Women’s Leadership Conference

Sarah Baldeo is a globally renowned AI neuroscientist, bestselling author, and global keynote speaker at the forefront of one of the defining questions of our time: what happens to the human brain as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in how we think, work, and lead.

Recently featured in TIME and invited into conversation with Oprah Winfrey on the Oprah Podcast, Sarah brings a rare combination of scientific depth, executive experience, and public credibility to the global conversation on human cognition in the age of intelligent systems.

As author of peer-reviewed research published by the American Psychological Association, Sarah examines how generative AI affects confidence, reasoning, and executive function, helping leaders distinguish between cognitive offload and cognitive upgrade.

With more than 1,400 stages across North America and Europe, and leadership experience spanning Deloitte, CGI, entrepreneurship, and neurotechnology, she advises institutions on how to preserve judgment, sharpen human advantage, and build resilient minds in an era of machine acceleration.

Sarah is a recurring guest expert on NBC, CBC, CTV, BBC, and across major news networks globally where she shares insights on the Future of the Human Brain.

Her work centers on one defining question: How do we unlock the 100 trillion synaptic connections of the human brain and upgrade our operating system in the Age of A.I.

In a world that demands agility and conscious decision-making, Ginny Clarke stands as a beacon of innovative leadership. With her wealth of experience as an executive recruiter at Spencer Stuart and Google, to becoming a leading authority in diversity and internal mobility, Ginny has been a guiding force for leaders seeking to create workplaces that are not just diverse, but truly conscious, engaged and productive.

Her holistic Five Dimensions of Conscious Leadership are more than principles, they are practices that have reshaped how organizations approach talent and culture in a transformative era. As we look to navigate the uncertainties of today’s workplace, Ginny’s insights are invaluable for leaders aiming to foster accountability, trust, integrity and inclusion. She offers more than a vision but practical strategies to thrive in the face of disruption by leading with a true sense of purpose. She is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau.

Ginny runs Ginny Clarke, LLC, her own multi-media leadership development business. She offers executive coaching services and is developing online leadership courses for emerging and established leaders. She also creates instructive and provocative content on workplace, workforce and leadership topics and has quickly gained influencer status on YouTube and other social media outlets.

She is the author of Career Mapping: Charting Your Course in the New World of Work, a guide to consciously managing your career no matter where you are on your journey.

Ginny earned her BA in French and Linguistics from the University of California at Davis, and her MBA in Accounting and Finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School. She is a single mother of an adult son, Julian who works in the entertainment industry.

Kate Alavez is President of PromoShop, Inc., where she leads organizational change and transformation with a focus on people, technology, and sustainable practices – building cultures where teams can do their best work.
A two-time Counselor Power 50 honoree and 2024 PromoStandards Distributor Person of the Year, Kate serves on the PPAI Board of Directors and holds an MBA from CSU Monterey Bay.
Outside of work, she serves as a Service Unit Manager for Girl Scouts of Los Angeles, supporting 195+ girls and 40+ leaders, runs an industry book club focused on closing the access gap, and through Our Big Kitchen LA has helped provide thousands of meals to those experiencing food insecurity in 2026.

Angie Hardwick is the co-founder and CEO of Chipply, an industry-specific technology company built for team dealers, apparel decorators, and promotional products distributors. With nearly 25 years of industry experience, including 14 years leading web management initiatives as online stores were beginning to reshape the sporting goods industry, Angie has spent her career not just adapting to change, but helping create it. For over a decade as CEO, she has guided her team through rapid technological evolution, embracing automation and challenging traditional ways of doing business while keeping people at the center of every decision.

Trish Daly is a visionary sales leader with over 27 years of experience driving growth and transformation at Koozie Group, where she serves as Vice President of Sales. Having risen through the ranks from Account Manager to an executive role, Trish has been instrumental in shaping the company’s sales strategy and guiding its evolution through major transitions, including acquisitions and improving the sales process. Her leadership is defined by a results-driven, people-first approach that fosters accountability, collaboration, and sustained performance across diverse teams.
Throughout her tenure, Trish has led initiatives that align Koozie Group’s sales strategies with broader organizational objectives, ensuring a seamless integration of innovative tools, optimized processes, and strategic market positioning. Her ability to navigate the complexities of private equity-backed environments has been key to the company’s success, particularly in enhancing profitability, strengthening distributor relationships and expanding service offerings. Trish’s expertise in sales transformation has played a pivotal role in the organization’s ability to adapt and thrive in a competitive marketplace.

