Session Description: Claim your confidence! Confidence matters to you, your community, your workplace, and the world. Learn how to navigate conversations and relationships with confidence.

Presenter
Logan Reed, MBA, PCC 
Logan Reed Coaching 

After leaving a 15-year career in Human Resources, Logan opened her private coaching practice in 2011. She is a graduate of Accomplishment Coaching, is PCC credentialed and a Certified Conversational Intelligence® Coach who believes that each of us can make significant contributions to our work and personal worlds when we have the tools and support to change our self-limiting thinking. Logan loves bringing the neuroscience of Conversational Intelligence® to individuals, groups and teams who want to make a difference in their organizations regardless of their title or role.

Session Description: Work with your boss and leaders to obtain the best results for everyone. How do you build cooperation and understanding to support change. You don’t have the be the “boss” to lead.

Presenter
Councilmember Tammy Morales

Councilmember Tammy Morales is trained as a community and regional planner and has spent her career working with frontline communities on local issues including food security, displacement in low-income neighborhoods and community-centered development.

Session Description:What do you envision when someone tells you to look “professional”?  For many women, experience has taught us that looking professional means putting on makeup, straightening our hair, wearing specific types of clothing, adhering to a specific vernacular, and altering our physical appearance in various other ways that have no correlation to our ability to do the work. Join this panel of “professional” women as they share their experiences with compliance, assimilation, and even joyful rebellion of what it means to “look the part” as a woman in the workforce.

Panelists

Michaela Doelman is the State Chief Human Resources Officer at the Office of Financial Management. She has been a state employee since 2007, working at WSDOT, COM, DES, ESD and OFM.  Michaela is a working mom, raising four beautiful human beings and still trying to figure out what a healthy work-life balance looks like. As an HR leader for the state, she is a firm believer in acknowledging that our current systems were not designed to work for everyone and collaborating across sectors and teams to rebuild more equitable and inclusive systems going forward. Knowing that we can only build what we can imagine, she is a firm believer in empowering teams to not be limited to accepting our current state, but instead to continue to push and build for a more just and more equitable future.  

Dr. Allyson Brooks is currently the Director of the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and the State Historic Preservation Officer and has served in this role under three governors. Prior to that, she was an archaeologist for the Minnesota Department of Transportation where she balanced protecting historic properties with the delivery of transportation projects.  

Prior to going to Minnesota, she was the staff archaeologist for the South Dakota Historic Preservation Office. Dr. Brooks has been part of archaeological investigations across the United States from Alaska to South Dakota, Wyoming, Nevada, Maine and Connecticut. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from University of Nevada, a MPA from the University of Washington, a Certificate in environmental regulation from the University of Washington, an M Sc. in industrial and historical archaeology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, a BA from McGill University in Montreal Canada, and a 2nd degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. 

Dr. Brooks has been President of the League of Women Voters of Thurston County, on the board of the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center and is currently President of the Board of Temple Beth Hatfiloh. She has taught historic and environmental law for the National Preservation Institute around the United States to federal employees, tribal staff, and environmental consultants. 

Megan Matthews is the Assistant Director of Shared Power Design with the Office of Equity, pursuing equity and justice for all Washingtonians. Megan also co-teaches a Masters’ Program at The Evergreen State College, emphasizing democratic governance and social change for current and future public administrators. She is committed to a lifelong journey of pursuing and living the values of equity and justice.  

Megan earned her master’s degree in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College. She is certified as a Prosci® Change Management Practitioner, a Diversity Professional (CDP) and a Diversity Executive (CDE). Megan is the past chair for BUILD, Washington State's Business Resource Group for Black State employees. She is passionate about social justice and ensuring fairness for everyone, especially the next generation that includes her daughters, nieces, and nephews. 

Emily Beck became deputy director of OFM in March 2022. She previously served as OFM’s HR director for nearly three years. Besides overseeing day-to-day operations at OFM and advising the agency director on a broad range of issues, Emily plays a key leadership role across state government as she helps oversee enterprise-wide projects and initiatives. 

Prior to joining OFM in 2019, Emily was chief operations officer at the Department of Enterprise Services, where she had previously served as HR director. Before joining state government in 2017, she held HR and senior operations leadership positions at Target Corporation. Her leadership passions include building and empowering talented teams, championing continuous improvement of critical processes, and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion as key components of organizational culture. 

Mikia Guy is a dedicated leader and change agent with a passion for policy, advocacy, and improving community relations while promoting equity and fighting social injustice. In her almost 20 years of experience in both the public and non-profit sector, she has developed a strong understanding of the importance in working collaboratively to direct the work of multidisciplinary stakeholders to implement evidence-based practices, advance policies, and create systems change. Mikia loves a challenge and is excited to promote equity and sustainable organizational change. She has a Master of Science in Administration of Human Services, received her certification as a Prosci (c) Change Management Practitioner in 2021, and her certification as a Diversity Executive (CDE) in 2022. Currently, she serves as the Director of Equity and Grants for Serve Washington and Outreach subcommittee co-lead for Blacks United in Leadership and Diversity (BUILD), Washington State's first Black Business Resources Group. Mikia's leadership philosophy includes living in the lanes of kindness, integrity, grace, and respect.

Letty Gomez-Esposito is the Assistant Director for Human Resources with the Office of Financial Management (OFM). Since joining OFM’s HR team in late 2018, Letty has played a vital role in helping guide OFM’s HR division, and the agency, through a period of incredible growth and change.   

Letty is a passionate leader and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. As she says, “This is not something that will be achieved through just policies and protocols. I will make sure this work is a top priority and create a safe environment for our employees to always show respect for one another, be curious about inclusive workplace solutions, and by leaning into uncomfortable situations to continually learn new ways to do business.”  

Prior to joining OFM, Letty worked for nearly four years as an HR consultant for the state Department of Corrections, after working for a short time in the private sector. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland’s global campus and earned her HR management certificate from the University of Washington.  

Letty grew up in La Habra, California, and has lived in Washington since 2013. She and her husband live in Tenino with their two beagles and a tuxedo cat. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking and cross stitching. 

Session Description: Your life is full of demands, which can lead to burnout.  Pressure and anxiety can have harmful effects in your workplace, home-life, and on your health. Sharon shows how you can use that stress in a positive way. Her presentation will keep you laughing while also inspiring you to think of the roadblocks in your life in a new and positive light.

Presenter: 
Sharon Lacey

Motivational Humorist 

In addition to being a sought-after keynote speaker, Sharon is also an internationally touring headlining comedian. She performs in comedy clubs all across the USA and Canada and has been to Iraq twice to entertain U.S. troops. She’s also been on four comedy tours of Africa, where she performs for Ugandan audiences in two of their tribal languages.  

Sharon is the author of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO DEMENTIA: A Stand Up Comedian’s Race Against Time. 

All of this comes after Sharon’s earlier careers as a radio DJ, television news producer, and a national award-winning middle school teacher. 

Share takeaways, moments of enlightenment, ideas, and opportunities for improvement with others. Take a moment to reflect on the day and what two things you can change to Lead Where You Are!