By HARLEE BOEHM
assistant news editor

Gannon University’s Small Business Development Center is set to hold the 10th annual Women in Leadership Development Conference from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Ambassador Banquet and Conference Center.
This annual event was founded in 2008 by the Small Business Development Center to promote women helping other women through knowledge, energy and passion.
According to Margaret Horne, director of the Small Business Development Center, the theme of this conference is leadership. There is an emphasis on growth of participation of women in business.
Horne said that the opening session, “10 Years, 10 Leaders, 10 Views,” will feature 10 leaders from the surrounding region. Among these speakers will be Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper, Jeff Parnell from Gannon University’s Erie Technology Incubator, Kelly Hunt, Ph.D., from U.S. Small Business Administration and Horne.
Horne said she would encourage students to attend this event to improve their skills in different aspects of their leadership careers.
“WILD is an opportunity to hear inspirational presentations, meet rising and executive leaders from our region and gain knowledge and skills as students begin their leadership journeys,” Horne said.
After the opening session, six breakout sessions will be held. According to Horne, these sessions will focus on leadership tools and techniques. They will also cover financial management, social media and entrepreneurship.
Following the breakout sessions, lunch will be provided. At this time, the Legacy Award will be honoring Jodie Camillo, assistant registrar. This award honors professional women leaders who mentor other women, as well as excel in their work.
The keynote address will be given by Atiya Abdelmalik, a nurse, author and public speaker who can be heard through her seminars, articles, blogs and other speaking engagements.
Abdelmalik has been publicly speaking for more than 20 years, promoting health, wellness, service and hope. During this address, Abdelmalik will present on leadership to cover the theme of the conference.
The event will come to a close with a Wellness Panel. This panel will be focusing on healthy lifestyle advice.
Horne said that attendees can expect to take away tools and techniques from the conference. These tools can be used in an individual’s leadership journey.
The tools that can be taken away from the panel can be useful to any students who wish to succeed in their future leadershipcareers.
She encouraged all women of any age to attend this event. The conference will especially impact women who wish to learn more and improve upon their leadership skills.
Horne said she hopes attendees will collect useful and inspirational information from the sessions. She said wishes for attendees to take the information and use the new knowledge to become better leaders.
This event will cost $100 to attend and is open to the public. For more information, students may visit wild.sbdcgannon.org.

HARLEE BOEHM
[email protected]