+ grow better together

September 26, 2025
Event check-in begins at 7:30am
9am – 6pm
Knoxville Convention Center

Grow Yourself

Gain a Network

Give Back
Event Highlights
Your ticket includes:
- Professional speakers sharing professional & personal growth advice
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Happy Hour
- Networking with peers and local leaders
- Professional headshot
- Women in Tech swag
- Prize giveaways from local vendors




Sponsorship Opportunities
Event Schedule
Registration
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome, Event Logistics, Details for the Day
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM
Full Group Keynote
9:20 AM – 10:20 AM
Erika Gerdes: Shift from Stuck to Superstar - The Hidden Truth Behind Bold Moves

Most ambitious women don’t feel stuck because they’re not doing enough—but because they’ve spent years doing what they thought they should. In this keynote, Erika Gerdes unpacks the hidden patterns, beliefs, and expectations that quietly hold even the most successful women back. With humor, vulnerability, and actionable insights, she’ll share how to break free from those internal blocks and step into the bold, fulfilling path that’s been waiting all along. You’ll walk away inspired, grounded, and ready to lead with more clarity, confidence, and impact.
Erika Gerdes helps leaders—predominantly women in tech—step into greater confidence, take bold action, and create meaningful impact. Combining deep insights with empathy, authenticity, and actionable tools, she drives lasting transformation.
Break
10:20 AM – 10:40 AM
Breakout Session 1
10:40 AM – 11:25 AM
Jody Clayton (Oracle): How to Enable and Build a Culture of AI Innovation on Your Team
Through her leadership of the team at Oracle responsible not only for driving internal AI innovation, but also for empowering customer-facing sales teams to bring these cutting-edge strategies and solutions to their partners, Jody Clayton has deep expertise and practical experience to share on how to enable and build a culture of AI innovation on your team.
Jody Clayton is a Group Vice President, NAA Advanced Technology, and has over 28 years of experience in the enterprise software industry.
Vallie Collins: Miracle on the Hudson - A Passenger's Perspective

As a salesperson, travel was a key requirement of the job. As a result, Vallie was a passenger on US Airways Flight 1549 that landed in New York’s Hudson River on January 15, 2009. Vallie will share the details of her experience during the flight and rescue of the event that has become known as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’. In addition, she will share key learnings from the experience that will hopefully inspire and motivate all to treasure each and every day because ‘every day is a lucky day’!
Vallie Smith Collins resides in Friendsville, Tennessee. She is married and has three children. She serves on the board of New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center, the Pellissippi State Community College Foundation, and is the board chair for Love One International which works to serve malnourished children in Uganda.
Rachael Bevill Burns: How Smart are Robots, Really?

Burns will showcase the latest research from the Social, Tactile, & Assistive Robotics and Intelligence Lab (STARI), at the University of Tennessee. This will include her team’s work with the commercial humanoid robot NAO. Burns will introduce the audience to the field of human-robot interaction (HRI), its current developments, and prospective directions for the future. How “smart” are robots, really? How can they help us? Stop by to find out more!
Rachael Bevill Burns, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, performs research focusing on creating intelligent robots with touch perception and emotional expressiveness for therapy and care settings.
Lunch
11:25 AM – 12:40 PM
Full Group Session
12:40 PM – 1:40 PM
Julie Wilkes: Creating Your WOW Factor Out of Well-Being

What if your “WOW” factor—your ability to impress, inspire, and influence—was already within you, just waiting to be unlocked through well-being? In this dynamic and transformative session, Dr. Julie Wilkes takes you on a powerful journey to discover how your personal wellness can become the key to elevating every part of your life—from your performance at work to your relationships with family, friends, and even the way you treat yourself. Blending inspiring stories, scientific research, and practical tools, this session reveals how prioritizing your well-being isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. You’ll learn how small shifts in your daily habits, mindset, and self-care rituals can create ripple effects that ignite your energy, resilience, and creativity.
Julie Wilkes was born with a congenital heart defect, has experience two cardiac arrests in her life and is a proud heart disease survivor who believes she was given a second chance. This profound experience has shaped her perspective and ignited a deep passion for helping others live their healthiest lives.
Break
1:40 PM – 2:00 PM
Breakout Session 2
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Aarti Borkar (Microsoft): AI Tools/Use Case Opportunities
Through her experiences as Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Security, as well as her global presentations at Microsoft’s AI tour events, Aarti Borkar is well equipped to share her thoughts and ideas on AI use case opportunities.
Aarti Borkar is the Corporate Vice President for Security at Microsoft.
Kim Payne: Navigating Generational (and other) Differences at Work
In this breakout session, Kim Payne will share current workforce trends and demographics. You will gain an understanding of the current challenges we face and explore how we are a part of the largest workforce age gap in history with several generations working side-by-side: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. This session discusses what motivates professionals of various backgrounds and lived experiences and how to understand those individuals with an empathic lens. You will walk away with tangible ways to be an engaged, supportive and collaborative team player while navigating your relationships at work. This session is for all career levels, from the soon-to-retire to brand new professionals.
Kim Payne, SHRM-SCP, has 20+ years experience in human resources, leadership, and organizational development. She has experience at a multinational corporation in the home improvement retail industry and senior level leadership in the manufacturing industry.
Jennifer Ward: Digital Forensics in Investigations
As a Computer Scientist with the FBI, Jennifer Ward provides a variety of technical investigative support to case teams, including data analysis, digital forensics, programming, and malware analysis. This session will introduce fundamental digital forensics concepts, highlight its critical role in investigations, and demonstrate how individuals and organizations can effectively support law enforcement by recognizing, preserving, and documenting digital evidence effectively.
Jennifer Ward is a Computer Scientist in the FBI Nashville Division assigned to the Cyber Squad in Knoxville since 2021. Ward provides a variety of technical investigative support to the Knoxville office, including data analysis, digital forensics, programming, and malware analysis.
Break
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Full Group Workshop
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Erika Gerdes: Step Into Becoming the Superstar You Already Are - A Hands-On Workshop for Bold, Aligned Action

