ELFA - Equipment Leasing and Finance Association - Equipping Business for Success

Women's Leadership Forum

February 08 - February 09, 2024
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Nashville Downtown, Nashville, TN

Women's Leadership Forum

February 08 - February 09, 2024
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Nashville Downtown, Nashville, TN

Women's Leadership Forum

February 08 - February 09, 2024

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Nashville Downtown, Nashville, TN



Join us for our highly anticipated annual 2024 Women's Leadership Forum, where we celebrate the extraordinary achievements of women who are breaking barriers and shaping the future. This year's theme, "Breaking Barriers and Shaping the Future," promises to inspire and empower attendees to reach new heights in their personal and professional lives. Led by the ELFA Women's Council, the forum is a platform for fostering connections, sharing insights, and gaining invaluable mentorship from accomplished women in diverse fields within the industry. With engaging panel discussions, interactive workshops, and thought-provoking keynote speakers, this event is a unique opportunity to network, learn, and be part of a movement that is propelling women to new levels of success. Don't miss out on this exceptional occasion to be a part of the change and make history at the Women's Leadership Forum. Reserve your spot today and be part of this empowering journey towards a brighter and more inclusive future!

Who Should Attend?

The Forum is open to women and allies, including both seasoned talent and emerging talent. There is no limit on the number of attendees.

Conference Attire: Business Casual

Conference Format: All In-person

Highlights of the 2024 ELFA Women's Leadership Forum will include:

Learn advice as you build your brand and presence to propel your career forward.

  • Keynote on “Winning as Women -Empowering Female Leadership,” with Leader of The Good Girls Rebellion and Crazy Busy Women in Balance, Marie Garvey. Gain actionable steps for breaking into “good girl training” and step into your power.
  • Gain strategies for creating a culture that brings out the best in you and your team.
  • Prioritize balance and mental health- Join a candid discussion about juggling competing demands and improving work-life balance and burnout.
  • Leadership Development for Women at All Stages of an Equipment Finance Career.
  • Participate in multiple networking opportunities, including an interactive networking luncheon, cocktail reception, fun walk, dine around and more.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsoring events and functions at ELFA meetings provides excellent exposure for your company. Contact Steve Wafalosky at 440-247-1060 or stevew@cvmpmedia.com if you are interested in sponsoring any of the conference events.


Registration Fees

Price Description Amount
Attendee - ELFA Member $540.00
Attendee - Non Member $1080.00
Committee Member $495.00
Speaker $495.00

View cancellation and other policies

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
All events will take place at The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Nashville Downtown
Thursday, February 8th
9-10AM OPTIONAL PRE-FORUM FUN WALK
Pre-registration is not required. Come take in some downtown Nashville sights on an invigorating morning walk. We will depart from the hotel lobby at 9am and return by 10am.
10:30-11:30AM REGISTRATION
Location: Cumberland Foyer
11:30AM-1:15PM WELCOME NETWORKING LUNCH
Welcome Networking Lunch and Fireside Chat with ELFA President and CEO Leigh Lytle
Location: Cumberland Ballroom
1:15-2:45PM KEYNOTE- Winning as Women -Empowering Female Leadership, Owning Female Power and Finding Joyful Success
Location: Cumberland Ballroom
Presenter: Marie Garvey- Leader of The Good Girls Rebellion, The Garvey Group, Inc. and Crazy Busy Women in Balance
2:45-3:00PM REFRESHMENT BREAK
3:00-4:30PM Title: Burn Bright, Not Out! - Combatting Professional Exhaustion
Location: Cumberland Ballroom
Presenter: Erika Gilchrist, Award-Winning Speaker & Author, ERIKA GILCHRIST ENTERPRISES
4:30-5:00PM BREAK
5-6:30PM COCKTAIL RECEPTION
Location: Cumberland Foyer
7:00PM DINE AROUND
Have dinner on your own or join a community table dinner group. We'll connect you with a group and an opportunity to meet new people and build relationships. To join a dinner group, please select “Dine Around” when you register for the Forum. Sign-ups will be virtual only. Please look online to reserve your dinner preferences. Once spaces are full, no additional attendee reservations will be allowed.
Friday, February 9th
8:00-9:00AM NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Location: Cumberland Ballroom
9:00-9:15AM BREAK
9:15-10:15AM BREAKOUT SESSIONS (SELECT ONE):
BREAKOUT #1: How to go from Pleaser to Powerful
Location: Cumberland Ballroom
Presenter: Marie Garvey- Leader of The Good Girls Rebellion, The Garvey Group, Inc. and Crazy Busy Women in Balance
BREAKOUT #2:
Creating a Work Life Balance- What are We Chasing When We Say We Want Better Work-Life Balance?
Location: Cumberland Salon E
Presenter: Katelyn Denning, Life Coach for Working Moms
10:15-10:30AM REFRESHMENT BREAK
Location: Cumberland Foyer
10:30-11:30AM BREAKOUT SESSIONS (SELECT ONE):
BREAKOUT #1: Prioritizing Well-Being for Performance and Profitable Growth
Location: Cumberland Salon E
Presenter: Melissa Hanson, Global Learning Team Lead, Global Learning, Cat Financial
BREAKOUT #2: Title: Team Cohesiveness: Collaboration becomes a dazzling dance of synchronized brilliance! Unleash your team's superpowers through laughter-filled exercises, bonding games, and a sprinkle of magic.
Location: Cumberland Ballroom
Presenter: Erika Gilchrist, Award-Winning Speaker & Author, ERIKA GILCHRIST ENTERPRISES

