Join Summit emcee Jeanne Meserve for the kickoff of the 2023 WBL Summit! A popular WBL Summit speaker in years past and award-winning news anchor, Jeanne will bring purpose, direction, and inspiration as she leads us through the program.

What’s the secret to breaking through barriers that are preventing your leadership and career from reaching new heights? With over thirty years in general management and executive-level roles at IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and GE, Daphne Jones has plenty of experience overcoming obstacles set forth by society, her company, and even herself. During the Summit’s opening keynote, Daphne will share her actionable system for defying expectations and achieving your goals, even when the odds seem against you.

Join WBL Founder and Board Chair Lynn Shapiro Snyder and WBL Executive Director Eleanor Rosiak as they welcome attendees to the Summit, provide updates on our organization, and share what they are looking forward to during our time in Amelia Island.

What is the one trait shared by large companies that prioritize innovation? Drawing on the science of phase transitions, former CEO and bestselling author Safi Bahcall will show how the most innovative organizations – and leaders – survive and thrive in disruptive times. You'll understand why Safi likes to say “structure eats culture for lunch,” and use his fresh insights to learn three techniques that creatives, leaders, and visionaries can use to liberate the ideas trapped inside small and large companies everywhere.

Hear from the founders and CEOs of innovative startups who will share how their companies can make a difference in our industry. Jodi Hubler, Board Director/Chair, Gratum Ventures, will moderate the panel and share how attendees can best support companies like these as they work towards a new vision for healthcare.

• CoraVie Medical’s implantable circadian blood pressure monitor informs treatment decisions to improve lives.
• Embodied Labs is an immersive training platform for professional staff development and caregiver education and support.
• Health In Her HUE is a digital health platform that connects Black women and women of color to culturally sensitive healthcare providers, culturally relevant health content, and community.
• Life Whisperer uses a cloud-based AI assessment system, giving fertility clinics and patients a complete ranking of embryo quality using a single image.

Company culture plays a vital role in workplace happiness and the success of your business. It sets you apart with stakeholders and helps you effectively recruit and retain great talent. If your culture isn’t resonating with employees and consumers, why? On boards, culture and talent often reside within ESG. How can boards and management collaborate to create authentic, great company culture that prioritizes great talent? Learn how upper management and board members can work together to integrate existing ESG efforts with talent initiatives, taking your impact to the next level.

A popular networking session at WBL’s Summits, peer discussion groups are a way to make connections and participate in valuable, productive conversations with industry experts at the same time. Attendees will meet in small groups to ask questions, share experiences, and offer advice to one another on topics of interest to healthcare leaders today.

How do investors, operators, board members, and other leadership work together best? What should you expect if your company is acquired, merged, or finds a new investor? When should investors be hands on and when are they hands off? During this session, you’ll gain an understanding of how operating partners and investors work together to drive growth, innovation, and noteworthy results within their portfolio companies.

At last year’s Summit, WBL announced the new Boundless Campaign, an effort to raise $2M over three years to invest in the future of WBL. This year, we are excited to announce a new program–the WBL Fellows Program–where WBL will invest the relationship capital of our network to support exciting, women-led young companies. This session will share more about who can apply, how to contribute, and how to participate as a supporting member of the WBL network.

Where is our industry headed? The answer lies in the leaders who will shape it. How do we ensure the right people are at the table? Join Phoebe Yang, a Fortune 2 executive and board member, and Dr. Sandy Chung, CEO of a large medical group and President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, for a fireside chat about the critical role talent and leadership play in the future of healthcare. Learn from their mission-focused approach to sourcing, supporting, and sponsoring great talent, and how authentic, purpose-driven leadership will leave our industry better than we found it. This session will inspire with practical, actionable ways that the inherent mission of healthcare can help us locate and advance the best and brightest.

Are you feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from the true motivation behind your career in healthcare? It's time to reignite your passion for making a difference in the lives of those you serve. Join Jacqueline Cromity, a triple-negative breast cancer survivor who lost her parents to cancer and became a fierce advocate for breast cancer awareness, as she reminds us that healthcare is not just a job but a calling. Through her inspiring story, you'll learn how to overcome adversity, rediscover your sense of purpose, and become an unstoppable force for good.

What does a resilient leader look like today? During this session, we will explore the characteristics of resiliency, including the ways to utilize the MOST model (Motivation, Optimism, and Stress Tolerance) as a proactive strategy to overcome setbacks. Building this skillset helps women leaders gain more confidence by learning to get comfortable with risk. You’ll leave this session understanding how to stay engaged and successfully maintain a healthy level of challenge to be more powerful at work and in every aspect of life.

This session will be an opportunity to discuss what’s on the mind of current corporate directors and a chance to grow a network of other WBL members who currently serve on corporate boards. The discussion will be member-led and member-driven, and focus on topics which may include succession planning, company culture, departure of a CEO, mergers and acquisitions, and/or meeting and exceeding ESG requirements. Invitations to the session are based on the boards listed in members’ WBL profiles, and are limited to those serving on public company boards and private or non-profit boards of a significant size.

Participants must be currently or recently (within the last 3 years) one of the following:

• A board member of a publicly traded company
• A board member of a privately-owned for profit company (including young companies with a governance structure beyond an advisory board)
• A board member of a national board of a large non-profit organization (annual budgets of $50M or more)
• An Advisory Board member of an organization with an established governance structure ($5M or more in revenue each year)

Who is eligible to join this track?
This track is available by invitation only. WBL is aware of board service roles that our members share with us on their WBL profile or that can be found through research when possible. If you know of someone who should also receive this invitation, please encourage them to update their WBL profile with their current board roles or complete our application form.