8:00 am – 8:45 am

Walking & Wellness

Meet in the lobby to join us for a walk around the area to start your day and meet fellow attendees. Let’s enjoy the weather and location together. Or, head to the hotel fitness center on your own for some exercise. There are towels in the fitness center along with a water refill station. 

10:00 am – 11:45 am

Crown Ballroom

Annual Membership Meeting

Sponsored by Wells Fargo

Kickoff & Opening Remarks

Jen Earle, NAWBO CEO
Val Jones, Wells Fargo
Maryam Enders, Wells Fargo

NAWBO National Board Installation

Dr. Janis Shinkawa, NAWBO National Board Chair, 2024-2025

NAWBO Institute Board Installation

Shauna Huntington, NAWBO Institute Board Chair, 2024-2025

2024 Priorities: Membership, Advocacy and Community Building

As we move through 2024 toward the fall election, there’s a growing sense of uneasiness across the country—in NAWBO and in our greater communities. It’s an important reminder to stay focused and positive and proactively control the things we can. What can we do to help build and support our communities through local and national bi-partisan advocacy efforts? Through community outreach, education and partnerships? Through efforts to diversify and ensure all entrepreneurial women feel they belong and have a voice and access to what they need to grow? Let’s be part of the solution and continue to create leaders for a world of change.

Join Dr. Janis Shinkawa and Shauna Huntington for an important discussion moderated by Jen Earle. 

Treasurer’s Report

Megan Patton, NAWBO National Board Treasurer

11:45 am – 2:30 pm

Crown Foyer

Registration Desk 

Kendra Scott Pop-up Shop

We are excited to partner with Kendra Scott on a pop-up shop. 20% of all purchases will be donated to the NAWBO Institute. So be sure to come by during lunchtime and breaks to shop! Kendra Scott will be spotlighting a stone to represent NAWBO!

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Crown Foyer / Crown Ballroom

Buffet Lunch

Sponsored by McDonald’s Corporation

Remarks: Ashli Nelson, McDonald’s USA

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Crown Ballroom

Chapter Awards Ceremony & Presidents’ Recognition

Let’s recognize our top chapters for their amazing work over this last year followed by our pinning ceremony. Past presidents and new presidents will take part in the pinning ceremony as the new presidents recite their pledge.

Awards presented by:
Sandra Clitter, NAWBO National Board
Brenda Harris, NAWBO National Board
Val Jones, Wells Fargo

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Break – Transition to Afternoon Sessions

2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Crown Ballroom

Leadership Onboarding Training

Co-Sponsored by Bank of America & Dell Technologies

Grab your chapter’s 2024-2025 leadership team—including both incoming and returning chapter leaders—and join us for sessions filled with tools, resources and connections to set the stage for your success in the year ahead. We know that running a successful chapter takes a village, so we’re inviting yours to participate in this onboarding event for all chapter leaders across the country.

2:00 pm

2:15 pm

2:30 pm

Meggan L. Ciaccia & Michele Schina, CPAs & Beyond Strategy Partners

3:00 pm

3:45 pm

4:00 pm

Sponsored by Walmart Business

5:00 pm

5:50 pm

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Jewel Conference Center

Show Me the Money: A How-to Conversation for Every Business Stage

Access to capital remains a top challenge for women business owners, and it’s different depending on where you’re at in your entrepreneurial journey. This conversation—led by our partners at Wells Fargo—brings together women entrepreneurs with start-up businesses, $1 million-plus businesses and those who are somewhere in-between. Learn how they gained access, are using and investing it, including capital they might have sitting in the bank, and are positioning themselves to withstand any economic uncertainties.

Panelists:
Mehnoosh Askari, Wells Fargo
Tara Godby, Teakeasy Tea
Renee Patrone Rhinehart, Events by Renee & Party Host Helpers
Val Jones, Wells Fargo (Moderator)

Sponsored by Wells Fargo

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

West Atrium Gallery

Ready, Set…Maximize Your Meaningful Connections

There are so many incredible entrepreneurial women in the room at NAWBO Days that it’s hard to make meaningful connections with them all. Or is it? This elevated speed networking session makes it fun and easy with an hour of impactful ice breakers, games and even a few surprises from our partners at UPS. You’ll maximize your time and make new and deeper connections with your entire NAWBO community.

Remarks: Maria Luisa Boyce, UPS
Facilitator: Margaret Hernandez, NAWBO HQ

Sponsored by UPS

3:15 pm – 5:15 pm

Jewel Conference Center

Pathways to Profit: Maximize Your Certification

We’ll provide an overview of the NAWBO Certification program, then break into small groups for interactive workshops with the Certification committee. Workshops will include capability statement critiques, brainstorming sessions on how to use your certification, speed networking with other members to identify potential teaming partners, as well as Q&As about the certification process.