Through guided exercises, group reflection, and real-time coaching with Erika, you’ll uncover what’s been holding you back, reconnect with what you truly want, and take the first bold steps toward it. Whether you’re craving more confidence, clarity, or fulfillment, this session will help you move from insight to action—so you can lead in your work and life with power, purpose, and authenticity.
Erika Gerdes helps leaders—predominantly women in tech—step into greater confidence, take bold action, and create meaningful impact. Combining deep insights with empathy, authenticity, and actionable tools, she drives lasting transformation.
Happy Hour
Networking, Drinks & Fun!
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Erika Gerdes helps leaders—predominantly women in tech—step into greater confidence, take bold action, and create meaningful impact. Combining deep insights with empathy, authenticity, and actionable tools, she drives lasting transformation. With over 3,000 hours of coaching experience, Erika has helped hundreds of professionals accelerate their success while feeling great doing it. She partners with top companies like LinkedIn, Amazon, and Microsoft and teaches Leadership and Transformation Master’s courses at Ohio University.
Previously, Erika spent 12 years at Google, leading and growing a top global partnership by 300% before leaving to start her company as a single mom with two young children. That transition sparked an identity crisis, revealing how much external perception shapes our choices—and how often it holds us back. This realization became the foundation of her work: helping others break free from self-imposed limitations and step fully into the careers, lives, and impact they truly want.
Jody Clayton is a Group Vice President, NAA Advanced Technology, and has over 28 years of experience in the enterprise software industry. A technologist at heart, Jody is passionate about technology and partnering with customers across industries to adopt Oracle Cloud Applications and Technology to solve their most complex business challenges. At Oracle, she leads a team of experts responsible for representing Oracle Cloud Applications technical topics (Architecture, Security, Integration, DevOps, etc), Analytics, and Emerging Technology (including AI) for North America.
Since joining Oracle, she has had several leadership positions across various technologies including Master Data Management, Platform, Analytics, and AI. Jody holds an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems from Central Michigan University, an MBA from Wayne State University, and an Executive Leadership Certification from the University of Michigan/IESI. In June of 2024, and recently completed the Chief Technology Officer Executive Program at UC Berkeley.
Vallie Smith Collins resides in Friendsville, Tennessee. She is married and has three children. She serves on the board of New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center, the Pellissippi State Community College Foundation, and is the board chair for Love One International which works to serve malnourished children in Uganda.
Vallie is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. For over nineteen years she was employed in medical device and consumer products industry. Interests and hobbies include tennis, strength training, and spending time with family and friends.
Julie Wilkes was born with a congenital heart defect, has experience two cardiac arrests in her life and is a proud heart disease survivor who believes she was given a second chance. This profound experience has shaped her perspective and ignited a deep passion for helping others live their healthiest lives.
She is an accomplished author, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur focusing on cultivating health, wellbeing, mindfulness, and culture. She has a PhD in Organizational Psychology, has a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and over 30 various certifications in coaching, yoga, meditation and fitness. Julie is actively involved in various wellbeing modules as a faculty presenter for prestigious institutions such as Stanford University, Thrive Global, Potential Project, and Accenture. Recognized as a trusted expert in healthy lifestyle practices, Julie regularly appears as the healthy lifestyle expert for Good Day Columbus, Fox News, NBC news and other local and national news stations. She’s been featured on a variety of podcasts and interviews with Jay Sheatty, Lewis Howes and Carol Alt.
She has captivated audiences worldwide through her speeches and presentations at notable venues like the Tower of London, the White House, the US Chamber of Commerce, TED Talks, Solutions at Work Live, and various national health conferences.
Rachael Bevill Burns, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, performs research focusing on creating intelligent robots with touch perception and emotional expressiveness for therapy and care settings.
Burns earned her PhD in computer science from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart, Germany, where she first started as a Whitaker International Fellow in 2017. Burns earned her Bachelor and Master of Science in biomedical engineering in 2015 and 2017 at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Burns was named a 2023 RSS Pioneer and a 2021 HRI Pioneer for her doctoral work on creating a Haptic Empathetic Robot Animal (HERA) for children with autism. Burns also received an honorable mention for the MPI-IS Outstanding Female PhD Student Prize.
At the University of Tennessee, Burns leads the Social, Tactile, & Assistive Robotics and Intelligence (STARI) Lab. STARI is one of five Max Planck Partner Groups in the US, a prestigious affiliation with the Max Planck Society in Germany, promoting cutting-edge, collaborative international research.
Kim Payne, SHRM-SCP, has 20+ years experience in human resources, leadership, and organizational development. She has experience at a multinational corporation in the home improvement retail industry and senior level leadership in the manufacturing industry. She now calls Knoxville her home and oversees Talent Management at the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB).
Kim’s areas of focus at KUB are supporting the talent acquisition, learning & development, employee relations and employee experience teams. Throughout her career she has supported employees with extremely diverse skillsets – from factory workers to senior executives in the corporate space. She brings balanced, holistic and strategic expertise in the HR space.
Sponsors
PREMIER SPONSORS
LUNCH SPONSORS
HAPPY HOUR SPONSOR
ALL-DAY SPONSORS
WiT EXPO PARTNERS
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