11:30-12:15PM CLOSING SESSION: RECAP AND WRAP-UP
Location: Cumberland Ballroom

Available Functions

Thursday - February 08
  Colleague Connection
  Work Function
Thursday - February 08
  Dietary Restrictions
Please list any food allergies you would like us to be aware of.
  Dine Around - Community Table Dinner Group
February 8, 2024 - 7pm - 9pm: Join a community table dinner group. We’ll connect you with a group and an opportunity to meet new people and build relationships. This is a pay your own dinner event with new friends of the Forum.
  Please indicate 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice from the options below. We included some examples of restaurants within the category below – actual reservations may be from restaurants not listed here.
  Anything – I like ALL food
  Everything Menu (etch, Stationairy, TENN)
  Gastropub (The Stillery, Skull’s Rainbow Room)
  Italian (Trattoria II Mulino, Sinatra Bar & Lounge, Yolan)
  Seafood (Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, The River House, Gannon’s)
  Steakhouse (Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Morton’s, Palm)

Speakers

Katelyn Denning

Life Coach for Working Moms, The Mother Nurture
Leading Authorities


Katelyn Denning is a life coach for busy, working moms who are tired of feeling like life is just one long to-do list. After working in the corporate world while raising 3 young children, Katelyn understands what it’s like to juggle all of the different roles and responsibilities that come with being a woman with a professional career and a family. Through her coaching practice, she helps women feel confident in their leadership roles at home and at work, determine their priorities in life, and effectively manage their time so they do what's most important while still having plenty of time for themselves.

Katelyn's writing is regularly featured in publications like PsychCentral, Parent.com, and Motherly. In addition to private coaching, she facilitates conversations about women in the workplace, leads group coaching experiences, and has been a guest on dozens of podcasts. Katelyn lives in Cincinnati, OH with her family and enjoys reading, working out, and gardening.

Marie Garvey

President, Leader of The Good Girls Rebellion, The Garvey Group, Inc. and Crazy Busy Women in Balance
Leading Authorities


Marie Garvey is the president of the Garvey Group. She has spent 20 years as a strategic communications consultant, media spokesperson, media and presentation trainer, and executive coach. Marie has helped filmmakers, CEOs, actors and American Generals prepare for media interviews, presentations, and public forums.

Her recent clients include Pixar, NBC Universal, the Walt Disney Company, Marvel, the Los Angeles Angels, and others. In 2018, she founded Crazy Busy Women in Balance and focused her executive coaching to help women create time, connection, and joy outside of work without sacrificing success through an in-depth 10-week program. During COVID 19 Marie launched the training series online to reach women where they are and change their lives with a step-by-step transformational program.

