Join us for the Women's Leadership Summit Rooted & Rising: Women Growing Through Every Season. Our annual event brings professional women throughout Santa Cruz County and beyond together for renewal, growth and inspiration. Through networking opportunities, engaging keynote speaker, dynamic breakout sessions, and our power panel, participants will embark on a journey to lead with authenticity, purpose, and renewal.
The summit will take place at Mission Springs in Scotts Valley. We will start our day by gathering under the redwood trees and around firepits to connect over a cup of tea or coffee. Attendees are encouraged to dress comfortably, allowing for ease of movement throughout the day. Yoga pants are most welcome!
With the generous support of our title sponsor, Dignity Health Management Services, we are excited to create a space where women can come together to reenergize, cultivate relationships, and emerge empowered from the stories we share with women growing through every season of our lives and careers.
Ticket Prices Members: $125 Individual / $575 Team Package (5 Tickets) Non-Members: $150 Individual / $700 Team Package (5 Tickets)
9:00 - 9:45 AM - Registration & Networking (Coffee, Tea, Refreshments)
10:00 - 11:00 AM - Welcome & Opening Session: Keynote Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (AD-28)
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM -Breakout Sessions
12:30 - 1:30 PM - Lunch & Networking
1:45 - 2:45 PM - Closing Panel Discussion
3:00 PM - Adjourn
The Women in Business program is led by the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit organization. Sponsorships are crucial to help offset the costs of programming. Sponsorship provides the opportunity to enrich relationships while highlighting your commitment to women's empowerment. Click here for a detailed listing of all sponsorship packages and the benefits included.
Annual Program Title Sponsor
Summit Sponsors
Lauren Seaver, KSBW News Anchor began her career with KSBW 8 in 2014 as a weekend evening anchor and was promoted to weekday Sunrise anchor in 2017 (which is when she started drinking coffee by the pot!). During Lauren's time with KSBW 8, she's covered many big stories and events including wildfires, winter storms, political rallies for presidential contenders, AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm, California Rodeo Salinas, Monterey Car Week, and Pebble Beach Food and Wine, where she had the opportunity to make tacos with Guy Fieri. Lauren is grateful to call the Central Coast home and live near family on the Monterey Peninsula. Being a KSBW 8 news anchor runs in her family—her aunt anchored KSBW 8's 5 p.m. newscast with Dan Green back in the 90s.
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2022 to represent the 28th Assembly District.
Assemblymember Pellerin served as the chief elections official in Santa Cruz County from 1993 until her retirement in December 2020. Gail served as President of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials from 2010 to 2012 and as co-chair of the Secretary of State’s Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee.
Gail has a BS in Journalism from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Before her experience in public service, Gail worked as a campaign assistant to political campaigns, a newspaper reporter and photographer, and a community college instructor.
Perimenopause/Menopause - You're Not Too Young To Care! - Kimberly Moreland, MD, Dignity Medical Health Network
Dr. Moreland has been catching babies for more than half of her lifetime. She has been an advocate for Women's Health Issues for even longer. She returns to her roots in California after raising her 3 daughters to adulthood while working in a busy private practice in Salt Lake City for 25 years. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz, she completed medical school with highest honors at the University of Southern California and then did her specialty training at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She provides full-service care in Obstetrics and Gynecology including minimally invasive surgeries, and high-risk obstetrics. She has special interests in the care of young women, contraception, menopause, and the care of transgender individuals. Dr. Moreland is fluent in Spanish and English. She and her husband enjoy traveling to new places, camping, hiking, and cross-country skiing with their poorly behaved dog. Dr. Moreland says her favorite food is coffee. She is excited to continue providing amazing care to her patients and advocating for their interests for many more years to come.
The Power of Human Magic in the Age of AI: Networking & Mentorship for Women in Business - Presented by Janet Janssen, Power Play Purpose
In today’s AI-driven business world, authentic human connection is no longer a “soft skill” — it’s a strategic advantage. This dynamic and interactive workshop is designed specifically for women in business who want to elevate their impact by mastering the irreplaceable skills of live networking, storytelling, and mentorship. You’ll explore how your presence, emotional intelligence, and intuitive insight can help you build meaningful professional relationships and stand out in an increasingly automated world.
Janet Janssen is a dynamic speaker, trainer, and coach with over 20 years of experience in corporate sales and marketing. A distinguished Toastmasters International speaker, she brings a passion for communication, leadership, and human connection into everything she does. Janet assists with supervision and leadership training at Cabrillo College and is a proud member of the Scotts Valley, San Lorenzo Valley, and Santa Cruz Chambers of Commerce. She is a Board Member of Leadership Santa Cruz County. Through her signature philosophy — Power, Play, Purpose — Janet inspires individuals and teams to unlock their true potential, tap into human connection's magic, and lead authentically. Janet is an avid hiker and lifelong learner. She believes speaking with the heart and living purposefully are the keys to a vibrant and meaningful life.
