiasm to every room they’re in. As President of the South Shore Women’s Business Network, Minessa champions community-driven leadership and connection among women in business across the South Shore. Through their YouTube series Commitment to Clockout and consulting work, they help professionals reclaim their time, set better boundaries, and find fulfillment without burning out. A proud member of the Queer community with deep Desi roots, Minessa lives in a cozy seaside cottage in Plymouth, MA on unceded and occupied lands of the Wampanoag people, with their wife Allie and three tiny huskies. 

GODDESS

Tara Vargas Wallace

Social Justice Activist and Nonprofit Leader

Tara Vargas Wallace is a dynamic community leader and social justice advocate based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. She is the Founder, CEO, and President of Amplify POC, Inc., a nonprofit she established in 2020 to champion racial equity, support POC-owned businesses, and bridge the racial wealth gap on Cape Cod.

Early Life & Journey

Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Tara became a homeless single mother shortly after moving to Cape Cod with her young daughter. With critical support from Housing Assistance Corporation, she overcame this hardship and embarked on a 20‑year career serving individuals affected by housing & food insecurity, trauma, addiction, and domestic & sexual violence. 

Career & Community Leadership

Over two decades of experience working with nonprofits such as Housing Assistance, Independence House, Homeless Prevention Council, and the Department of Transitional Assistance as a social worker.

Former Commissioner on the Cape Cod Commission on the Status of Women & Girl’s and also a graduate of INP with a certificate in Social Impact Management & Leadership. 

Leads and collaborates with organizations like the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, the NAACP, the MLK Jr. Action Team, and served on the boards of Housing Assistance Corporation and CCYP.

Active board member of the People of Action and Pop Up Street Cape Cod.

Honors & Awards

2025 Alumni of the Year Award from Cape Cod Community College

Latino Excellence Award Honoree from the Massachusetts Black & Latino Legislative Caucus (2024)

Paul Harris Fellow recognition for leadership and service (2022)

Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission’s “Unsung Hero Award” (2021)

Emerging Community Leader Award from CCYP (2020)

Cape & Plymouth Business Magazine’s “40 Under 40” (2020)

Community Advocacy Award from Eastern Bank (2022)

Advocacy & Impact

Delivered a powerful TEDxProvincetown talk in 2022 on five ways to close the racial wealth gap, including “wallet activism” and policy reform.

Featured on WCAI’s Morning Edition and other local media as a leading voice on racial and economic justice in the Cape Cod region.

Amplify POC Mission

Under Tara’s leadership, Amplify POC has:

Built a regional business directory and organized vendor events centering POC-owned enterprises.

Hosted workshops on entrepreneurship, financial empowerment, and systemic change.

Led civic engagement initiatives and supported policies aimed at closing racial equity gaps.

Tara Vargas Wallace’s inspiring journey—from overcoming homelessness to becoming a catalyst for justice and economic empowerment—embodies resilience, vision, and the transformative power of community. Her work continues to uplift and mobilize historically excluded voices while creating pathways toward a more equitable future.

Panel Descriptions 2025

TITLE: From Pivot to Progress; Leveraging Talent, Community, and Networks to Embrace Change

DESCRIPTION: Change is inevitable but how we respond can shape our future and the future of those around us.

This panel brings together three inspiring women who have embraced personal and professional pivots, using their skills, talent, and connections to spark positive change in their communities. Through their stories, attendees will discover how embracing their own growth can create ripple effects that strengthen and uplift others.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand the phases of change that people go through to effectively lead in your community.
  • Leverage your unique skills and talents to navigate through change as a leader.
  • Develop strategies to push through challenges when navigating change.

Panel Coordinator: Kelly Golden

Panelists: 

Title: Design It, Align It: Your Life, Your Terms.

Description:

Change is inevitable, how you navigate it is a choice. In this empowering session, we’ll explore how to move beyond the myth of work-life balance and step into a life designed with intention and alignment. You’ll learn how to clarify your values, make choices that honor them, and create harmony between your professional ambitions and personal priorities. Walk away with a clear framework to help you embrace change, protect your energy, and live in alignment by design, not by default.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to set boundaries
  • How to align your choices with your values
  • Design the life you intend and not settling or going with what seems easiest
  • Setting boundaries to claim your seat at the table. Boundaries are not just about time management. They are also about self-respect.

Panel Coordinator: Jen Freedman

Panelists: 

Title: Three Women, Three Entrepreneurial Journeys

DESCRIPTION:

Three women share their entrepreneurial experiences in the fields of event planning, marketing, and authorship, discussing why they started their entrepreneurial journey, challenges, surprises, and strategic advice.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Entrepreneurship is creating and takes different forms.
  • The entrepreneurial journey is not always a linear path.
  • Entrepreneurship looks different for everyone.

Panel Coordinator: Jeannette Lamberti

Panelists: 

Three Voices, One Mission: To Lead with Confidence

Join us for an inspiring panel where three powerhouse women share their unique take on confidence—at home, in style, and in life. From organizing your space to dressing with intention to cultivating emotional strength, this is a conversation rooted in transformation and authenticity.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Confidence Begins with Clarity: Declutter your space, clear your mind.
  • Style Reflects Self-Worth: Dress the way you want to be seen.
  • Emotional Security Is the Anchor: Lead with inner strength.

