Past Speakers

Mickey Cockrell is an entrepreneur in the non-profit sector serving as CEO & Co-Founder of Catie's Closet. She has won numerous awards for Catie’s Closet including The Mass Challenge Diamond 1st Place Award; The  Celebration of Excellence Non-Profit of the Year; as well as earned a fellowship with Draper Richards Kaplan and The Social Innovation Forum.

Prior to Catie's Closet, Mickey spent over 30 years in Business Management. Her primary focus has been in the retail sector providing leadership for Jordan Marsh, Filene's, and most recently as Vice President for Kohls. Mickey’s contributions include multi-level and multi-corporation buying, generating national expansion strategies, merchandise assortment and versioning, marketing, information systems task force, and store training. As a result of her flexibility and career aspirations requiring many moves, Mickey took a non-traditional root in education focused on Business Management and Business Law.

She is known as an innovator and problem solver in the industry creating high-impact marketing strategies and business solutions. Most notably are Mickey's contributions and leadership in driving the organization's expansion and operational efficiencies. Mickey serves on the Executive Board of Directors for CTI (Community Team Work, Inc), a $100 million nonprofit serving the low-income community within the Merrimack Valley, MA. 

With over 15 years of broadcast experience, Danielle Trotta has covered NASCAR, Indy Car, the NFL, NBA, MLB, collegiate athletics, Supercross, & Moto GP for some of the biggest broadcasting companies in sports worldwide. Her work has taken her from the studio to the sidelines, and she can be heard daily on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio hosting her own NASCAR talk show. Trotta is married to Robby Benton, a former NASCAR driver, as well as NASCAR & IMSA team owner. They reside in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Susan Hackney is a marketing executive with extensive experience in leadership and team management.  She works for Harvard University as Director of Marketing for Harvard Summer School, Harvard Professional Development and HILR. Prior to joining Harvard, she served as Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer for The Christian Science Monitor.  As a member of the executive team. She provided leadership a during a period of transition as the 100-year-old news organization became the first US based newspaper to shift from a daily print publication to a web-first format. Susan has also held senior marketing positions with Aramark Corporation, US News and World Report, and Weider Publishing.

Mia Hewett is an international speaker, best selling Author, world-class business coach, and is the founder of Aligned Intelligence® presents on "How to Say What You Do That Has People Feel Intrigued, Wanting to Know More About How You Do That... And It's Not What You Think!".

Mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen made her Boston Lyric Opera debut as Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana and was recently appointed Artistic Advisor for BLO. Recent engagements include her Bard Opera debut singing Mother Chen in Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier, a double bill at Opera Santa Barbara of El Amor Brujo and Frugola in Il Tabarro, and her Chicago Opera Theater debut singing Queen Sophine in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus. Additionally, she made her Washington National Opera debut as Phoung Tran in the world premiere of The Rift, joined Santa Fe Opera for performances of Huang Ruo’s Angel Island and performed as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. This season, Ms. Nelsen reprises the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Atlanta Opera and New Orleans Opera, perform selections of orchestrated lieder by Alma Mahler with the Toledo Symphony, and joins her home company of Opera Santa Barbara as Mama in An American Dream and Fricka in the Dove reduction of Die Walküre. Ms. Nelsen has won first prize in the Performing Arts Foundation Vocal Competition, the Profant Foundation Vocal Competition and the Santa Barbara Foundation Vocal Competition, as well as a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and National Finalist in the Loren L. Zachary Society Vocal Competition and the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. Ms. Nelsen is a graduate of Boston University and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.

Stacy Reed-Barnes is an experienced Clinician and Author of the book Stacy's Joy. Her expertise is with Social Services, Crisis Intervention, Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Substance Use Disorders (SUD), Domestic Violence, and research. She is working on her doctorate in Leadership Psychology at William James College, expected to complete in December 2024.

Catherine M. Wilson manages international visitor protocol and donor stewardship for Notre Dame International, working collaboratively with units across campus to develop strategic priorities for international visitors and to coordinate and execute event and protocol management for distinguished international visitors to campus. Before coming to NDI, she was director of special projects and media relations for the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for the 60th Judicial Circuit of Indiana.

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She earned both her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and her master’s in nonprofit administration magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, as well as a certificate in hospitality and tourism management from Florida Atlantic University. She is a graduate of The Protocol School of Washington®’s protocol officer training, and is licensed through PSOW as an intercultural protocol and etiquette trainer. She is also certified in GlobeSmart Profile and Inclusive Behaviors Inventory through Aperian Global.

Laura Noel is a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and certified Proctor Gallagher Institute coach and facilitator who works with individuals, groups and companies in reaching their potential and achieving their personal and professional goals.

She has been studying and teaching personal growth and leadership for over 27 years as she served in the military and has continued to develop her expertise through working with her mentor, who is world-renowned in human potential and success, Bob Proctor.

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Laura is thrilled to help clients stretch their thinking and minds in a way that opens them up to new possibilities. This mental flexibility allows them to lead happy, healthy, more abundant lives.

