Jackson Hole News & Guide Contributor Tibby Plasse shares a taste of what Womentum’s sixth annual Womentum Leadership Summit, titled “Got Moxie,” has to offer.
November 3, 2023
One day simply is not enough for leadership organization Womentum.
With the theme of “Got Moxie? Developing Strength, Courage and Resilience,” the nonprofit’s annual women’s summit is busting at the seams with programming this year, as shown by a prequel evening event with former CIA operative Lindsay Moran.
Moran has 20-plus years of experience in investigations, covert operations, analysis and communications. She uses all of that experience as a team member at DeliverFund, a nonprofit intelligence organization that leverages technology to end human trafficking.
Moran will present “Back in the Saddle: Making Adversity Work for You” at 7 p.m. Friday at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
“Configuring a summit and looking at what presenters we think would be a good fit for the upcoming always begs the question, ‘What can we do next?’” said Womentum Executive Director Samantha Eddy. “Last year Ukraine was very much at the top of all the headlines. Lindsay was on the news consulting about circumstances for women in the Ukraine.”
A second keynote speaker, Bonnie Wan, is a female icon in the advertising industry and part of the brain power behind campaigns like “Got Milk?” Wan — who has presented to Apple, SXSW, Jane Goodall’s Activating Hope Summit, Katie Couric’s talk show and HuffPost Live — will talk about “The Life Brief,” her strategy for helping people live with greater clarity, creativity and courage.
“We didn’t know this when we had already confirmed the ‘Got Moxie’ theme,” Eddy said. “And then it turned out that that’s the ad agency that started the ‘Got Milk’ campaign back in the day, and it was just remarkable serendipity for the entire theme of the summit.
Attendees also will hear from Wyoming Sen. Affie Ellis on Friday. Ellis, a Jackson Hole native, is the first indigenous woman to serve in the Wyoming Legislature. She will speak about her journey from Jackson Hole, where she grew up helping her mom clean hotel rooms, to the Wyoming Senate, where only five seats of 30 are held by women.
A presentation and performance by Jasmine Pickner Bell, a member of the Crow Creek Sioux from the Wind River Indian Reservation, will conclude Friday’s programming. A two-time champion hoop dancer, Bell will share her trailblazing story as the first woman to hold rank in the traditionally male-dominated world of hoop dancing.
Eddy said programming this year illustrates Womentum’s growth. So do ticket sales. With the return to an in-person event — and, now, as a multi-day event — she said the Womentum Summit could see a thousand attendees between virtual and in-person attendance.
That means tickets are going quickly. There are many ticket options, including Thursday night only, Friday morning’s coffee and keynote package, and a full-day package that includes a virtual ticket to Moran’s presentation on Thursday night.
Eddy said scholarships also are available, especially for high school students. See the online version of this story for a schedule of the weekend’s event.