Carley Barton
Writer / Copywriter
The Renegade Rulebook
@carbarton

“What do you do?” is Carley’s least favorite question in the world. She much prefers, “What do you live for?” Because you can tell a lot about a person by what makes them get out of bed in the morning. For Carley, that thing is writing. A copywriter by trade, and a blogger by choice, she has spent the last five years in the agency world crafting stories for brands we all know and love. For Carley, putting her thoughts on paper, on packaging, on billboards, on napkins, and on the Internet is simply a way of life.

Carley considers herself fortunate to have aligned her passion and her profession. That path was not a straight, narrow, or easy one. Nothing worth it ever is. A journey for a late night slice of Pizza. Taking the L train into Brooklyn. Falling in love. Each can be a grueling process, but once you arrive? Straight up magic. 

Victoria Cana
Human Capital Strategy Analyst
Deloitte Consulting
@victoriacana

Human Capital Consultant by day, career and lifestyle blogger by night – Victoria is an ambitious young New Yorker who enjoys writing her life story as though she’s the protagonist of a novel, observing the world from as many angles as possible, laughing until her stomach hurts, and helping other people achieve their dreams.

As a former National Officer of the marketing association DECA, Victoria is an accomplished leader and speaker, having spoken in front of audiences ranging from 15 to 15,000. Her signature workshops cover the areas of personal branding, effective communication, and leadership.

When Victoria isn’t running around Manhattan tasked with several missions in her planner, you will find her at Deloitte Consulting where she helps solve clients' biggest human capital problems. Victoria is also a blogger, aspiring novelist, and travel enthusiast. She loves board games, smoothies, and couponing.

Rebekah Epstein
Founder
Fifteen Media
@BekahEpstein

It didn’t take long in Rebekah Epstein’s career to learn that she had a knack for getting her clients the media attention they needed to thrive. With a BS in Media, Culture & Communication at New York University and tenure at both NYLON and Vogue magazines, Rebekah knows firsthand what catches the attention of top-tier media. And through her time at the New York office of People’s Revolution, helmed by fashion publicist and NY Times best-selling author Kelly Cutrone, she had established the media contacts and relationships she needed to start her own successful PR firm.

But unlike most PR firms, where time is split across client communications, meetings and administration, Rebekah solely focuses on what she does best - getting her clients into the media! Across outlets, including television, magazines and online. Her reliability and results-driven attitude has landed her clients of 30+ PR firms with placements in some of the most renowned news sources of our time, including Forbes, Associated Press, The New York Times and more.

Rebekah has been published in business magazines like Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and PR Couture, and her work has been spotlighted in publications such as Austin Business Journal and Austin Woman Magazine. She hosts regular PR workshops for small businesses who want to learn how to get the media attention they need. PR firms also leverage her expertise to train their publicists, both new and seasoned, on the ins and outs of modern-day PR. When she is not working, Rebekah enjoys hanging out with her husband and dog, as well as volunteering her time with non-profit organizations focused on promoting the education of young, professional women.

Pamela Kornblatt
President
Tax Strategists

Pamela Kornblatt is the President of Tax Strategists, an accounting firm started by her father. The Tax Strategists help startups, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals make tax efficient decisions so they can keep more capital to grow their businesses, save for their futures and enjoy. Pam believes that taxes can be approachable, understandable (and maybe even enjoyable). As a business owner, she loves helping others navigate the ever changing, ever complicated tax system. Pamela received a B.S. from Duke University and a Masters from Columbia.

Kelly Jensen
Associate Editor & Community Manager
Book Riot 
@veronikellymars

Kelly Jensen is a former teen librarian who worked in several public libraries before pursuing a full-time career in writing and editing. Her current position is with Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America, where she focuses on talking about young adult literature in all of its manifestations.

Kelly lives in Wisconsin with her husband, her bunny, and three needy-but-awesome cats. In her free time, she does yoga, writes for her personal blog STACKED (stackedbooks.org), drinks a lot of tea, and enjoys disappearing for days reading good books.

Her latest book is Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World (Algonquin Young Readers, February 2017) a collection of art, essays, and words from over 44 voices. Kelly's writing has been featured on The Huffington Post, at Rookie Magazine, The Horn Book, BlogHer, School Library Journal.

Christine Mockler Casper
C M & M, Inc.

Christine Mockler Casper, Keynote, Executive Coach/Trainer is the President of a Leadership Training Company – Communication, Motivation & Management, Inc. She works with executives internationally to challenge, inspire and develop their professional and personal performance to maximize business results. Her firm has provided consulting, coaching, design, and training programs for over 450 leading corporations and over 500,000 individuals. She is the author of From Now On With Passion - A Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Breaking Corporate Silence - How High Influence Leaders Create A Culture of Voice.

Melissa Travis
Business Sales Director, HealthSource RI for Employers
@HSRI_Employers

Melissa Travis is the Business Sales Director for HealthSource RI for Employers. She is responsible for business/industry relations and sales strategy for the SHOP (Small Employers Healthy Options Program) program which has been recognized as one of the top perforing exchanges in the United States and has been with the program from its inception. Ms. Travis works closely with the Small Business Administration, RI Commerce Corporation, SBANE, Chambers of Commerce, Lt. Governor’s Small Business Advisory Council, the Rhode Island Society of CPA’s and Financial Planning Association of Rhode Island. She also serves on the ACT Statewide Leadership Taskforce focused on serving the small business community in Rhode Island.

