Women in Leadership Forum
Power Your Purpose- Leading with Sustainability
A unique gathering that brings together students, alumni, and distinguished leaders from the Bay Area for a day of community, conversation, and connection. This year, we are exploring sustainability in all its facets to understand how to lead better for our society and environment.
Are you ready to be part of an inspiring and empowering community of leaders, innovators, and change-makers? The Women in Leadership Program is excited to invite you to our flagship event, the Women in Leadership Forum 2025!Event Highlights:
- Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025 (International Women's Day,) 9:15 AM- 5 PM
- Location: CSUEB Hayward Campus, CORE Building 3rd Floor
Tickets:
- General Admission: $15
- Students: $5
What to Expect:
- Industry Insights: Engage with renowned Bay Area industry leaders who will share their
experiences and perspectives on sustainability in various sectors. Discussion of global
sustainability trends, corporate responsibility, and how women leaders are shaping the
future. - Expert Workshops: Participate in interactive workshops led by academic and industry
experts. - Networking: Connect with a diverse and vibrant community of women leaders,
students, and alumni who share your passion for leadership. - Innovation: Gain a deeper understanding of sustainable innovations, green tech and
how firms are leading transitions to green business models. - Careers: Meet the firms and learn about sustainable careers in Bay Area firms
At the Women in Leadership Forum, we believe fostering connections and knowledge-sharing is the key to unlocking your leadership potential. Join us as we explore the intersection of leadership and sustainability, and together, we'll shape the future of women in leadership.
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of something truly transformation. Mark your calendars and prepare to lead with Sustainability at the Women in Leadership Forum 2025!
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change.
Agenda
Saturday, March 8, CORE Building 3rd Floor
9:15 - 10:00 AM | Registration & Coffee
Core Lobby 301
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Leading for Sustainability
Core 301
Welcome to Women in Leadership:
Asha Rao, Professor, CSUEB | Rupal Hollenbeck, President, Check Point Software
Keynote:
Chitra Nayak, Board Director, Infosys
Panel: Fast Fashion & Circular Economy
Jana Hunt (ex-NorthFace), K. Daily, Keryn Francisco, Director, Alo
Speakers:
Anya Cheng, Co-Founder & CEO, Taelori.ai
Jessica Golden, Head of Electrolyte R&D, BlueCurrent
Shirin Hasan, Advisor, Clinical and Medical Affairs
12:30 - 1:15 PM | Lunch & Circular Economy Exchange
Core 341 - Clothing & Book Exchange
1:15 - 3:30 PM | Sustaining Your Leadership
Core 338 - WIL Data Summit Presentations
Leadership Workshops:
Resilience (Bryan Gillette), Vision Boards (Asha Rao), Confident Communication (Karen Laos)
3:30 - 4:30 PM | Career Connections Social Hour & AMA
4:30 PM | Closing Remarks
Dr. Filippo Rebessi, CSUEB
Our Speakers
President, Check Point Software
Board Director, Infosys
BA '84, Merchandise Marketing Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Senior Environmental Engineer
Director, Alo
Co-Founder & CEO, Taelor.ai
Head of Electrolyte R&D, BlueCurrent
Advisor, Clinical and Medical Affairs
MBA '99 Executive Coach, Author, Speaker, Summiting Group
Communication Expert, Confidence Cultivator, and TEDx Speaker Coach
WIL Director, Professor of Management, CSUEB
Department Chair and Professor of Economics, CSUEB
Rupal Hollenbeck
President, CheckPoint Software
Rupal is currently President at Check Point Software Technologies, where she served on the Board of Directors for 14 months prior to joining the executive team. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Blackbaud (NASDAQ BLBK) and the Asian Pacific Fund (non-profit).
She is a Founding LP in Neythri Futures Fund and is an advisor to the WIL Program. A frequent speaker on topics ranging from cybersecurity to leadership, she will share her insights into leading in sustainability.
Keynote: Chitra Nayak
Board Director, Infosys
Chitra is Chair of the ESG/Sustainability Committee at Infosys, a global IT services company that is a leader in sustainability. She serves on the board of UrbanFootprint, a sustainability insights company. She has spoken on the topic of sustainability at forums such as the annual summit for the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Chitra has a passion for empowering women in the workplace. She is the cofounder of Neythri.org, a community which supports the advancement of South Asian professional women. She was the cofounder of the Salesforce Women’s Network initiative. Chitra has an MBA with Honors (Harvard Business School), an MS in Environmental Engineering (Cornell University) and a BTech (IIT-Madras). She was awarded the NACD 100 Directorship award in 2024.