Panel Coordinator: Jeannette Lamberti

Panelists: 

Rooted, Real, and Rising

Join us, three women who have journeyed through the messy and beautiful path of self-discovery, as we invite you to embark on your own transformative adventure. Our panel will guide you into the essence of living authentically, trusting your intuition and embracing the awareness that allows you to rise without losing yourself.

This journey is not about perfection or endlessly fixing yourself. It’s about uncovering your true self, standing confidently in your own shoes, and embracing your bigness in your unique way. Come as you are and leave with your power turned all the way up!

Through raw narratives, practical tools, and grounding embodiment practices, you will learn:

KEY TAKEWAYS:

  • Anchor into your truth and own your bigness—even when it feels too loud, too messy, or too much.
  • Connect with your higher self-using tools to ground, center, and come home to YOU.
  • Unfold the layers of who you’ve been told to be, so you can confidently stand in your own shoes.

Panel Coordinator: LaDawn Dubose

Panelists: 

Title: Navigating Crisis to Transform Lives

Description:

Life is a constant state of change, presenting us with systemic challenges, personal crossroads, and the echoes of our past. But what if we had the power not just to navigate this change, but to embrace it as a catalyst for profound growth and empowerment?

Join our panel of experts for a transformative discussion on taking control of your story.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Navigate complex systems with confidence, learning how a Healthcare Advocate can ensure you are informed, empowered, and prepared in the face of a crisis.
  • Reclaim your authentic self by moving off life’s autopilot. Guided by an Existential Doula, you’ll find your inner compass through a unique blend of philosophical wisdom and empowering rituals.
  • Rewrite your next chapter by transforming past adversity into your greatest strength. Explore a memoirist’s roadmap to healing and learn that we have full control over who we choose to become. Join us to gain the tools and courage to start your next chapter with intention, joy, and control. Because to be human is to be a work in progress.

Panel Coordinator: Jill Ceppspano

Panelists: 

Title: Emotional Healing at the Root: Thriving, Not Just Surviving

Description:

Many people spend years managing stress, anxiety, fatigue, and physical symptoms without realizing that the root cause often lies deeper. Emotional health, trauma, and hormonal shifts are closely connected to overall physical well-being, and until we address those connections, we can remain stuck in survival mode. This panel will help you explore root-cause healing, move beyond symptom management, and create lasting transformation.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand the connection between emotional health, trauma, hormones, and physical well-being, and why symptoms are often only part of the story.
  • Learn why root-cause approaches to emotional and physical healing lead to lasting change, not just symptom management.
  • Leave with practical strategies to support both mind and body, break free from survival mode, and step into an authentic life.

Panel Coordinator: Lynn Laporte

Panelists:

Community, Communication & The Power of Vulnerability

Key Takeaways:

  • A clear path to finding the right community for you. How to identify, approach, and connect with the communities that truly support and inspire you.
  • Strategies for harnessing and leveraging all your community has to offer. Turning relationships into momentum for your goals, your work, and your well-being.
  • Meaningful ways to pay it forward. Using your time, talents, and experiences to create contributions that uplift your entire community.

Panel Coordinator: Laurie McDowell

Panelists:

TITLE: Redefining Balance: Body, Brain & Soul

DESCRIPTION: In a culture that often defines balance through a rigid, patriarchal lens—measuring success by productivity, perfection, and compartmentalized “work-life” boundaries—it’s time to rethink what balance really means. This thought-provoking panel invites you to let go of outdated ideals and embrace a more integrated, embodied, and wholeness driven approach to well-being. Together, we’ll explore how the body, brain, and soul each contribute to a deeper sense of alignment, one that honors intuition, rest, and the natural rhythms of life. Let’s move beyond the myth of work-life balance and toward a healthier, more authentic, and sustainable way of living.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • A liberating new perspective on balance that challenges the myth of work-life separation and embraces wholeness over compartmentalization.
  • Practical strategies for aligning body, brain, and soul to support sustainable well-being in everyday life.
  • Inspiration to release patriarchal definitions of success and productivity in favor of more intuitive, values-driven living.

Panel Coordinator: Jen Hook

Panelists:

TITLE: Embracing Change: Turning Transitions into Opportunities

DESCRIPTION:

Life is full of transitions — buying a home, changing careers, or securing funding for a new chapter in your organization’s journey. In a world that’s increasingly automated, these moments still require a personal touch, deep understanding, and genuine human connection. This panel brings together a grant writer, a home loan officer, and a talent and engagement professional who guide people through some of life’s biggest opportunities. Attendees will learn how to navigate uncertainty, make confident decisions, and tap into the right resources to create opportunities from every transition.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

·       Recognize the power of human connection in guiding others through major life opportunities.
·       Learn strategies to turn uncertainty into opportunity during personal and professional transitions.

·       Discover how to align resources, relationships, and resilience to move forward with confidence.

Panel Coordinator: Antoinette Rodney

Panelists: 

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