The 2022 Inspirational Women Forum and Awards in Los Angeles

ENC News 23 Oct 2022

On October 18, the second annual Inspirational Women Forum and Awards took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The event was organized by Los Angeles Times B2B Publishing.

Female leaders of small, midsize and large companies and non-profit organizations, and entrepreneurs from California took part in the Forum.

The purpose of the Forum was to recognize accomplished female leaders from corporations and non-profit organizations throughout California who have demonstrated noteworthy success and accomplishments during the last 24 months in approximately 10 award categories. The Forum also aimed to inspire, empower and enlighten the audience.

The Forum kicked off with a series of dynamic panel discussions featuring top business leaders with versatile backgrounds.

The Keynote speakers were Linda Duncombe, City National Bank, and Ellen Chen, Mendocino Farms.

Panel 1 Investing in Your Future

The moderator – Elaine Rocha, AIG

The panelists – Tracy Holland, Potential to Powerhouse; Alexandra Nechita, Artist, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist; Octavia Goredem, Career Coach & Author of Prep, Push, Pivot.

The panel touched on how best to manage finances and invest for long-term success. Additionally, since many of the attendees were entrepreneurs, the panel addressed what founders and CEOs need to be aware of when seeking to buy and sell businesses.

Panel 2 Overcoming Entrepreneurship Pitfalls

The moderator – Camille Styles, Camille Styles Inc.,

The panelists – Hermine Chobanyan, City National Bank; Margaret Shanley, CohnReznik LLP; Candace Nelson, Founder of Sprinkles & Pizzana and Author of Sweet Success.

The panel focused on challenges entrepreneurs can face when starting and scaling a business, and insights on how to launch and scale a business from the ground up.

Panel 3 Prioritizing Mental Health & Wellness

The moderator – Donella Wilson, GHJ.

The panelists – Dr. Thela R. Thatch, Thela Thatch Consulting; Dr. Zelana Montminy, Behavior Scientist and Author of 21 Days to Resilience; Precious Mayes, Pacifica Hospital of the Valley.

Given all post-pandemic challenges individuals are facing, the panel highlighted some programs that companies and leaders are adopting to address mental health issues.

Panel 4 Game Changers

The moderator – Klyoun Kim, IOB Bank

The panelists – Patty Glazer, Glazer Well; Sarah Quinn, Connect Media; Catherine Reheis – Boyd, Western States Petroleum Association.

The panel was dedicated to the females who have broken barriers in predominantly male dominate industries.

Panel 5 Mentorship. The Key to Retention.

The moderator – Sandy Kuohn, City National Bank.

The panelists – Chris Nixon, Corebridge Financial; Dr. Gillian Hayes, UCI; Dr. Yenda Prado, U.S. Department of Education.

The panel touched on why having a mentorship program should be part of any organization’s business model and strategy in terms of retaining and nurturing talent. The attendees got acquainted with some best practices in this area of management.

The Inspirational Women Awards Luncheon recognized the accomplished female leaders from the corporations and non-profit organizations throughout California.

Among the nominees for the Inspirational Women Forum and Leadership Awards were:

Stephanie Buckner, Altair,

Melanie Cristol, Lorals,