Our Takeaways from #NEWSummit2019

Now that Summit is over, Nicole Wright (Acosta, NEW North Texas) and Desiree Frey (T-Mobile, NEW Pacific Northwest) are sharing their conference experiences. These members are very active within the organization and served as the social media correspondents for the event. Nicole and Desiree are both looking forward to seeing everyone at #NEWSummit2020, hosted in Dallas by NEW North Texas!

Desiree

As a four-time NEW Summit attendee, I always anticipate finding out what city Summit will be held in and who the keynote speakers and breakout session leaders will be. I look forward to the inspirational messages and the learnings I will gain over the event’s two and a half days.

This year’s theme, “By Design” was very personal to me as a leader in the Pacific Northwest region. Just a few short years ago, our region struggled to make an impact through programming, membership and general growth and as a result, we set very intentional goals as a team to course correct. During this period, we reached out to other regions that we wanted to emulate and learn from. It was this powerful community that lifted us up when we were at a low point. As a result, we were recognized as the 2019 Region of the Year within the Tier Two Region category!

All NEW volunteers work tirelessly to deliver events that bring people together in support of NEWs mission of advancing women, growing business and transforming our workplaces— it’s the very core of who we are as volunteers. When Summit comes around, we all seek to connect with the very people who have supported us in our careers, personal lives, and as volunteers.

If I had any advice on how to keep the energy of Summit going all year long, it would be to check your local region’s events and consider becoming a volunteer. You might surprise yourself and discover new skills and talents you may not have the chance to show in your daily role. This year, I was able to work alongside Nicole and the NEW HQ communications team to provide social media coverage throughout the conference. It was every bit as exciting and challenging as I imagined, and I am grateful for the chance to shine in this “NEW” light!

Nicole

For me, NEW Summit is always an amazing and re-energizing experience. This year, the theme, “By Design,” served as a reminder to design the life I want to live by being intentional with my connections, my time, my work, and most importantly, my actions. Desiree and I have been connected through NEW for a couple of years, and it was such a pleasure to collaborate with her as social media correspondents for the conference.

From Luvvie Ajayi kicking off Summit by talking about speaking truth to power and Lindsey Roy’s inspirational story on finding clarity in the chaos, to learning about the power of women’s anger from Soraya Chemaly, and everything in between; this year’s breakouts, mini-sessions, and opening and closing remarks all were created with the design of seeing, making and building a NEW future.

Some highlights? There was a very powerful message of creativity, optimism, and hope in Paul Bennett’s (Chief Creative Officer, IDEO) talk on fostering creative confidence to become agents of change. Crystal Harrell and Damon Jones (P&G), even inspired me to tears when going inside “The Talk.” Finally, the messages from Tara Jaye Frank, Sarah Alter and the participants on the ally-ship and “Brave Leaders, Bold Ideas” panels, all gave me the motivation to continue leading the way I was designed to lead.

As a NEW Ambassador, I am tasked with sharing NEW’s message within my organization to inspire others to get involved and see the whole potential of the organization. NEW is more than a women’s networking group—it is a community of people who are dedicated to advancing all women and who fully understand the power of diversity, inclusion, and togetherness. I was truly honored to be named one of the 2019 Ambassador Impact Award winners. I share this award with four other amazing ambassadors from Visa, Hormel Foods, P&G and Retail Business Services and with the 30 Acosta associates who attended 2019 NEW Summit. Winning this award was amazing, and the highlight of the event for me was hearing the thunderous cheers from the Acosta #ourATeam as our company name was announced. We had several first-time summit attendees, and after the conference, I received this infographic from Alia Miller, Acosta Business Process Expert, expressing her key takeaways from the event.
This is a perfect illustration of how amazingly talented my teammates are and I appreciated the opportunity to get to know them better this year’s NEW Summit.