13th Annual Women in Leadership Series

Strength Finders - Designed Differently: Knowing Your Fit with Michelle May, G.A.T.E Consulting

Discover how your CliftonStrengths uniquely shape your leadership style and professional presence. In this opening session, we will explore the one-of-a-kind nature of your strengths, deepen self-awareness, and begin identifying the leadership fit that is distinctly yours. Together, we will lay the “sole” foundation for understanding CliftonStrengths, self, and leadership.

Strength Finders - Made to Fit: Wear it Well with Michelle May, G.A.T.E Consulting

Learn to apply your CliftonStrengths with confidence and clarity in both your personal and professional roles. Through individual reflection and interactive engagement, we will examine how to stand strong in your strengths, step fully into leadership, and show up with purpose and presence.

Networking Through Your Strengths with Michelle Kane, Sanford Underground Research Facility Foundation

Rethink your networking strategy in a way that feels authentic, practical, and effective. Using a strengths-based approach, you’ll identify how you naturally connect with others, craft a short personal introduction, and build a simple strategy for before, during, and after networking events.

Strength Finders - Power of Your Pair: Poised for Purpose and Precision with Michelle May, G.A.T.E Consulting

Explore how your CliftonStrengths work together to shape your authentic leadership, while also identifying blind spots, overuse, and key growth edges.

Strength Finders - Step Forward: Fit for the Future with Michelle May, G.A.T.E. Consulting

Align your CliftonStrengths with your next level of leadership and turn your strengths insight into a practical, strengths-based growth plan. Design your next steps and leave with a clear footprint and forward path, ready to rise like never before.

Personal Budgeting with Anita Carlson, Small Business Accounting Services

This session dives into the essentials of personal budgeting and covers the definition and benefits of
budgeting, steps to create a budget, tips and tools for effective management, and concludes with a Q&A
and practical takeaways.

Navigating Ambiguity with Nicol Reiner, Sanford Underground Research Facility

Explore how to move in, with, and through the unknown - in ways that forward creativity and inform decision making.

Crucial Conversations with Leah Braun, City of Rapid City

Provide guidelines for effective conversations with employees, leaders, and clients, emphasizing a safe environment, appropriate timing and tone, and the proper medium for feedback, supplemented with practical tools and activities to foster better communication.

Effective Interviewing with Tallyn Moser & Anu Varghese, Ketel Thorstenson

This session provides strategies and insights for interviewing, both as applicant and employer. Learn to structure an interview, responses to look for, and practice your skills.

Creating Culture, Leadership, & Building Your Team with Kayla Klein, Klein Visioneering Group

Attendees will learn to build the right team through enhancing engagement, motivation, and creative incentives while living core values and establishing the tone of the team. They will also discover strategies to maximize team morale and effectiveness by fostering a strong team culture.

Breaking the Stress Cycle: A Science-Based Approach with Melissa Pickle, Firmly Flourishing

Explore the critical difference between dealing with stressors and actually completing the body's stress response cycle. Through a blend of education, self-reflection, and practical skill-building, participants will gain a deeper understanding of their body's stress response and learn multiple techniques to signal safety to their nervous system.

Financial Detective: Uncovering the Story Behind the Numbers with Sara Pesek May, GenPro Energy

Learn to read financial statements like a detective solving mysteries. Through interactive exercises, real company case studies, and relatable analogies, discover how balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow forecasting reveal the true story behind business success and failure.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Own the Room: Mastering Yourself and the Stage with STYLE with Jenn Landis, Jenn Landis LLC

Command attention, inspire action, and leave a lasting impression every time you speak. This session is designed to empower you to step into the spotlight with confidence and authenticity.

Negotiate Like a Girl with Shanna Hockert, RoShamBo Creative

The session focused on job and client/sales negotiations, offering women in business practical strategies to secure better job offers and close deals more effectively. Participants practiced real-world scenarios to enhance their confidence and negotiation skills.

Breaking Barriers: The Power of Communication with Heidi Haro, Sturgis Motorcycle Museum

Explore strategies for effectively communicating as a leader, especially when faced with individuals who may not recognize or respect your authority. Whether you’re dealing with subordinates, peers, or supervisors, the focus will be on building trust, asserting your leadership, and finding common ground.

Crafting Your Career Compass: Setting Goals, Building Skills, and Growing with Purpose with Corinne Heiberger, SDSMT Director of Career Services

Explore practical and reflective tools to take charge of your career journey. Through guided activities like personal SWOT analysis and SMART goal setting, participants assess their strengths, clarify their aspirations, and map out actionable steps for growth.

Time, Energy, and Action with Kristine Watts, Black Hills Energy

In this final session, we’ll explore how to make the most of your time and energy to set yourself up for success. You’ll learn practical strategies to manage both, while also discovering simple ways to turn what you’ve learned into lasting action.