Angela Pitter is Founder and CEO at LiveWire Collaborative, a digital marketing consultancy. LiveWire Collaborative helps business owners and executives to tap into digital marketing solutions that unleash their brand’s full potential and to use social media to connect, collaborate, and convert their target communities.

Angela is a highly sought-after speaker who was previously featured on the TV series Chronicle, WCVB, and has personally trained thousands of CEOs, business owners, and consultants worldwide on their signature LinkedIn Influencer system. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds both her M.S. in Administration and B.S. in Computer Engineering from Boston University. Angela currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Newton Needham Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Ann Mehl is an Executive Coach based in NJ/NYC. She coaches, speaks and writes about how to successfully navigate the ever-changing world of work. With nearly 20 years of corporate experience working for companies including Citigroup, and Andersen Consulting, Ann brings a wealth of knowledge to her coaching clients. Ann’s background as an executive recruiter in the ‘90s led her quite naturally to “coaching” people in career transition.

Since launching her own consulting company in 2005, Ann has coached men and women from all walks of life. Some are CEOs of start- up companies, some are senior leaders looking to gain a competitive edge, while others are people seeking to reinvent their careers. Ann is a certified HBDI facilitator, has studied NVC Communication Technique and is certified as a relational life therapist. Ann is a graduate of Boston College and she has run over 50 marathons worldwide. She is the mother to two young boys, which has been the most humbling and rewarding journey of her life.

Petra came to Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) from the Chicago History Museum where she worked with a collection of more than 50,000 examples of costume, fashion and textiles for exhibitions, acquisitions and online and community outreach.

Prior to that, she worked at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, where she helped expand the museum's fashion exhibition offerings and collection, as well as its Fashion Society. At PEM, Petra oversees the museum’s newly opened Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery of Fashion and Design and was the co-curator of Made It: The Women who Revolutionized Fashion.

She is currently serving as coordinating curator for the upcoming exhibition Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love, opening in June 2022. In her role as Director of Curatorial Affairs, Petra oversees the integration of PEM’s exhibition research and curatorial teams and develops departmental priorities and the strategies to deliver them.

Renee Hribar has been a sales professional since 1994 in New York. Making her first million before she was 25 years old, she has gone on to sell millions of dollars in products and services and train thousands to sell for the first time. She is known in her industry as a fun, energetic sales coach who leads with heart.

In addition, she is a TEDx speaker who offers training sessions at global conferences, on-demand courses and virtual workshops, she skillfully breaks down her decades of sales expertise. With her one-of-a-kind "laugh & learn" teaching style, you will certainly gain a new view of the "softer side of sales".

Remke has a background in finance, strategy, and sustainable development in both corporate and non-profit settings. 

After completing a management training program in corporate banking in 2003, she started her career in investment banking in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and then joined LexisNexis in Washington, DC, where she focused on strategy and competitive intelligence.

Remke started working in sustainable development in 2008. First as an Operations Director for a social enterprise start-up in Fair Trade chocolate and then as a Consultant at the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), where she worked on a range of environmental and social sustainability projects at IFC’s Sustainable Business Advisory unit. 

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In recent years, while obtaining her master’s degree in Sustainability & Environmental Management, Remke consulted for several Boston-based companies and served on a number of Boards. She has been one of the driving forces in bringing sustainability to the forefront in her community.

Remke holds an MA in Business Economics (University of Amsterdam, 2002) and an MA in Sustainability (Harvard, 2018). She obtained the GRI Standards Exam Certificate (2020) and participated in expert panels for Net Impact (2018) and Sustainable Finance at Babson (2018-2020). She served on the Board of Land’s Sake Farm (2017-2023), is co-founder of the Sustainable Weston Action Group (SWAG) and is a Lecturer at Boston University's Questrom School of Business (2021-current).

Heather has been a part of the nonprofit world for a long time. Most recently, she spent ten years with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, where she focused on increasing the number of girl scout troops and volunteers in the area as well as training and managing the local volunteer network.

She has lived in the Merrimack Valley for more than 20 years with her husband and two daughters and has been involved in the Lawrence community through Girl Scout action projects, volunteering with Cor Unum and providing fresh vegetables from her church’s permaculture garden to local soup kitchens.

As Executive Director of Charles River Watershed Association, Emily oversees a staff of 18 scientists and advocates focused on protecting and preserving the Charles River and its watershed communities. She previously served as Massachusetts Chapter Director for the Sierra Club, prior to that she was an environmental consultant, and fundraiser for political groups and candidates.

Emily also serves as an elected City Councilor in her hometown of Newton Mass. She holds a BA in philosophy from the University of Vermont and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Carrie Pasquarello Co-Founder and CEO of Global Secure Resources Inc. is dedicated to risk mitigation and threat assessment planning for tourism, improving the health, safety, and security of all travelers. Pasquarello’s decades of overseas experience combined with her passion for travel makes her a vital resource for international travel preparation. In addition, she volunteers her time as a crisis counselor teaching Community Awareness Prevention programs in Boston.