2022 Keynotes, Panelists & Special Guests

;

Keynotes & Special Guests

Keynote

Derith Cass
Keynote

Sedruola Maruska
Emcee

Erica Ayisi
Comedian

Carolyn Plummer
2022 Goddess Award Recipient

Dr. Milagros Abru

Keynote

Derith Cass

Derith Cass (Coach D.) Bio

Derith Cass, aka Coach D., is a powerful presenter, mindset shifter, habit change specialist, women’s wellness coach, and a lover of the human connection. Her work centers around banding women together as a fierce tribe and transforming perspectives of what is possible so we can fully step into the life that is waiting for us.

Through Coach D’s presentations, women’s retreats, habit coaching programs (both group and individual), and fitness classes, countless stories have emerged about women breaking through what’s been holding them back by embracing lasting change, choosing to show up for themselves, getting back up when they fall, and celebrating the palpable power of community.

Her motto is: “All women. All ages. All stories. All destinations.”

This is what she built FIERCE by Choice, LLC (her passion-project-turned-business) on and the root of everything she teaches.

Living FIERCE is choosing to start where you are in this moment, creating the path that best fits you, and pushing yourself past where you thought you could go!

For over 20 years, Coach D. has shared her passion for empowering women to fiercely love the skin they’re in. From young girls to grandmothers and every age in between, Coach D. teaches you how to tap into that deep inner wisdom we all have, the place where all the answers are, so you have the tools to architect a life you love!

To learn more about habit coaching, group programs, women’s retreats or fitness classes, please visit her website at https://www.fiercebychoice.com

You can also connect with Coach D. on Instagram and Facebook,

Keynote

Sedruola Maruska

Sedruola Maruska is a social justice, equity, inclusion and diversity consultant and coach, host of the award-winning podcast Diversity Dish, speaker and aspiring author. She’s a graduate of Andrews University with a BA in Graphic Arts, a former Conversational English teacher, Corporate Trainer, and Executive Assistant. Her passion is helping business leaders cultivate cultures of equity and inclusion, to attract the diverse partnerships they desire and mitigating their risk of seeming out of touch.

Sedruola Maruska founded her consulting agency of the same name in January of 2017 after realizing it was time to embark on an intentional life journey to help educate and empower others on issues of social justice. Sedruola is a second generation Haitian-American, wife and mother who prides herself on having an amazing extended family network and being a citizen of the world born in Queens, New York.

Emcee

Erica Ayisi

Erica Ayisi is a freelance multimedia journalist focusing on human feature stories and documentaries around the world. Her work has appeared in numerous digital outlets, including NBCNews.com, The Root, Essence, Afroelle Magazine, and xoNecole. 

Her work includes online stories pertaining to the African diaspora, reporting on the surfing community in Ghana, Black atheism in London, natural beauty remedies with Rastafarian women in Jamaica, the legacy of activist Recy Taylor, the opening of Juices for Life juice bar in Brooklyn, as well as several other long-form articles capturing the global Black experience.

She has filed reports as an on-air reporter for Rhode Island PBS Weekly, Charter TV3 in central Massachusetts, as well as for ETV Ghana, in West Africa. 

Her passion for telling international stories has earned her a Distinguished Alumni & Friends of the Worcester Public Schools Achievement Award and a Ceremonial Key to the City of Worcester, Massachusetts. She is a two-time Pulitzer Center Reporting Grantee publishing ‘Swallowed by Sea’ an investigative project exploring coastal erosion livelihood in Ghana for MongaBay in 2022. In 2019, with the Pulitzer Center’s support Erica published ‘If This Hair Could Talk’ which examines how women in some of the most impoverished areas of Cambodia sell their hair as a means of survival for NBC News.  She is also receipt of the National Association of Black Journalists 2021 Ethel Payne Reporting project. 

A graduate of New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), she holds a master’s and bachelor’s in Communication Arts with a focus on broadcast journalism. She also teaches digital media and journalism production classes to high school and middle students outside Boston. Erica also founder and chief executive office of Akosua’s Closet-an African sourced online boutique shop featuring women’s clothing, jewelry, and home décor curated by Erica.  https://www.ericaayisi.com

Comedian

Carolyn Plummer

Carolyn Plummer. God help us.  Some comics rely on the monumental events of the day or the faux pas of the rich and famous. Not Carolyn. Carolyn pulls material from the hum-drum, day-today monotony of the life of everyman. And she does it well.