Jana Hunt
BA '84, Merchandise Marketing Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Keryn Francisco
Director, Alo
Keryn’s values around sustainability, female empowerment, diversity and inclusion, are deeply expressed in her work. During her time at The North Face, Keryn was a key player in the advancement of WEN (The Women’s Empowerment Network) an employee resource group dedicated to mentoring, workshops and professional development.
Keryn is a graduate of UC Berkeley and FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology).
K. Daily
Senior Environmental Engineer
With a global perspective, her research experience spans multiple continents, from investigating supply chain sustainability challenges in Asia and Africa to advancing microplastics research in the U.S. She is passionate about advancing conservation strategies and fostering sustainability across industries.
Currently, she leads sustainability initiatives for a global supply chain company, driving innovative projects to achieve ambitious Net Zero goals. Passionate about data-driven solutions, she advocates for scalable sustainability in the fashion industry, focusing on circular design and extending garment lifecycles through responsible sourcing.
Anya Cheng
Founder & Ceo, Taelor
Anya played a pivotal role in launching Facebook and Instagram Shopping at Meta, led new business expansion at eBay, and helped grow McDonald’s global food delivery. She also shaped Target’s mobile commerce and has led teams in AI, product management, UX, and marketing across Fortune 500 companies.
Her work has earned 20+ prestigious awards, including the Webby Award for Best Shopping App, Best Mobile App Award, and The Communicator Award. A best-selling author, adjunct professor, and two-time TED speaker, she lectures at Northwestern University and 500 Global and is a sought-after keynote speaker.
Anya’s award-winning venture, Taelor, won first place at Draper University’s Startup Competition and was named a Startup to Watch by Bay Area Inno. She holds a Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Jessica Golden
Head of Electrolyte R&D, BlueCurrent
As a leader in battery innovation, Jessica builds and empowers teams of scientists and engineers to create cutting-edge ion transport materials products for emerging e-mobility battery technologies.
Jessica holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz
Shirin Hasan
Advisor, Clinical and Medical Affairs
WIL Data Summit
Sustaining Your Leadership
This year we launched the WIL Oscars (Opportunities for Student Scholarships, Creative Activities, and Research) to further data-driven research and fact based decision making that we believe is crucial in an era of disinformation. At the WIL Forum, you can attend a showcase of projects on sustainability by WIL Oscar student winners: Huiting Wu, Osheen Gupta, Nathan Yamamoto, Shravya Yalaka, Prabhjot Gilard, Naga Sowmya Vaddempudi, Lesley Kraemer, Prasannaw Maddipati, Sri Vidya Rani Narala, and Mayukha Vallabhanen.
Bryan Gillette, MBA '99 Executive Coach, Author, Speaker, Summiting Group
Building Grit & Resilience: Strategies for Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
As a lifelong endurance athlete, he has cycled across the U.S., completed a 300-mile ride in one day, and finished many 50- and 100-mile ultradistance runs. At age 47, he ran 205 miles around Lake Tahoe–8 back-to-back marathons—in 76 hours with 90 minutes of sleep. In 2024, he completed a marathon in Antarctica and climbed to the 19,341’ summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
When not traveling the world with his wife and two boys, he lives with them in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bryan will lead a workshop on building resilience for sustainable leadership.
Asha Rao Director- WIL Professor of Management- Cal State Â鶹ÃÛÌÒAV
Vision Board Workshop: Turn Your Dreams into Reality
Karen Laos- Communication Expert, Confidence Cultivator, and TEDx Speaker Coach
How to Become a Confident Communicator
Is it what you say or how you say it that matters most? In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn practical communication strategies to speak with confidence in any situation. Whether an interview, a presentation, a meeting, or simply ordering your next coffee drink, you'll elevate your leadership presence and your message so you can make an impact that builds trust and credibility quickly.
Your voice has the power to change your life. And yet, many women miss opportunities because they don’t speak up.
Karen Laos, Communication Expert, Confidence Cultivator, and TEDx speaker coach, is on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them simple strategies to speak up and ask for what they want. She’s spoken on stages such as NASA, Google, Starbucks, and Sephora. Her signature framework, The Confidence Cocktail™, is helping women become clear and compelling communicators so they can break through glass ceilings.
Karen first recognized the power of confident communication when she successfully negotiated her first flea market purchase at six years old. She now guides women to transform self-doubt into self-confidence, resulting in more clients and negotiation wins.
A fun fact about Karen: Following her lifelong dream to live in Manhattan, she rented an apartment there for an entire month and lived like a local.
Be the Change Clothing and Book Exchange
Thank you to our sponsors:
- Check Point Software
- Cintas
- Travis Credit Union