Prior to joining the Health Benefits Exchange, Ms. Travis held sales management positions including Senior Sales Manager for Global Operations for Tandberg/CISCO in Norway and Sales Manager for Teknor Apex International.

Ms. Travis serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Mass Energy, and the U.S. Green Building Council and chairs the Rhode Island Cities and Towns Advocacy Committee. She is Co-Chair of the SBA Committee on Healthcare, a member of the Government Affairs Committee for the Small Business Association of New England (SBANE), a member of the ACT Statewide Leadership Taskforce and a member of the Lt. Governor’s Small Business Advisory Council

She holds a professional Accident & Health license with National Association of Insurance Producers and a Producer License for the State of Rhode Island and attended the University of Rhode Island for graduate studies and Johnson & Wales University for Business Administration. Ms. Travis teaches healthcare seminars for various organizations and universities in the state.
She was awarded the Small Business Administration Director Award for 2016 for the work she has done to help small business owners in Rhode Island.
 

Erica Busillo Adams
Co-Founder and CEO
(step)mom: v
@averyanderica

Erica Busillo Adams is the Co-Founder and CEO of (step)mom: v, and she is on a mission to empower(step)moms, redefine motherhood, and conquer crisis over cocktails. Erica is a passionate change maker and non-profit leader who has built her career working for incredible organizations like The Philadelphia Orchestra, Save The Bay, and The Autism Project, where she is currently the head of development.

Erica sits on the Boards of Directors of Fusionworks Dance Company and The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, has performed as a solo dance artist in Fringe PVD, and was selected as an “Emerging Nonprofit Leader” by the Rhode Island Foundation in 2014. Erica studied Communications, Dance, and Comparative Religion at Northwestern University and currently lives in Providence, RI with her husband, two amazing (step)daughters, chocolate lab, and tabby cat.

Carole Ann Penney
Life Coach/Nonprofit Leader/Quilter/Mom
Connect the Dots
@caroleannctd

Carole Ann is a life purpose coach, nonprofit leader, quilter, and blogger based in Providence, Rhode Island. She works with people and organizations to uncover, articulate, and activate their mission in order to move forward with intentionality and in alignment with their true purpose. When she is not coaching, she is trying to keep up with her two year-old daughter Avery Jean, or designing modern quilts in her studio.

Avery Pontell-Schaefer
Co-Founder and CEO
(step)mom:(v)
@averyanderica

Avery is an ambitious and driven digital marketing expert with a zeal for all things in life. She completed her MBA at Rutgers Business School with specialities in Marketing and International Business. She is passionate about innovation and launched an app to educate the next generation of blood bankers. Today, she leads a marketing team at Audible.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, unleashing the power of spoken word through audiobooks. Avery is continuously in search of her next challenge. In 2015, she completed her first Ironman, and crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon two weeks later. While fitness is a big part of her life, she is a firm believer in balance. A total foodie, she indulges in gourmet cooking (and eating!), inspired by her two favorite chefs, Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis. She volunteers for a fantastic non-profit called LiLy, visiting and bringing smiles to seniors who live on their own. She continues to build her life with an ever-supportive and equally badass partner, and her wonderful family. She is grateful for her rockstar brothers (but seriously, one is a rockstar), Mom and Pop (because she doesn’t like the word stepdad).

Olivia Rodrigues
Wardrobe Stylist
Olivia Rodrigues
@oliviarstylist

Olivia is a Providence-based stylist who lives for helping her clients go through personal transformations by falling in love with their wardrobes, and enhancing their signature styles. As a style expert, Olivia works with companies, and professional photographers to bring their vision for fashion spreads and photo shoots to life with sheer creativity and passion. 

When she's not spending time with her family of 4 (dog included), she is either interviewing designers and shops for her Style Stops Facebook Live series, or scouting for vintage finds!

Erin Yarbough
CEO & Founder
Momma Love
@mommalovemommas

Erin has over 10 years in driving consumer brand growth globally in the juvenile product sector. She left corporate America to follow her dream and is now Founder and CEO of Momma Love. Momma Love is a collection of e-commerce brands delivering the best in quality for moms, babies, and children. The brand was inspired by her connection with her mom who passed away, and her journey to become a mother herself. She is a mom to two adventurous little boys.

Deepti Sharma
Founder & CEO, FoodtoEat
@deeptisharma1

Deepti Sharma Kapur is the CEO and Founder of FoodtoEat - a service where companies order team meals from local food vendors. A lifelong community servant, Deepti started FoodtoEat to help small, immigrant-owned food vendors use technology to build sustainable businesses. She’s a Forbes Under 30 alumna and a mentor with WENYC – the NYC Mayor’s initiative where women entrepreneurs help women start businesses.

Sarah Waldo
Co-Founder, CCO
Momma Love
@starfishing

A Cape Cod native, Sarah spent ten years in Providence after graduating in 2005 from Parsons School of Design in NYC. 

Sarah is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Momma Love, a RI-based children's brand. 

Sarah lost her first child, following a traumatic birth injury. She went on to have two daughters, and has blogged about loss, hope and motherhood on her blog.  

Sarah lives on Cape Cod and serves as a Board Member of the Lady Project.