sheLEADS Conference 2026

Opening Keynote: Melissa Welch

Melissa Welch is a creative marketing and communications leader with more than 15 years of experience building brands, leading cross-functional teams, and producing large-scale community and leadership events. As Senior Director of Creative Marketing Services at Bay
Path University and co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Conference, she specializes in bringing people together around ideas that create connection and impact. Her work focuses on communication, collaboration, and leading through influence, proving that meaningful
leadership isn’t defined by title alone.

Session Title: Change the Room Before You Run It

Description: Some of the most influential people in an organization aren’t the ones with the biggest titles - they’re the ones who build trust, connect people, communicate clearly, and move ideas forward. In this practical and honest session, Melissa Welch explores how influence is built through communication, credibility, collaboration, and emotional intelligence. Drawing from experience leading large-scale initiatives and cross-functional teams, attendees will learn actionable strategies for gaining buy-in and creating meaningful impact from any seat in the room.

Closing Keynote: Jonencia Wood

Jonencia Wood is an organizational development consultant within UMass Memorial Health, where she works directly with teams navigating communication, stress, and workplace dynamics in high-pressure environments. She is also the founder of Mystic Willow, where she
facilitates practices that help individuals reconnect to their voice, presence, and self-trust. Her work sits at the intersection of systems and human behavior—exploring what happens beneath the surface when people choose to speak up or stay silent. She brings a grounded, practical approach to leadership, helping individuals and teams understand how internal responses and external environments shape participation, influence, and voice. Jonencia’s sessions are known for being both insightful and immediately applicable, equipping participants not just with new perspectives, but with tools they can use in real-world situations to lead more effectively and create space for others to do the same.

Session Title: Why People Stay Silent-and How We Change That

Description: Making the room bigger is only the beginning. The real leadership question is: once people are invited in, what helps them speak, contribute, and be heard? In this practical and thought-provoking session, Jonencia Wood explores why capable, thoughtful people often stay silent in rooms shaped by hierarchy, pressure, self-doubt, and stress. Drawing from her experience as a consultant within a hospital system, she brings a real world lens to what keeps voices quiet—and what leaders can do differently to change that pattern. Leave with practical strategies to speak with greater clarity and confidence, and to help create spaces where more voices are not only welcomed but truly heard.

Breakout Presenter: Lauren St. Germain, Keynote Speaker and Facilitator

Session Title: An Hour Inward: Space to Hear Yourself Think

Description: We live in a world of constant input: notifications, expectations, opinions, urgency, and noise. Over time, many of us lose the space to hear ourselves think, making it harder to lead with clarity, confidence, and intention. In this reflective and practical session, attendees will learn (and put into practice!) a simple framework to pause and reconnect with their own voices. Because when we create space within ourselves first, we are better able to create space for others to contribute and belong.

Breakout Presenter: Joan Perreault, Continuous Improvement Coach, UMass Memorial Health

Session Title: Small Ideas, Big Impact: Unlocking Frontline Potential

Description: Many leaders believe their role is to provide solutions, but true respect is earned when they create space for others to be heard. This session explores how leaders can build trust, engagement, and lasting improvement by creating environments where frontline workers actively shape how work is done. Through practical strategies and real-world stories from UMass Memorial Health, learn how an idea system can facilitate employee-driven changes that lead to meaningful cultural and operational impact.

Breakout Presenter: Jess Paré, Pivot Coach for Grown Women, Jess Paré Coaching

Session Title: Find Work that Fits Who You Really Are

Description: So many women have been taught to chase the next opportunity, but not how to know if it’s actually right for them. When you’re disconnected from your own needs, desires, and inner knowing, even “good” opportunities can leave you feeling stuck, burned out, or quietly hopeless. In this interactive session, we’ll challenge the idea that you need to look outward for answers and learn to reconnect within so you can choose what truly fits you.

Breakout Presenter: Johanna Walker

Session Title: When Women Speak, Rooms Get Bigger

Description: You know that moment when you have something to say, but your brain fills with doubts, second guesses, and reasons to stay quiet? You’re not alone. In meetings, presentations, and those moments when all eyes turn your way, many women hold back, believing their voice doesn’t matter. But keeping quiet has a cost—to you, your organization, and the people who need your ideas. This experiential session blends storytelling and practical tools to help women trust their voice and speak with clarity and confidence.