Salary Negotiations - Lebaron Meyers, Lebaron Consulting
Lebaron Meyers attended 9 schools between k-12th grade as her father coached college and professional football and her mother specialized in social work. So coaching, competition and teamwork – while prioritizing the human element - are in her DNA. And connecting with new people is second nature. She has focused her career on business development at the executive level across multiple industries including seven years in investment management and a decade in the startup world of digital media and tech. In between, she was a radio morning show host in San Francisco for a year and took a sabbatical to study yoga and meditation in Southeast Asia. The throughline in all of this is that she is a people person with a passion for rich communication. Bridging the gap and helping to bring the absolute best out of people along the way are her greatest strengths. Learning about herself and others is a constant fascination, and emotional intelligence matters immensely to her. She believes it's the superpower for optimizing our goals. She is endlessly curious about what moves a person, quickly identify personal and professional hurdles (and the opportunities they present) and consciously work to influence alignment for the greatest results. She loves bringing the "right" people together to accomplish something powerful and welcome challenging conversations that move things forward.
Sarah Christensen, Executive Director of Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)
Christensen has over 19 years of experience in organizational leadership, planning, and implementation of major capital projects along the Central Coast and in the Bay Area. As the RTC’s Senior Transportation Engineer since 2017, she has overseen engineering and capital project delivery for the agency. Her accomplishments with the RTC include managing the $350 million Highway 1 Auxiliary Lanes & Bus-on-Shoulder Program; leading the implementation of the first permanent bus-on-shoulder facility in the state of California; developing and delivering the equity-focused Watsonville to Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor (WSCMC) Program of innovative and sustainable transportation projects along major transportation routes through Santa Cruz County; developing the funding strategy along with leading the grant application process to successfully secure $107.2 million of Senate Bill 1 funds and $30 million of Federal Mega funds for the WSCMC program; and managing the RTC’s Rail Program including development of Zero Emission Passenger Rail, storm damage repairs, and infrastructure preservation of the RTC-owned 32-mile Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line. Prior to her position at the RTC, Christensen was a transportation project manager in private consulting where her work included delivery of multimodal projects across the state including highway, interchange, bicycle/pedestrian overcrossing, complete streets, trail, Bus Rapid Transit, tolling, and express lanes projects. She specialized in delivering and developing funding strategies for multijurisdictional and complex projects, including the $500 million Silicon Valley Express Lanes Program for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) along State Route 237, 85, and US 101.
Sarah Ryan, Chief of Police, City of Capitola
Sarah Ryan serves as the Chief of Police for the City of Capitola, making history as the first woman to lead the department since its founding. A Santa Cruz County native and graduate of San Lorenzo Valley High School, Chief Ryan began her law enforcement career with the Capitola Police Department in 2005. Over the years, she has advanced through the ranks, gaining experience in roles ranging from community service officer and patrol officer to sergeant, detective, and administrative captain. Her appointment as chief follows nearly two decades of dedicated service and leadership within the department.
Chief Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from San Jose State University and a master’s degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership from the University of San Diego. She is also a Leadership Santa Cruz County alum. In her new role, she is focused on strengthening community relationships, improving transparency, and enhancing recruitment efforts. Ryan is committed to ensuring that the department evolves alongside the needs of the community, with a focus on inclusive service and public trust. Her leadership marks a milestone for both Capitola and the broader Santa Cruz region.
Judi Oyama, Hall of Fame Skateboarder
Judi runs a one-person graphic design studio based in Aptos, specializing in graphic design for the Action Sports, Outdoor, and Lifestyle markets. Judi specializes in active lifestyle, action sports, creative, food packaging, bold product prints and graphics and fresh identities. With over 30 years of design experience from the early days of airbrushing surfboards, creating 3D window displays, silk screening skateboard decks to producing, styling and art directing video and photo shoots. Judi collaborates with a select team of designers, programmers and talent. Judi currently has a documentary in the works about her 5 decades of skateboarding, funded by the Japanese American National Museum. Some of her skateboard gear is in the Smithsonian and she was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame 2018.
All cancellations must be received in writing to administration@santacruzchamber.org. All cancellations will be charged a $25 administrative fee in the case of approved refunds. All cancellations between 14 – 30 days prior to an event will receive a 50% refund minus the administrative fee. No refunds will be issued for any cancellation received within 2 weeks of an event date.