On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the 47th Annual Simmons Leadership Conference featured a roster of speakers exploring the theme of “The Connected Leader,” emphasizing the role of connectivity, community, and allyship in leadership.
Organized by the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership (the Institute), the Conference took place at the Westin Copley Plaza in Boston, with thousands of people convening in Boston and tuning in virtually from around the world. Emmy Award-winning journalist Joyce Kulhawik ’74 and the Institute’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Producer, Kristen Palson, co-hosted the event, which featured four keynote speakers, expert panelists, and breakout sessions.
In their opening remarks, Kulhawik and Palson welcomed attendees to the conference, “a place where everyone can thrive.” Kulhawik also noted that this year’s conference was not just a one day event; future webinars and online content will be made available to attendees via Thrive365, which is “here to support you not just today, but throughout the year.”
Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten established the SLC as America’s first women’s business conference, and she said that it “remains a powerful place for connection and opportunity.” Per the conference theme, Wooten said, “connection is powerful, it is strategic. And perhaps most importantly, it is mission critical … Leadership is not something we practice alone … [it] grows through connection.”
The Power of Connection in the Age of Disruption
In the first keynote session, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva presented “The Reinvention Advantage: Leading Humans in an AI-Driven World.” As founder and chief reinvention officer of The Reinvention Academy, Zhexembayeva shared insights from her research into the failures and successes of large companies.
“Change is not an event; it’s the new operating condition,” she said, noting that waiting for things to “normalize” is no longer rational. We now exist in a world of “mataruption,” a family of interrelated disruptions. She encouraged leaders to hone in on the most essential projects, with an eye toward constant innovation. For businesses to “jump the S-curve,” consistent reinvention and acceptance of risk are vital. “The only thing necessary for us is to look at the new reality, accept the new normal, and accept disruption and thrive in it.”
The Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award was presented to Kimberly B. Davis, senior executive vice president of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives, and Legislative Affairs at the National Hockey League (NHL), and President of the NHL Foundation.
In her acceptance speech, Davis credited the community of Black professionals who helped her navigate the corporate environment over the last four decades.
“We are leading in times that are both spiritually and mentally exhausting,” said Davis. “Trust feels fragile, and many of us are wondering both where and if we belong. In moments like these, I believe that people aren’t looking for perfect leaders, but present ones. Leaders who listen, show vulnerability, and understand earned vs. granted trust.”
Leading with Grace and Grit
Trailblazing ballerina, author, and charitable foundation founder Misty Copeland delivered a keynote address, “Strength in Motion: Leading with Discipline, Courage, and Care.” She traced her own journey from “a child trying to survive” to “an artist finding her voice” and growing into leadership — reluctantly and gradually.
Copeland shared the memory of her first ballet class at age 13. As one of six siblings of a single mother whose family lived in and out of motels, she appreciated the ritualistic stability and consistency of classical ballet. For Copeland, ballet “felt like a form of care. Ballet did not feel like ambition, it felt like refuge … It gave me structure, discipline, and a way to exist in my own body.”
Copeland eventually realized that she did not fit the classical ballet mold — physically, racially, or socioeconomically. “But ballet kept asking me to stay,” she said, “and over time, that staying became a kind of strength.”
Addressing a turning point in her professional career, Copeland recounted the significance of dancing the principal role in The Firebird ballet (choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky) in 2012, the first time a Black woman had played a major classical role with American Ballet Theatre.
As Copeland explained, “the [character of] the Firebird is not delicate. She is elemental. She exists between destruction and rebirth.” Defying barriers she faced in the ballet world, as well as six stress fractures in her left tibia, Copeland’s performance also marked an influx of Black and Brown audience members. “In the moment, the role became relational. It was a responsibility,” she said. “[My triumph] belongs to everyone watching who is wondering if there is room for them, too.”
As Copeland matured as a dancer, she came to understand the critical importance of receiving and giving mentorship, citing the impact of Raven Wilkinson (1935–2018), one of the first Black ballerinas to dance for a major ballet company.
Copeland practices inclusive leadership through The Misty Copeland Foundation, which offers accessible dance training to underserved BIPOC youth. She left the audience with a question: “Who is standing at the back of the room right now, trying to understand if they belong and what would it mean for them if you were the one who turned around and said, ‘Come stand over here’?”