 To Carolyn the monumental is easy…it’s our existence that’s so hard, yet so ridiculous.  Some women look in the mirror and complain because they aren’t pretty enough, not rich enough, not young enough. Carolyn gives her reflection the finger.

The third child of a Congregational Minister and an “aloof” home maker mother; “aloof”? She’s clueless; her favorite band is Blootie and the Hoefish.” C.P. Carolyn learned early on that she could lament or she could make fun. See her once and you’ll quickly figure out which path she chose. And you’ll laugh.

Possessing an uncanny ability to introspectively pull from places most of us hide, Carolyn puts a nail through the heart of whiners, self-loathers and the self-sorry of the world and makes the average seem hilarious and larger than life.

 Most of all, Carolyn’s twisted perception of our common existence leaves audiences hysterically shaking heads in agreement with her assessment that the world is indeed a very funny place.

2022 Goddess Award Recipient

Dr. Milagros Abru

President/CEO and Founder, The Latino Health Insurance Program, Inc. www.lhiprogram.org

Dr. Milagros Abreu is the President – CEO and Founder of the Latino Health Insurance Program, Inc. (LHIP).  After obtaining her Medical Degree and residency in Pediatrics, Dr. Abreu worked for BMC and Boston University, where she obtained her master’s degree in Epidemiology at BU School of Public Health. She worked as an Assistant Professor for BUSPH, Epidemiology Department until 2012.  In 2006, she founded LHIP.  LHIP has assisted 86,000 individuals and families on health care access, chronic disease prevention, federal nutritional programs, and disease management in MA. Dr. Abreu has been an award recipient for her tremendous efforts to reduce health care disparities and contributions to public health. She was presented the Latinx Excellence on the Hill Award in 2019 by the Black and Latino Caucus after being nominated by the Senate President for this distinction. The Framingham Medical Reserve Corps, City of Boston, Massachusetts State Senate, Massachusetts Medical Society with its Ingersoll Bowditch Award for Excellent in Public Health, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and the 1st Kate Lorig Innovator award, among others.  Her research studies include increase access to preventive medicine, how to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, the benefits of Diabetes Self-Management Education in the control of diabetes, the benefits of partnering with community-based organization in the management and control of chronic conditions, cross-culture medicine, cultural competency in the medical settings, workforce diversity and the impact of language in health care. She is also a Master Trainer of “Tomando Control de su salud”, the Spanish version of CDSMP and a volunteer SHINE counselor. 

2022 Panel Descriptions

CLARITY & CONFIDENCE: TAKING AGENCY TO CREATE YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE

DESCRIPTION:  You are the only one who knows what’s most important for you, and what unique value you can bring to the world. But it can be hard to access your own internal wisdom in this fast-paced, social-media-driven, expectations-laden culture. Join us to hear three stories from women who’ve carved out their own paths and developed tools to build clarity around leadership so you can do the same.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • There are different ways to be a leader. The key is to find the style that’s right for you.
  • You have more choices than you think. Claim your agency and shape your own path.
  • Your own instincts are your best guides – though you may need a compass. Find the right support to be the best leader in your own life.

PANEL COORDINATOR: Shannon Giordano

PANELISTS:

HARNESSING YOUR OWN POWER TO CREATE PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS

DESCRIPTION:  What if we told you that you had everything you need to succeed right now? This panel will dive into how to set yourself up for professional success, teaching you how to determine what success looks like for you and how to find professional opportunities that align with what matters to you. Panelists will share what it has taken to achieve their own dreams, as well as how to move forward in spite of challenges that may come your way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Success is not a one-size-fits-all measure; you must decide for yourself what success looks like
  • Everyone has the ability to either find the path toward their dream, or create a path for themselves
  • Setbacks will happen, but you have the power to navigate challenges to find new or alternate ways to achieve success

PANEL COORDINATOR: Rachael Durant

PANELISTS:

FINDING ME! MINDSET MATTERS FOR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

DESCRIPTION: Are you where you want to be?  Sometimes things just fall into place, but more often than not the positive end result you see is the result of tenacity, hard work, and constantly evaluating where things fit into your life. The first step is identifying who you want to be and where you want to go, and committing to always doing the things that get you to that goal – or eliminating those that don’t.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Rewrite your scripts to un-become everything that isn’t the real you
  • Creating alignment in our many roles
  • Self-evaluation is necessary. Self-valuation is not.

