UVU’s Women of Woodbury hosted Polished, a mini-conference for Women in Business on Friday, September 27. This free all-day event was well-attended by students and women from the local community.

The event began with a breakfast sponsored by J.P. Morgan, with a morning keynote by Rachelle Morris, VP, and client advisor at J.P. Morgan, and Sophia Bera, CFP®, founder of Gen Y Planning and one of Investopedia’s Most Influential Financial Advisors. Two rounds of breakout sessions followed, and attendees were able to choose one of three workshops per round. Workshops included: Negotiation: The Do’s & Don’ts; Networking, Resumes, LinkedIn, Mentorship; Finding your Expertise; and more. Session leaders included Rachelle Morris; Ashley Dixon, CFP®, associate planner at Gen Y Planning; Andrea Ibanez, co-founder and CEO at Streemly; Emily Smith, MBA, director of strategic partnerships at Divvy; Lisa Crafford, MBA, principal relationship management at Pershing Advisor Solutions; and Timi Jorgensen, Ph.D. student at The University of Georgia. BNY Mellon | Pershing sponsored lunch. The event closed with a networking activity and a keynote by Lindsey Lewis, MBA, CFP®, senior financial advisor at Vanguard.                                                                           

"When we set out to do this event a few months back,” said Lindsey Lewis, “we wanted to create an opportunity to showcase to women and girls that there is a role for them in business, specifically entrepreneurship, technology, and financial planning. Sometimes for women, it can be overwhelming to think of a successful career and parenthood and accomplish both in their dreamed-up perfect job. That is why this event was specifically tailored to highlight women who are navigating a career and are performing their dream jobs. This event really magnified its mission: 'Learn from and be inspired by women like you!' For some of the attendees, it was the first time they were told that they can be their own boss, create their own brand, and that their dreams in entrepreneurship, technology, or financial planning are just a few steps away. This event was successful because the attendees were so highly engaged and ready to learn. UVU's Women of Woodbury Polished Mini-Conference was absolutely incredible because of the partnership with the Women of Woodbury—spearheaded by Mikki O'Connor, Gen Y Planning's women-focused initiative with Sophia Bera, CFP® and Ashley Dixon, CFP®, and our proud sponsors JP Morgan and BNY | Mellon, Pershing. Also, there is no way that this event could have been at the caliber it was without the excellent speakers that volunteered their time—without charge—and presented for the sole purpose of giving women hope for their careers. I am eager and excited to see how this event can grow moving forward and wish every attendee and future attendee all the success in the world."

Some of the attendees shared their feedback after the event:

“Seeing women who have taken control of their lives and are powerful in their own roles is incredible. We need more of them, and we need more of these conferences. Outside of moments like that, you don’t have the same camaraderie of women supporting each other. It was incredible to be around people who understand.”

“I’ve had a lot of worries being a woman in the workforce. I’ve never had a mother, a female relative, or even the mother of a friend who worked. I’ve never seen how it could be done; I have been worried that I wouldn’t be able to do it. Polished left me not only feeling better about being a woman in the workforce but confident that I can do it, and I can be successful.”

“I absolutely loved this conference! Each of the speakers was so incredible and inspired me to highlight my strengths so I can better prepare for my career. I loved the perspectives they shared and how they have each made their careers their own. I would absolutely recommend it, and I look forward to coming back next year!”

“This is something in Utah that women need to be aware of. We need good role models for women in business to follow.”

“This was an exceptional event for women in the financial field, and honestly for any professional,” said Mikki O’Connor, assistant dean of the WSB. “I’m so grateful to the powerful business women who spoke and inspired our students to pursue their goals and become more ‘polished’ professionals.”