Stellar Speakers: DFW*ATW Announces Lineup for Its Executive Leadership Forum

In its 20th anniversary year, the DFW Alliance of Technology and Women is kicking it up a notch—literally. On September 8, it'll hold its annual Executive Leadership Forum at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco.

Lisa Gable, Nina Vaca, and Marissa Horne will be featured speakers at the annual fundraising event, which supports DFW*ATW's mission of increasing the number of women in leadership and strengthening the pipeline of girls entering tech fields.

DFW*ATW is kicking things up a notch for its Executive Leadership Forum—by holding the September 8 event at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco.

Today, the DFW Alliance of Technology and Women announced its speaker lineup for the annual event and fundraiser. They’re three women who’ve reached big goals of their own, and want to inspire women and girls everywhere to take the field for careers in tech.

DFW*ATW’s two big goals

The forum’s Hall of Fame site is all about winning, and for DFW*ATW that means achieving its own two big goals: increasing the number of women in leadership and strengthening the pipeline of girls entering technology fields.

Here are the three speakers who’ll bend it like Mia Hamm when they speak at the nonprofit’s September 8 event, in DFW*ATW’s 20th anniversary year:

Lisa Gable, former U.S. ambassador and bestselling author

The event’s keynote speaker will be Lisa Gable, the bestselling author of “Turnaround: How to Change Course When Things are Going South.” A former presidential appointee, US ambassador, UN delegate, and advisor to Fortune 500 companies, Gable is also a distinguished fellow at the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, an institute within the SMU Lyle School of Engineering.

Gable’s website highlights one of her key business transformation tools: applying the discipline of process engineering by “carefully reevaluating everything an organization does and how it does it—with diplomacy and humanity, taking care of relationships and forging strong partnerships.”

Nina Vaca, Chairman and CEO, Pinnacle Group

The forum’s fireside chat will feature Nina Vaca—the founder, chairman, and CEO of Pinnacle Group, a global workforce solutions provider that’s twice been named the fastest-growing woman-owned company in the country. In 2014, Vaca was appointed by the White House as a presidential ambassador for global entrepreneurship, Last November, she was named the first-ever entrepreneur in residence for the city of Dallas by Mayor Eric Johnson.

Vaca serves on the boards of multiple publicly traded companies, and has been named in the top five of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Latinas. In addition to her business achievements, she’s served as a civic leader and philanthropist, working to expand opportunities for minorities and women in business.

Marissa Horne, Vice President, Technology Strategy & Governance, Financial Services, Capital One

The forum’s emcee will be Marissa Horne, who’s responsible for Capital One’s Cyber, Tech, Data and Risk program, its Risk Operations & Control team, and more. Horne is a Dallas Business Journal 2022 Women in Tech awardee and was named a Top STEM Influencer by the National Society of Black Engineers. She was instrumental in the launch of the Dallas Chapter of The Links STEAM Academy, a nonprofit benefiting middle- and high-school girls. She serves on the boards of the Dallas Arboretum and Center for BrainHealth.

Last fall, Horne was a panelist at Capital One’s Reimagine Communities Summit, which explored how to empower our communities post-pandemic for an audience over over 500 nonprofit, business, civic, and corporate executives.

‘Stand Your Power’ by supporting ignITe and iLEADinSTEM

DFW*ATW President Aries Webb-Williams says the theme of this year’s event is “Stand Your Power.”

“And these ladies clearly have,” she added in a statement. “I’m excited to share the stage with them as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. As a 100% volunteer organization, this event is a vital fundraiser that we hope will draw new partners into our fold.”

“The funds we raise will support our programs such as ignITe, an upskilling and reskilling program for women in tech, and iLEADinSTEM, a scholarship-based program that introduces girls to science and technology fields,” Webb-Williams said.

VIP cocktail hour, auction, live music and more

The September 8 DFW*ATW Executive Leadership Forum forum will feature a VIP cocktail hour and auction at 4:30 p.m. (separate ticket required) and live music by saxophonist Charmin Greene.

Doors will open to all ticket holders at 5:30 p.m. Tax-deductible sponsorships are available, the organization says, including the opportunity to select a spokesperson from the sponsoring organization to moderate the fireside chat. For sponsorship info, contact [email protected]. To register for the forum or get more info, go here.

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