The summit opens Friday, April 28, with dinner at the Hotel Bethlehem. On Saturday, April 29, at 10 a.m., Joyner-Kersee—named the greatest female athlete of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated for Women and honored as World Athlete of the Year on three occasions by Track & Field—will join Lehigh’s Deputy Director of Athletics Sue Troyan for a 90-minute conversation on “Leadership: How to Lead with Courage, Integrity and Accountability.”
As one of the most decorated female athletes of all-time, Joyner-Kersee dominated the track and field circuit for 16 years and won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals spanning four Olympic Games during her illustrious career. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, she won the silver medal in the heptathlon. Four years later, at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea, Jackie struck gold in both her signature events—the heptathlon (world record) and long jump. She followed that up at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain by winning gold in the heptathlon and bronze in the long jump.
Breakout sessions will follow the keynote event. The sessions will include:
–“Leading in a Male Dominant Environment,” led by Sandra Denton ’83, vice president, Channels and Alliances, Pipefy Inc.; Karen LaRochelle ’88, chief business officer and board director; Kerri Neary ’05, Country Manager USA, X-Elio; and former Lehigh Trustee Jill Triani ’94 '24P '26P.
– “Creating a Culture of Success for Women,” led by Brenda Harvey ’87, general manager, IBM Asia Pacific, IBM Corp.; Chris Seymour ’89 ’21P ’25P, senior director, Global CMC, Pfizer Inc.; and Dr. Patricia Stephenson ’78 ’08P, retired medical officer, Cigna Healthcare.
–“Employee Well-Being: Why it Should Take Center Stage,” led by Raven Gaddy ’15, administrative officer, U.S. Department of Justice; Ginelle Julien-Jackson ’94, vice president, Global Services Service Excellence and Experience, Johnson & Johnson; and Suneeta Prasad ’90G, former managing director, GE and GE Capital.
–“How to Stop Doing Work that Doesn't Advance Your Career,”led by Amy Sobotkin Gare ’97, managing partner, Gare Law LLC; and Nishika Vidanage-Lulejian ’07, public health professional, Centers for Disease Control.
– “Addressing Imposter Syndrome: How to Market Yourself,” led by Alissa Marushak ‘02, Executive Director, Individual and Family Plans Product, Aetna, a CVS Health Company; and Ellen Stone ’87, executive vice president, Cable Marketing, NBC Universal.
–“Sustainability in the Workplace,” led by Jennifer Gentile Long ’93, CEO and founder, AEquitas; and Jessica Scott ’15, associate partner, Global Sustainable Supply Chain executive, IBM Corp.
Registration is here for the fireside chat and breakout sessions.