Erika Gilchrist

Award-Winning Author and Speaker, ERIKA GILCHRIST ENTERPRISES
Leading Authorities


Assaulted as a little girl, domestically abused as a young adult, living in a women’s shelter, and survived a suicide attempt, Erika Gilchrist has earned the title of “The Unstoppable Woman.” She is regarded as one of the most energizing, engaging, and captivating speakers in the industry. She is the creator of the brazen brand, W.T.F. – Women Thriving Fearlessly!™. As a published author of 13 books, and a 24-year speaking veteran, Ms. Gilchrist is an expert in personal development, leadership training, conflict management skills for women, DEI, and domestic abuse & escape. She has built a thriving business from absolutely nothing to now being the owner of the largest expo for women in business in Chicagoland, appropriately called the Women Thriving Fearlessly Expo™. She’s been featured as one of the “15 Most Powerful Women on the South Side of Chicago,” Chicago Woman Magazine, CLTV, and Rolling Out Magazine.

Leigh Lytle

President and CEO
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association


Leigh Lytle is the President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 575+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. In her role, Ms. Lytle leads the association in executing its mission and delivering on the value proposition to its members. This includes providing a platform to promote and advocate for the industry, including attracting and developing new and diverse talent; a forum for professional development and training; and a resource that develops information about, and for, the industry. She also serves as the President of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (ELFF), which is dedicated to inspiring thoughtful innovation and contributing to the betterment of the equipment leasing and finance industry.

Before joining ELFA, Ms. Lytle served as the Head of North American Policy at Plaid and led education and engagement efforts with regulators and financial institutions. In this role, she advocated for protecting consumers' rights within the digital financial ecosystem and in Washington, D.C. She also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Financial Technology Association (FTA), which represents innovative companies shaping the future of finance. The industry trade group champions the power of technology-centered financial services and advocates for the modernization of financial regulation to support inclusion and responsible innovation. Before joining Plaid, Ms. Lytle spent over 15 years in the Federal Reserve Bank system in various executive roles ranging from engagements in monetary and regulatory policy to operations and data analytics oversight.


Catherine Roddick

Lead Relationship Manager
Farm Credit Leasing


Catherine Roddick is Lead Relationship Manager for CoBank/Farm Credit Leasing’s Western Region. In this role, Ms. Roddick is responsible for the delivery of lending and leasing products and services to agricultural cooperatives and producers in 10 western states. Before joining CoBank/Farm Credit Leasing in 2014, Ms. Roddick’s banking career was spent in commercial lending with small community banks up to large regional banks with a focus on business banking, investor real estate, and commercial construction lending.

Ms. Roddick earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science, with a minor in agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. At home, she is mom to a 14 year old who knows everything, wife to saintly school teacher who does most of the cooking, and lead snuggler to two amazing Standard Poodles.

Sponsors

The 2024 ELFA Women’s Leadership Forum will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown in Nashville, Tennessee, located at 315 4th Avenue North - just a five-minute walk from the bars and nightlife on Broadway. Famous attractions like Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, and the Country Museum Hall of Fame are within half a mile of the hotel door. Live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the hotel’s Fourth and U restaurant and bar!

Hotel Information

A block of rooms is being held for attendees of the 2024 Women’s Leadership Forum at the DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown. A special discounted conference rate of $249 plus tax, is offered to attendees. Check in time is 3:00pm, and check-out time is 11:00am. To receive the discounted rate, please use the web link below or call the hotel reservation line at (800) 222-8733.

Make hotel reservations online here: DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown ELFA Block Link
Make Hotel Reservations by Tuesday, January 16, 2024! Reservations after this date are based on availability and may be at a higher rate.

Getting There

The DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown is located just a five-minute walk from the bars and nightlife on Broadway. Famous attractions like Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, and the Country Museum Hall of Fame are within half a mile of the hotel door. Approximately 8 miles from the Nashville International Airport and 7 miles from the John C Tune Airport.

If renting a car, the DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown has valet parking only for $55 per day.

For additional transportation and location information, please visit the hotel website at DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown Transport.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Nashville Downtown
315 4th Ave N
Nashville, TN 37219

Get directions