Pricing: Members – $25 Non-Members $40

POWER of Professional Women is pleased to announce the first session for this year of our lunchtime development series, Career Conversations. In this series, women in senior leadership positions will be interviewed by emerging leaders and discuss their career insights, leadership journeys, and advice for emerging leaders. This event is a great way to take an entertaining and rewarding break from your day.

Speaker: 

Melissa Ludwig, Principal

A former senior operating executive of a Fortune 500 company with direct P&L responsibility up to $600 million and leading multidisciplinary organizations ranging in size to 3,000. Melissa is an experienced public company Board Director with expertise in retail and consumer products. Melissa brings deep expertise in resolving complex corporate initiatives, forward thinking, smooth M&A integration, efficiency in supply chain and risk management. She is a leader in diversity and advancing of talent and has a record of building new capabilities, positioning businesses for responsible growth, and achieving sustained success while delivering the optimal customer experience.  

With the successful sale of a Public Company Board, currently the Board Chair of Philadelphia NACD (National Organization Corporate Directors) and functioning as the CEO of the 1000 board member organization.  She is also deep rooted in non-profit boards and is an active Board Member and Chair Nominating and Governance Girard College, Drexel’s Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute Advisory Board, a Villanova Business Adjunct Professor, Pathway to the Boardroom speaker, devotes time advancing women’s careers, and is a trusted C-Suite career coach. 

Melissa served as the youngest, first female Vice President in over 100 years to lead the iconic Herald Square 34th Street location in NYC where she steered a remarkable turnaround, brand refresh, generating greater than $600M in sales. Throughout her career, Melissa’s leadership accountability spanned the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore markets with direct VP-level executive teams and organizations across Operations, Merchandising, Planning, Visual, Human Resources and Asset Protection. She served as the chief market expert. Having led the business in major metropolitan markets, including the restoration and market launch of Center City location in Philadelphia. She has also cultivated a strong c-suite professional network, with longstanding relationships among the business, civic and cultural communities through her external-facing.

Interview By:

Dr. Kaitlin Wolfert

Dr. Kaitlin Wolfert is a Family Business Consultant at Compass Point Family Business Consulting. She is a Gravitas Impact (™) Business Coach and facilitator of the Immunity to Change coaching framework. Kaitlin earned her PhD in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University, following a Bachelor of Science in Leadership and Masters of Arts in Counseling in Higher Education both from University of Delaware.

Kaitlin has created and facilitated leadership development programs for 16 years. Her favorite part of leadership development work is when participants experience a “lightbulb” moment and walk away having made meaning of their experience.

Kaitlin is a member of Emerging Leaders Committee in Philadelphia’s POWER Women in Leadership and a SPARK member of The Forum for Executive Women.

The POWER of Partnership: Supporting Susan G. Komen

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, POWER has partnered with the Susan G. Komen organization!

Ending breast cancer forever is at the heart of Komen's mission, and that's why we've come together as a POWERhouse of women determined to make a difference. Together, we're raising funds so that no one has to face breast cancer alone.

Susan G. Komen is the only breast cancer organization taking a truly comprehensive approach—funding groundbreaking research, advocating for compassionate public policies, providing access to quality care and financial assistance, and supporting patients every step of the way. It takes compassion, research, advocacy, and care. Most of all, it takes all of us. That's the POWER of coming together.

Please consider making a donation today by clicking here or scanning the QR code below. Every dollar fuels hope, support, and progress toward ending breast cancer forever.

POWER General Refund Policy: Once an event registration is processed, we cannot offer refunds but can credit you for a future event within 2 months of the original meeting date. To be eligible for an event credit, written notification needs to be sent to office@powerw.org at least 5 full business days prior to the original event date. Refunds are not available for duplicate registrations. If you are not sure if you are registered, please email POWER before registering or log into your member profile.