PANEL COORDINATOR: Katie Sakovitz

PANELISTS:

HOW TO GET PERSONAL IN BUSINESS

DESCRIPTION: Let’s start putting the right level of personal in our business. This panel will help you to get clarity on your own story, understand the challenges that come with embracing your authenticity and discover the right intersection of personal and business for YOU. We will also provide tips and tools for how and where to tell your stories in order to connect with the right audience.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Our own unique stories are a powerful business tool. It is important to get clear on how and where to tell them.
  • The most successful people are highly self-aware and understand the personal value they bring to others.
  • Being truly authentic is a key ingredient to our success, which means accepting that we can’t be everything to everyone.

PANEL COORDINATOR: Allison DiRienzo

PANELISTS:

NAVIGATING LIFE’S TRANSITIONS CONFIDENTLY    

DESCRIPTION:  Life is a journey in which change is inevitable and navigating these changes can feel overwhelming. This panel will help you improve your understanding of tools available to separate that journey into smaller, manageable transitions. We will review how to determine what is important for you during this journey and how to utilize your own internal compass to effectively navigate any rough terrain. We will also discuss the importance of knowing you are not alone, being comfortable asking questions, reaching out for help if you need it, and having confidence in your decisions so you can take control of the steering wheel as you are the driver.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Understand your values and priorities to uphold your identity throughout the process of change.
  • Gain confidence in your decision making to be in the driver seat of your life.
  • Learn to set manageable goals – Life’s transitions are big, small steps can get you there.

PANEL COORDINATOR: Stefany Bushey

PANELISTS:

REDEFINING YOUR IDENTITY WITH COURAGE & COMPASSION

DESCRIPTION: Women have faced unprecedented challenges during the past three years.  We have, in many ways, taken the brunt of the pandemic, and for many, this experience has stripped away the unimportant and revealed values and beliefs closest to our hearts.  Our identities have shifted and evolved and sometimes, we struggle to keep up. Learn how to embrace your new path forward with courage and compassion.          

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Learn about paths to reinventing yourself – at any age or stage
  • Consider your reinvention at the personal level and within the broader context of a tumultuous world
  • Courage is taking that first step while also feeling fearful and hesitant.

PANEL COORDINATOR:  Ashely Newhall

PANELISTS:       

BALANCE & BOUNDARIES: LIVING A MORE CONNECTED, CONFIDENT & VALUE-DRIVEN LIFE

DESCRIPTION: Physical and financial health are key elements of a good life. Oftentimes, those are the two areas that suffer the most when we don’t lead a balanced life and/or maintain necessary boundaries. In this session, our panelists will share personal and professional experiences that have helped them in those areas. They will talk about the importance of connections, confidence and values, and how their work helps others have more balance and better boundaries.

KEY TAKEWAYS:

  • Financial mindfulness and smart financial decisions are the keys for a better life.
  • Build and protect a solid financial foundation to enjoy a fuller life.
  • How to take an active role in the financial decision making by tapping into the resources available to prepare for a better living.                                    

PANEL COORDINATOR: Maud Dentico  AVIDIA BANK SPONSOR

PANELISTS: 

UNCOVERING YOUR MIND, BODY, SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

DESCRIPTION: Learn how mindset can play the biggest part in healing emotional or physical ailments.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Leaning into intention setting and meditation can be instrumental
  • Emotions and traumas can get caught in the body causing both physical and emotional pain. Addressing them in a healing way can greatly affect your health and healing.
  • Emotions are simply energy in motion and we don’t have to live in fear of feeling them. By learning to let them flow through us, we can access greater wisdom and freedom.

PANEL COORDINATOR: Jen Whittemore

PANELISTS: 

THE HEALTHIEST YOU STARTS ON THE INSIDE 

DESCRIPTION:  It seems everywhere you turn there is a new “healthy lifestyle” touted and constant images of what health is supposed to look like.  Does health really have a certain look? Three health professionals take a deep dive in how health REALLY starts on the inside.   

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

  • “Health” has so many meanings – What does it mean to start on the inside? 
  • Social media and advertising portray a certain look for health.  What can you do with this information? 
  • Three different and complementary points of view of how YOU can impact your well-being. 

PANELISTS:

EVERYDAY IMPACT TO BIG IMPACT: TRANSLATING PERSONAL VALUES INTO PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS! 

DESCRIPTION:  The panelists will discuss how personal events impacted them and drove them to create change in their community. They will share how volunteerism and activism can translate to professional success, maybe even to creating your own company!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:  

  • How to connect your values to your passion and profession
  • Identifying ways to own your success
  • Being a change agent in your community and career

PANEL COORDINATOR:  Yolanda Greaves

PANELISTS:

2022 Panel Experts