Sam Ross is Vice President of Partner Experience at Facilisgroup, where she leads Partner Success, Training & Development, and Customer Support. Over more than a decade with the company, she has helped drive 20% compound annual growth by building the systems, team capabilities, and partner relationships that support scalable success. Known for her practical, people-first leadership style, Sam focuses on asking thoughtful questions, bringing clarity to complexity, and turning insight into action. Under her leadership, Facilisgroup has doubled its Net Promoter Score, increased employee retention by 10%, expanded continuing education to 26 hours annually per employee, and maintained 97% annual partner retention. She is passionate about developing others, building trust across teams, and helping organizations navigate growth with empathy, accountability, and confidence.

Suzanne Simpson is Director of Strategic Accounts at Gemline, where she leads key customer partnerships and growth initiatives across North America. With more than two decades of experience spanning the promotional products industry and the advertising and communications agency world, Suzanne is known for helping companies achieve business outcomes through strategic, consultative partnerships.
Prior to joining Gemline, Suzanne spent over a decade in the agency space, developing expertise in brand strategy, client engagement, and integrated marketing. This foundation allows her to approach customer relationships as a consultant rather than a product seller, helping organizations solve business challenges and create meaningful brand connections.
A member of the PPAI Women’s Leadership workgroup for the past four years, Suzanne is passionate about fostering connection, mentorship, and growth opportunities for women in the industry. Her commitment to supporting others was shaped early in her career by a defining moment of choice that reinforced the importance of advocacy, authentic leadership, and helping others see possibilities in themselves before they see them on their own.

Laurie Moore is the President of PromoCorner, a leading digital marketing resource for the promotional products industry. With over a decade of experience driving brand growth, she excels at blending strategic storytelling with digital marketing. As Chair of this year’s Women’s Leadership Conference Workgroup Committee, she is honored to help create a space where women can learn, connect, and inspire one another.
Leading an all-female team and raising four daughters has reinforced Laurie’s belief in the power of mentorship, representation, and lifting others as they grow. While she is a strong advocate for advancing women in business, her greatest passion is empowering people to discover their strengths, pursue their ambitions, and reach their full potential.
Known for leading with heart, hustle, and authenticity, Laurie has built her career around helping others succeed, fostering meaningful connections, and creating opportunities for growth both professionally and personally.

Ellen Tucker, CAE, MAS, is the Vice President of Revenue and Expositions at PPAI and has been with the Association for over 10 years.  She spearheads PPAI’s entire revenue stream, oversees professional development initiatives and orchestrates the industry’s largest trade show, The PPAI Expo.

Johanna  “Jo” is a business development leader with more than 20 years in the promotional products industry. Starting her career as an associate account manager and rising to VP of Business Development, she has built a reputation for creative thinking, strong partnerships, and a relentless drive to grow opportunities.
An advocate for fresh ideas and new energy in the promotional products industry, Jo believes it’s time to shake things up—and keep shaking. As the proud daughter of immigrants, she values diverse voices and perspectives (and has a lifelong soft spot for accents).

Trish Daly is a visionary sales leader with over 27 years of experience driving growth and transformation at Koozie Group, where she serves as Vice President of Sales. Having risen through the ranks from Account Manager to an executive role, Trish has been instrumental in shaping the company’s sales strategy and guiding its evolution through major transitions, including acquisitions and improving the sales process. Her leadership is defined by a results-driven, people-first approach that fosters accountability, collaboration, and sustained performance across diverse teams.
Throughout her tenure, Trish has led initiatives that align Koozie Group’s sales strategies with broader organizational objectives, ensuring a seamless integration of innovative tools, optimized processes, and strategic market positioning. Her ability to navigate the complexities of private equity-backed environments has been key to the company’s success, particularly in enhancing profitability, strengthening distributor relationships and expanding service offerings. Trish’s expertise in sales transformation has played a pivotal role in the organization’s ability to adapt and thrive in a competitive marketplace.

