The 2023 #WPLNSummit Recap: What You Need to Know (with More to Come!)

Our 2nd Annual National #WPLNSummit took place last weekend (April 21-23) in San Diego, and it was an inspiring, empowering experience.

We plan to share more details, quotes, and photos in upcoming blog posts, but we wanted to share these highlights in the meantime:

We announced our new Chair of our Board of Directors: Joel Noyes. We are thrilled to welcome Joel!

“WPLN has always been open to and grateful for the support of male allies who recognize the need for diverse voices at decision-making tables and who work to elevate them,” said WPLN President Larissa Martinez. “In short, we can’t do this work alone.”

And thank you to our Immediate Past Chair of the Board Jen Sarver for all of your leadership and guidance.

WPLN Board Chair Joel Noyes addresses the audience at the 2023 #WPLNSummit.

At our #WPLNSummit, we offered the following panels:

  • Economic and community development, featuring the following leaders and experts:

    • Former California Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (@CBakerAD16 on Twitter)

    • San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones (@RebeccaJ516 on Twitter)

    • Yorba Linda Mayor Pro Tem Tara Campbell (@tarapcampbell on Twitter)

    • Darian Z. Harris from Advantage Capital (Darian’s LinkedIn profile)

  • Diversity on the trail, featuring the following leaders and experts:

    • WPLN President Larissa Martinez (@LMart939 on Twitter)

    • Monet Bacs from the Libre Initiative (@MonetBacs on Twitter)

    • Nikita Pearson (@MsNikitaPearson on Twitter)

    • Lorenda Overman from the American Farm Bureau Federation

    • Angel Fimbres Barcelo from Big Fish Recruiting (@AngelFBarcelo on Twitter)

  • Voter outreach and community engagement, featuring the following leaders and experts:

    • Arkansas Republican Party Communications Director Amber Crawford (@AmberRowlett1 on Twitter)

    • Sara Marie Ridley from Majority Strategies (@SaraMarieK on Twitter)

    • Former California congressional candidate Tamika Hamilton (@TamikaGHamilton on Twitter)

    • Chris Lane from Cygnal (@ChrisLaneMA on Twitter)

We also offered more intimate panels on two important issues:

  • The future of the workforce, featuring

    • Cheryl Jaeger from Crossroads Strategies (Cheryl’s LinkedIn profile)

    • Pennsylvania Representative Kristin Marcell, also of HBW Resources (Kristin’s LinkedIn profile)

    • Rachel Michelin from California Retailers Association (@RachelEMichelin on Twitter)

    • WPLN Board Member Matt Ralston, from Troutman Pepper Strategies (@MD_Ralston on Twitter)

  • Secure and sustainable energy solutions, featuring

    • WPLN Board Chair Joel Noyes, from Hess Corporation (@JPNoyes on Twitter)

    • Emily Haggstrom from HBW Resources (@emilyhaggstrom on Twitter)

    • Kristin Westmoreland from American Petroleum Institute (@Kangus10 on Twitter)

    • Molly Determan from Energy and Technology Workforce (@molly_smart on Twitter)

And our skills building workshops centered around 3 skills critical for any candidate or lawmaker:

  • Speaking with confidence, led by Jenifer Sarver from Sarver Strategies (@utsarver on Twitter)

  • Building your brand, led by Madeline Fetterly of Be the Brand (@m_fetterly on Twitter)

  • Fundraising, led by June Cutter of Highland Illuminate (@junecutter on Twitter)

In addition, Maria Giannopoulos (@greekmaria) and Erica Arbetter (@ThatsErica) from Google gave a presentation on the importance of digital security (“Keeping Yourself Secure with Google”).

One particular highlight was the Profiles in Leadership luncheon discussion between former U.S. Representative Mimi Walters (@MimiWaltersCA) and WPLN Board Vice Chair Valerie Dowling (@valeriedowling).

WPLN Board Vice Chair Valerie Dowling speaks with former U.S. Representative Mimi Walters during the “Profiles in Leadership” Luncheon at the 2023 #WPLNSummit.

And congratulations to Isabella Chism and Chris Cate, our 2023 WPLN Summit Award Winners! WPLN presented the "2023 Architect of Society Award" to Isabella (@agrimom), Chair of the Women’s Leadership Committee at the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the “2023 Daniel Anthony Award” to former San Diego City Councilman Chris (@chrisjcate), founder of 3MC Strategies. Learn more.

Looking for more photos from the weekend? Join WPLN’s Facebook Group for access and more exclusive updates throughout the year!

Stay tuned for more quotes and photos from our 2023 #WPLNSummit!
national summit, WPLNSummit
Sarah Quinlan