Take The Lead 2024 Agenda

September 16-18 📍 Portland, OR

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

6:00 PM - Welcome Reception & Dinner at On Corporate Office (1250 NW 9th Ave, Portland)

• 6:00 PM - Guests arrive

• 6:30 PM - Welcome Remarks from Kaitlin Rodriguez and Jessica Murphy - co-leaders of Take the Lead and Tiffany Smith - Founder of The The League Consulting Group

• 7:00 PM - Dinner

• 7:45 PM - Icebreaker Activity: Speed Networking 

• 8:45 PM - Closing + Announcements

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

6:30 AM - Morning Movement: Run Lead by Rach Junard

• Join us for an easy run for all paces led by local running leader, mental health advocate and community organizer Rach Junard

Retreat taking place at Urban Studio: 935 NW Davis St, Portland

8:30 AM - Breakfast

9:00 AM - Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, Community Agreements, Intention Setting

9:15 AM - Self-care/wellness session with Kyndall Osibodu, Founder of The Runner’s Apothecary 

• Kydall will invite retreat attendees to build and add to their recovery toolkits, for life and movement, through meditation, reflection, and community

9:50 AM - Featured Conversation with Jenny Nguyen owner of The Sports Bra in conversation with Jessica Murphy

• Join us for an inspiring conversation with Jenny, owner of the first-ever sports bar 100% dedicated to supporting + showing women’s sports

10:30 AM - Break 

11:00 AM - Panel with Q&A - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Whitelash

How do we continue to do DEI work in an increasingly hostile environment, with active lawsuits attempting to undue equity work, particularly racial equity work? What does this mean for you and your work?  How is your organization managing?

• Saman Waquad - Diversity, Equity and Social Responsibility Specialist at New York Road Runners 

• Shannon Woods - Senior Manager, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Brooks 

• Sahra Kaboli-Nejad - D&I and Social Impact Leader at On

• Song Anh Nguyen - VP of Product at Feetures

12:00 PM - Lunch

1:00 PM - Breakout Sessions (presentation, conversations, + Q&A)

• The Unsexy Side of Entrepreneurship with Jessica Murphy, co-founder at Bibrave - Being an entrepreneur can be rewarding but also tedious and exhausting. During the session, Jessica will discuss all the unsexy stuff that’s needed behind the scenes to make it work: invoices, contracts, sponsorship decks, and more! 

• Running for a Purpose with Rocío Villalobos, Indigenous Movement Crew co-founder - Rocío will share about her experience as a co-founder using running and their meetups to raise awareness about different issues and to encourage people to participate in local elections.

• Building Community-Centered Partnerships with Jasmine Nesi, US Partnerships at Strava - Creating meaningful collaborations with creators and community groups to foster brand loyalty and empower communities.

2:15 PM - Break  

2:30 PM - Breakout Sessions (presentation, conversations, + Q&A)

• The Power Of Influence: Creating Winning Partnerships - Naomie Samarou -  Global Influencer Marketing & Partnerships Manager at On
  Learn from her expertise in building meaningful and authentic collaborations, driving engagement, and harnessing the power of storytelling to create lasting brand connections.

• Representing and Trailblazing with Hebah Hefzy, first hijab wearing athlete to run Western States - Hebah will share her experience as a woman of color in trail running and more specifically what it meant for her to be the first hijab-wearing athlete to run Western States.

3:45 PM - Break 

4:00 PM - Sponsor Session with Q+A

5:15 PM - Wrap-Up

5:30 PM - Retreat Concludes

6:30 PM - Dinner

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

7:30 AM - Group transportation departs from hotel

7:45 AM - Hike: Wildwood Trail to Pittock Mansion with writing exercise giuded by Junghuan Liu Tervalon

9:45 AM - Group Transportation departs

10:00 AM - Brunch at Urban Studio

11:00 AM - Focus Session “Stride by Stride” - Allyship in Action with LaCheryl Ameer-Bey

Allyship plays a crucial role in fostering inclusion. Have you ever felt uncertain about how to guide allies who want to support your cause? Or perhaps you aspire to become a better ally yourself? This workshop, presented by Camber, is part of a three-part series on Mentorship, Allyship, and Sponsorship. It is designed to be interactive and reflective, encouraging participants to actively explore the concept of allyship and its practical application within organizations or for individuals.

12:30 PM - Closing Remarks & Group Photo

2:00 - 6:00 PM - Group Activity (optional)

Columbia River Gorge scenic drive and Latourell Falls hike (depart from hotel lobby).