I’m a nerd of many stripes: sales, marketing, business strategy, choral music, food, small town Midwesternism, writing, old houses, useless trivia, murder mysteries, and how you can live a good life wherever you are. I’m an industry immigrant multiple times over: first in higher education marketing, then tech marketing and now in promotional product sales (and, you guessed it… marketing). I have a deep faith in what connects us as humans, and I’m inspired every time our great, wide world becomes very, very small. I believe in doing good when you can, however you can, and the power of companies and brands in creating meaningful change.
I currently serve as Vice President of Strategic Growth for Summit, and love giving my time to make our industry better through PromoCares (board member) and PromoKitchen (mentor).

Cathy Yonek is Global Director of Digital Experience at Goldstar, where she leads digital strategy across global platforms, focusing on customer experience, pricing alignment, and scalable, digital-first growth. She brings deep expertise in the promotional products industry, with prior experience at PCNA and ASI, and has been an active contributor to the PromoStandards community since its inception.
Cathy has led numerous PromoStandards integrations and large-scale digital transformation initiatives, including platform launches and pricing modernization. With broad experience across the full software development lifecycle, she is known for building high-performing teams, strengthening customer relationships, and delivering results in complex, evolving environments.
Her leadership approach is grounded in Agile principles, emphasizing collaboration, iterative delivery, and continuous improvement.
In her spare time, Cathy enjoys reading, road trips with her family, sipping wine, and practicing guitar.

Taylor Borst is the vice president of vendor relations, marketing, & events at American Solutions for Business, one of the largest and employee-owned distributorships in the industry. Since joining ASB in 2015, she’s held a variety of leadership and key roles spanning strategic operations, communications, public relations, marketing, events, and vendor relations. Driven by her passion for building meaningful connections, Taylor works closely with sales associates, supplier partners, and internal teams to create experiences and strategies that strengthen relationships and drive growth. She is a frequent industry contributor, speaker, and advocate for the power of branding, storytelling, and community.

Kara Keister is the co-owner of Social Good Promotions, a company dedicated to creating purpose-driven branding solutions. With more than a decade of experience in distributor sales and a background in marketing, she has helped position the company as a leader in socially responsible promotional programs. Her strategic vision and commitment to impact have fueled consistent double-digit growth since the company’s founding.

Keister has held multiple leadership roles within the promotional products industry, including serving as PPAI regional board president and as a representative to the Regional Affiliate Council. In 2021, she was honored as a PPAI Rising Star.

An advocate for education and volunteerism, Keister supports youth leadership organizations, local schools and organizations such as Special Olympics.

Melissa is the Chief Marketing Officer for PPAI. She has held global leadership roles across go-to-market strategy, brand development, value creation, innovation and partnerships in a variety of industries. In addition to her roles within two different promotional products suppliers, she has also worked with well-known brands developing advertising campaigns and marketing strategies. She previously served as an at-large director on the PPAI Board from 2022 to 2024 and prior to that, the PPAI Strategic Foresight and Promotional Products Education Foundation committees.  A versatile leader who is experienced leading through successful change transformations, including rebranding and acquisitions, she’s keenly focused on stakeholder engagement with a collaborative approach.

Kim Sandifer is Chief Human Resources Officer at HALO Branded Solutions, where she leads the people strategy supporting HALO’s next phase of growth as a global, technology-enabled brand-building company. Since joining HALO in 2020, she has helped strengthen leadership infrastructure, shape organizational design, and build the talent and culture needed to scale with greater alignment, accountability, and performance. Kim partners closely with the CEO and executive team to align workforce strategy with business priorities, support leadership transitions, and modernize the employee experience across the enterprise. With more than 20 years of experience across Fortune 500 financial services and retail organizations, she is known for connecting people, performance, and purpose in ways that strengthen execution and long-term value. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from Elmhurst College.