Leadership Lessons Come from All Walks of Life at 2017 WLC

Aug 23, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Leadership lessons come from all walks of life at 2017 WLC

Whether you are a student, entrepreneur, experienced manager or just embarking on a career path, there was a place for you at the 2017 Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC).

Hosted by The MGM Resorts Foundation and held at the MGM Grand Conference Center on August 7-8, the sold-out 11th Annual WLC was open to women (and men) of all ethnicities, professions and social backgrounds, locally and nationally.

Each year, The MGM Resorts Foundation donates proceeds from the conference after costs to one or more local nonprofits devoted to the welfare and development of women and girls.

Proceeds from the 2016 WLC went to Dress for Success Southern Nevada; the recipient of the gift from this year’s conference will be decided in March.

Among the highlights for those nearly 1,200 attendees of the 2017 WLC were CNN anchor and correspondent Natalie Allen returning for the fourth year as WLC Master of Ceremonies, along with welcome and keynote addresses by:

  • Phyllis A. James, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity and Corporate Responsibility Officer for MGM Resorts International
  • Lisa Ling, acclaimed journalist and OWN and CNN contributor
  • Roslyn Brock, the youngest person to be elected to chair the National Board of Directors of the NAACP
  • Anne Clarke Wolff, Head of Global Corporate Banking and Global Leasing for Bank of America Merrill Lynch
  • Jen Welter, the first female to coach in the NFL
  • Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Wealth Management, Managing Director and Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley
  • An Executive Leadership Panel Discussion, moderated by Allen, featured:
  • Pati Jinich, award-winning chef and host of PBS’ “Pati’s Mexican Table”
  • Desiree Reed-Francois, Director of Athletics at UNLV
  • Katherine Twells, Assistant Vice President of Customer Marketing for Coca-Cola Co.

Along with the keynote events, conference attendees also had access to their choice of Education Sessions, featuring Emerging Leader, Emerging Executive and Executive tracks, along with time for networking in between each session.