Speakers:
Molly Gimmel, NAWBO Certification Committee
Dr. Lena Graham-Morris, NAWBO Institute Board

3:15 pm – 5:00 pm

West Atrium Gallery

NAWBO Circle Program

NAWBO Circle program participants (for WBOs with $1 million+ in annual revenue) have access to exclusive programming at NAWBO Days! Join us for a special, organized Intentional Connections networking activity to make sure all Circle participants are well connected with one another outside of their Mastermind groups. After this activity, the Circle will go off-site to visit the King Tut Exhibition before heading to dinner. A reminder: if you are arriving early on Sunday, join the Circle for an afternoon of kayaking on the Potomac! (no rapids, easy paddling). A Circle Happy Hour follows at the home of Molly Gimmel. If you’re a Circle program participant, watch your email for details and links to be part of it all! 

Facilitator: Cari Kenzie, NAWBO Institute Board

After 6:00 pm

Dinner On Your Own – Explore DC!

Grab dinner in DC and explore areas of the District with your NAWBO sisters! 

8:45 am – 9:30 am

Crown Foyer / Crown Ballroom

Member Breakfast

Remarks: Amanda Slater, Mastercard

Sponsored by Mastercard

9:30 am – 10:15 am

Crown Ballroom

9:30 am – 10:15

Crown Ballroom

Understanding E-Commerce Policy Issues to Accelerate Business Growth

E-commerce is a powerful tool that allows small businesses to sell their products at scale and reach customers across the world. Join Amazon in a conversation with inspiring women business owners to learn how these leaders are leveraging e-commerce to build their brands, reach new customers and make an impact in their communities.

Panelists:
Jasmin El Kordi, MBlue Labs
Tatiana Greenfield Smith, Wilkii & Co.
Kait Hill, Amazon
Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg, Public Private Strategies (Moderator)

Sponsored by Amazon

10:15 am – 10:30 am

Crown Ballroom

The State of Small Business Briefing

Samantha Abrams, National Women’s Business Council

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Crown Ballroom

Supporting the Current Wave of Female Entrepreneurship Through Policy Change

Gusto, a SMB focused payroll, HR, benefits provider serving over 350,000 businesses in the U.S., found that women, and especially women of color, continue to lead the post pandemic wave of entrepreneurship. Challenges remain for these new entrepreneurs with an aging population, changes in the workforce, inflation and in many cases, balancing the needs of their families while growing a business. Learn how policy changes through paid leave, childcare, local resourcing and more can support women business owners to give them the best chance to succeed.

Panelists:
Wendy Doyle, United WE
Corrine Goble, AWBC
Christina Reger, Loutel Law
Dina Segal, Gusto (Moderator)

Sponsored by Gusto

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm

Near U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
First Street SE
Washington, DC 20515

Group Photo on Capitol Hill

We are excited to continue one of our most popular traditions of taking a group photo on Capitol Hill! We will walk together from the hotel to the steps of the Capitol.

If you need special accommodations and want to arrange for a ride share service, please use this address as your drop off point: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center First Street SE Washington, DC 20515

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Hart Senate Office
Building (SH-902)

120 Constitution Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20002

Partner Briefing Lunch

Remarks:

Jen Earle, NAWBO CEO

Congresswoman Julia Letlow, U.S. House of Representatives

Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, U.S. House of Representatives

Sponsored by Intuit

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Meetings with Senate Small Business Committee Staffs

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Crown Foyer

Pre-Gala Reception and Photo Op

Remarks:
Victoria Stevenson, NAWBO National Board
Emilio Gonzalez, Verizon

Sponsored by Verizon

6:30 pm – 10:30 pm

Crown Ballroom

NAWBO Annual National Awards Gala
Presented by Bank of America

Buffet dinner following cocktail reception.

Woman Business Owner of the Year Panel

Remarks: Krista M. Martinez, NAWBO National Board

Panelists:
Brittany Fugate, Cenetric Network
Amalia Moreno-Damgaard, Amalia Latin Gourmet
Precious Williams, Perfect Pitch Group
Beth Hoving, Bank of America (Moderator)

Announcement of Woman Business Owner of the Year:
Jill Calabrese Bain, Bank of America

The dance floor will be open after award announcement and a short break.

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Crown Foyer / Crown Ballroom

Breakfast Fireside Chat: The Impact of Public Policy on Women Business Owners

This will be an exciting conversation on some of the public policy issues that Meta is leading on behalf of small business owners, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and privacy and how these issues impact women business owners. Both AI and online privacy continue to have a growing role in the daily routines of women business owners as they evolve, and it will be important for women business owners to be prepared to understand how to best leverage them for their businesses.

Speakers:
Diana Doukas, Meta
Amber Wallace, NAWBO National Board

Sponsored by Meta

10:00 am – 10:30 am

Crown Ballroom

Priorities Partner Coffee Break/Networking

11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Group Meetings on Capitol Hill