Streamlining Leadership and Elevating Women’s Sports
In her talk, “Less is the New More: How Reductive Leadership Unlocks Clarity, Capacity, and Command,” Founder and CEO of JFG, Juliet Funt, addressed the problematic “lust for quantity” that overwhelms the workplace and ultimately wastes resources.
“Less is the new more,” Funt said. “A reductive mindset means that you are constantly streamlining and reducing unnecessary effort. [Leaders] need to know how to make the pile smaller.” Funt explained her five-step process (generate, separate, evaluate, eliminate, and liberate) for reduction. “Tell yourself: ‘I am not infinite, but the work is,’” she said.
In the panel “Game Changers: What the Rise of Women’s Sports Teaches Us About Leadership and Business,” Emmy Award-winning media executive and Professor of Practice Justine Pouravelis engaged in a conversation with three industry leaders: Chief Revenue Officer of Boston Legacy FC Amina Bulman; Vice President of Women’s Sports Programming and espnW and soon to be Guest Lecturer for Simmons’ School of Management (SOM) Susie Piotrkowski; and Senior Director of Systems Engineering at Cisco Walter Jones. During the session, panelists spoke about business, leadership, and media opportunities within women’s sports, as well as Simmons’ news MS in management: business and leadership in women’s sports concentration.
Piotrokowski said, “When brands invest in women’s sports, that really moves the needle for decision makers [and fans/customers]. You really get to be a part of long-term and sustainable growth.” Speaking on Cisco’s sponsorship of women’s sports, Jones stated that investing in women’s sports helps “to empower an inclusive future for everyone.”
When responding to a question about the surge of popularity in women’s sports, “I have a phrase for this,” Bulman said, “community joy … This is what brings people to women’s sports, that sense of joy and belonging.”
Morning and afternoon concurrent sessions included a variety of in-person and online options, including “All the Difference: Turning Difference into Trust, Performance, and Value” with CEO of Simmons’ Institute for Inclusive Leadership Susan MacKenty Brady, Founder and Partner Emeritus of Vantage Partners Stuart D. Kliman, and US Army General (retired) Leslie C. Smith; “What High-Performing Teams Do Differently,” with School of Management Adjunct and Institute Fellow Mary Shapiro; “RALLY Your Resilience: Leadership Strategies for What Comes Next,” with Senior Business and Human Resources Leader Greg Morley; “Get Clear, Get Connected: Building Relationships That Actually Matter,” with Vice President of Women’s Leadership at the Institute Kerry Seitz; “What Disruption Demands: Co-Creating a Courageous Culture,” with Bold Transformation Strategist Andrés Tapia; and “Sustainable Success: How Leaders Protect Their Energy to Create Maximum Impact,” with Founder & CEO of the Hollister Group Kip Hollister.
Leading with Joy
The conference’s finale was a fireside chat, “The Connected Leader: Leading with Joy, Presence, and Purpose,” between New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and former co-anchor of TODAY, Hoda Kotb, and Institute CEO Susan MacKenty Brady.
Referring to her book, Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2025), Kotb said, “I am a big believer that joy is a choice … Joy shows up in the strangest places.” Kotb’s experience as a journalist taught her that tragic circumstances can morph into moments of happiness and resolve.
Discussing leaps of faith and determination, Kotb told MacKenty Brady that “Every time I moved to a new town [for reporting work], I decided that I was going to fall in love.” While these roles around the country were personally and professionally challenging, they gave her a hands-on education on how to be a reporter. By the time she had the opportunity to work alongside Kathie Lee Gifford on the TODAY show, Kotb said, “I was in flow; I wasn’t rowing upstream. Being in flow matters, finding what you love matters.”
MacKenty Brady noted that Kotb has “made a career of making people feel seen and connected.” Kotb responded, “Most connections happen in the broken places … when we feel brave enough to share something that is painful … We connect when we have flaws and cracks.”
Concluding the conference, Palson said, “This day has been a joy. And a powerful reminder that leadership is not a solo act, but about connection.”
Conference attendees are invited to view additional content in Thrive365. The Video on Demand (VOD) for all sessions from the Simmons Leadership Conference (#SLC47) is now available for those who purchased a conference ticket. If you did not attend but are interested in viewing all the sessions, you can purchase a VOD pass.