Wednesday, April 21

8:45am – 9:00am 
Welcome and Intro of Keynote

9:00am – 10:30am 
Keynote Address
Rising to the Top:  Knowledge Equals Power

Kelly Rasmussen, Success Communications
What does it take to get to the top, stay on top, and perform at your personal best while maintaining your integrity?  As a proven leader in the 9-1-1 industry, Kelly will teach you the types of knowledge necessary to move up and stay on top as a woman in a historically male lead field.  Learn to utilize tools that will help you stand out and stand tall. Identify your personal power that enables you to grow and succeed. It is YOUR time to take charge and lead powerfully!


Life in Public Safety

10:45am – 12:00pm 
Hear The Smile – A Conversational Presentation

RCMP CM Sandy Vogstad, Unit Commander, North District OCC Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
Throughout her nearly 30 year career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sandy has led four police communication centers.  Hear her speak of her early years in a male dominated workplace through to her current role as one of only three in her category in Canada. She has a unique approach to leadership and management that has resulted in her current center’s outstanding morale and response to public safety.   
The RCMP has transitioned from uniform to civilian oversight for their communication centers, resulting in increased opportunities for civilian managers.  Sandy has seized those opportunities.

12:15pm – 1:15pm
 Lunch

1:15pm – 2:30pm 
Sustaining Employee Retention by Generating a Whistleblower-Friendly Work Environment

Detective Deborah Gonzales, LAPD
Despite the many advances toward equality that have been achieved in U.S. workplaces, the struggle to embrace a diverse workforce has continued to be met with the perception of unfair treatment or harassment based on race and gender and the fear of retaliation, if reported within the organization. This article (workshop/presentation)will discuss how and why creating and, in fact, encouraging a whistle-blower friendly work environment that removes the fear of retribution can positively affect organizational loyalty, improve workplace relationships, and increase employee retention.

Career Development

2:45pm – 4:00pm 
Emergency Services Careers; Transitioning from the Public to the Private Sector

Kathy McMahon, APCO International
Careers in Emergency Services can be more demanding and more challenging than most.  For many of us working in emergency communications, the passion we have for our jobs is fueled by the resulting public service that we provide to our communities.  Transitioning to a new career outside of public safety and into the private sector can impose new and unexpected rewards and challenges.  This presentation will provide attendees with insight on how to determine if a move to the private sector is right for you and what to expect when you get there and how to prepare for the transition.

4:15pm – 5:30pm 
Social Networking: Gaining Credibility with LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter

Deborah Krier, Wise Women Communications
Social networking sites have exploded in popularity and have the potential to pay off big for your professional career. Utilizing “the big three” social networking Web sites, Deborah will show you how to create an online presence that will help you in your professional career. She’ll also demonstrate how to use these sites as a marketing tool for your business.

6:00pm – 7:00pm 
Reception

Thursday, April 22

8:45am – 9:00am 
Welcome and Intro of Speaker

9:00am – 10:30am
Calming and Controlling Conflict in a Communications Center

Tina Lewis Rowe, Tina Lewis Rowe Presentations
Start the second day of the leadership conference with a unique presentation by a unique presenter. Tina will link the learning of both days of the conference and also challenge you to make effective choices about handling stressful, unpleasant contention. Her presentation will energize and inspire you while she helps you develop personal plans of action you can apply immediately and back at work. A public safety communications center doesn’t have to be filled with hostility. Calming the work place requires leadership—and you can be that leader!

Leadership

10:45am – 12:00pm 
Roundtable:  Lessons Learned from the National Broadband Plan and other National Public Safety Communications Initiatives.

Jennifer Manner, FCC
This roundtable discussion will focus on the National Broadband Plan and other public safety communications topics. We will discuss new initiatives being created to improve public safety communications and the opportunities created by those initiatives. We will focus specifically on what those mean for women in leadership roles in the public safety communications arena. Discussion will also spotlight how women can take and have taken part in creating, leading, and implementing other public safety communications concerns such as Alerting, Next Generation 911, and other spectrum issues.

12:15pm – 1:15pm 
Lunch

1:15pm – 2:45pm 
“What Did You Just Say?!” A Real World Guide to Organizational Communication

Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith (ret.), Winning Mind Seminars
This course, taught by Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith offers a unique mix of motivation, leadership, body language awareness and real world communication skills designed to enhance your ability to “accomplish the mission”  regardless of your assignment.  As a woman who has worked in the public safety arena since the age of seventeen, Sgt. Smith recognizes that women in public safety communications truly have “challenges and choices” that are unique to our profession.  The fast-paced, multi-media format immediately grabs your attention and keeps you engaged while providing you with tips, tactics and information that you can easily retain and adapt for your own use long after the conference has concluded.   The principles explored in this course are a realistic, dynamic and entertaining look at incorporating truly effective communication skills into all aspects of your life, from dispatch to supervision, from staff meetings to the dinner table. We’ll look at gender-specific science, brain function, and career survival and go on to tackle workplace bullying, victim-based thinking, and other roadblocks to professional and personnel success.  This course will inspire, motivate, and help women learn to lead, win and excel in the often male-dominated and bureaucratic world of public safety by learning to really communicate!

Work/Life Balance

3:00pm – 4:30pm 
The Work, Home and ‘Everything in Between’ Equation: Balance = Knowing Who You Are + Planning Accordingly!

Bonnie C. Davis, Management & Leadership Consultant
“If one advances confidently in the direction of [her] dreams, and endeavors to live the life which [she] has imagined, [she] will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” -Henry David Thoreau-
As busy, professional women, we intuitively understand the truth in this quote – but how do we make it a reality for ourselves in today’s world? Where do we start, how do we proceed, and most importantly, where do we find the energy and commitment to stick with it? End this year’s conference by engaging with your fellow women of excellence in dialogue, dreaming and planning around achieving balance and grounding across all of your life roles. Laughs and enjoyment guaranteed!