The premier MBA networking and empowerment event of the Pacific Northwest
The PNW MBA 2021 Conference brings together a vibrant community of business leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and MBA students.
This year's theme is Ideating in the Time of Uncertainty.
Attendees will get a chance to learn, network, and go home with inspirational insights, lasting connections, and an enhanced appreciation of the corporate world.
Innovation
Get inspired by innovative entrepreneurs, talented people managers, and MBA alumni who have leveraged their degrees to change the trajectory of their careers.
1Networking
Connect with business leaders, entrepreneurs and MBA candidates, and alumni across the region to find common passion and create a long-lasting connection.
2Ideation
Build tangible skills in ideation through a mix of speaker sessions, panel discussion, and mentoring sessions scheduled throughout the conference experience.
3
Meet our Keynote Speaker
Dr. Fariba Alamdari
Former VP at Boeing and TEDx Speaker
Former VP at Boeing and TEDx Speaker
In the last 30 years Fariba has worked closely with aerospace companies to help make them more profitable, productive and innovative. In addition to publishing more than 70 articles and reports, she has chaired and spoken at many international conferences. She is also a frequent speaker on the importance of diversity and inclusion.
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Dr. Fariba Alamdari
Former VP Marketing Strategy, VP Leadership and Learning at Boeing
Fariba has 30 years of senior executive leadership in the global aviation and aerospace industries. For over a decade, Fariba led Marketing for the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group. In 2018, she was asked to take the role of Corporate Vice President leading the development and execution of new Customer and Talent Leadership Development programs for The Boeing Company. In 2006, Fariba was recruited from Cranfield University in the UK where she served as the Chair of Department of Air Transport, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Manufacturing and Science where she taught and mentored many of the airline industry executives of today.
She is currently a member of OLI Global, an executive consortium offering consultancy and advisory to the aerospace and space market.
She is also a senior leadership consultant with Inside-Out Learning Inc.
She is internationally known and is highly respected business leader with a global mindset and coaching leadership style focused on achieving results based on trust and respect for all.
In the last 30 years she has worked closely with aerospace companies to help make them more profitable, productive and innovative. In addition to publishing more than 70 articles and reports, she has chaired and spoken at many international conferences. She is also a frequent speaker on the importance of diversity and inclusion. She did a Tedx talk on the “Power of Diversity” in 2017.
Fariba is recipient of awards including: “Woman of the Year” by Air Transport News, "Ellis Island Medal of Honor“ from The National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), "Leadership Award” from the Centre for Women & Democracy, the “Professional Achievement Award’ from Women of Color, “Professional Practice Recognition Award” from State University of New York in, and “Sorenson Best Paper Award” for the paper on “Marketing to Female Business Travelers”.
She has served as the Chair of the Chancellor Advisory Board of University of Washington Bothell, currently serves on the Advisory Board of Center for Leadership & Strategic Thinking, Foster School of Business, University of Washington. She has served on the Board of the Boeing Leadership Development Excellence, NeighborCare Health, and British American Business Council in Washington State.
Fariba received a PhD, an honorary Doctor of Science and a Master degree from Cranfield University in the UK. Fariba resides in Bellevue, Washington with her husband, and has a son and a daughter.
Meet our Evening Keynote Fireside Chat
Heather Redman
Co-Founder of Flying Fish Partners
Co-Founder of Flying Fish Partners
Heather is Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Flying Fish Partners, a venture firm investing in artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics companies. She serves on the boards of Beneficial State Bank (Lead Independent Director and member Audit & Technology Committees), Coldstream Holdings Inc., Greater Seattle Metropolitan Chamber (past Chair), Washington Technology Industry Association (Chair), Technology Alliance, the Ruckelshaus Center, and as a Regent of the Washington State University.
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Heather Redman, J.D.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Flying Fish Partnersg
Heather is Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Flying Fish Partners, a venture firm investing in artificial intelligence,
machine learning and robotics companies. She serves on the boards of Beneficial State Bank
(Lead Independent Director and member Audit & Technology Committees), Coldstream Holdings Inc.,
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Chamber (past Chair), Washington Technology Industry Association (Chair),
Technology Alliance, the Ruckelshaus Center, and as a Regent of the Washington State University.
She serves on the executive committee of the Global EIR Coalition, the governing advisory board of the Hawthorn Club, the Connector Board of NCWIT, the advisory board of iInovate, and as a mentor at Techstars. She was named to the 2020 Power 100 and 2019 Director of the Year by the Puget Sound Business Journal. Heather is active in local and national policy and politics. She speaks and writes frequently on a variety of topics. She holds a JD (with distinction) from Stanford and her BA from Reed.
Listen to the Speakers and Panelists
Anu Arora
MTech, PCC, CTPC (she, her, hers)
Anu Arora
MTech, PCC, CTPC (she, her, hers)
Anu Arora is a Conscious Leadership expert, inspirational speaker and a Team and an Executive Coach.
Anu coaches leaders of high-tech companies, start-ups and educational institutions to identify core issues,
make the complex simple, and help them move past their blocks to create transformational results.
Anu is a masterful trainer and facilitator and runs workshops on a variety of career and leadership
growth topics including Mindfulness, Meditation, Happiness, Emotional Intelligence and Well-Being.
Anu has a masters in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in India and has worked
on building helicopters for 7 years. She worked at Microsoft for 16 years building products and services through leading and coaching large teams.
Harshul Asnani
Senior Vice President/SBU Head - Global Technology Business at Tech Mahindra
Harshul Asnani
Senior Vice President/SBU Head - Global Technology Business at Tech Mahindra
Harshul Asnani brings over 20 years of experience in strategic sourcing, business development, building new markets in IT,
Engineering/R&D and BPO outsourcing with a primary focus on Communications and Hitech industries. He has worked in a wide range
of leadership roles at a global level spanning North America, Latin America, Europe and India.
In his current role, Harshul serves as Tech Mahindra’s SBU Head responsible for Technology Business,
based out of Silicon Valley. His charter is to build 360-degree strategic partnerships with Technology companies worldwide.
Harshul sits on the Board of the Bay Area Council, Advisory Board of University of Washington School of Business
and is a TiE Silicon Valley Charter Member.
Coming soon!
Listen to the Mentors
Jennifer Dye, MBA
Center Director, Certified Business Advisor and Marketing/Communications professional
Jennifer Dye, MBA
Center Director, Certified Business Advisor and Marketing/Communications professional Jennifer Dye has lived in the South Puget Sound area since 1992. From her early careers in hospitality and property management, she started a small business in Kent, WA in 2001. In the next 12 years she grew the business from a 500 sq. ft. storefront to a 9000 sq. ft. studio with two satellite programs. She went on to found two non-profits – H.E.R.O. Association; an organization providing scholarship assistance to at-risk kids, and Do or Dye Self Defense; an organization teaching personal safety and empowerment.
Through these various careers, she developed a love of the entrepreneurial spirit, and, wanting to help other business owners, she earned her M.B.A. in Leadership from the University of Washington, Bothell and a Certificate in Adaptive Leadership from Leadership Eastside in 2016. Upon graduation, she began working for the Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and earned her Certified Business Advisor designation. Through her work with the SBDC, and as a small business owner herself; Jennifer has a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by entrepreneurs today. She is passionate about helping them plan for their futures.
Having become a recognized leader in the business community, Jennifer was invited to teach Marketing Management at the UWB School of Business in 2017 and for South Puget Sound Community College in 2020. She has also done numerous workshops and speaking engagements for area Chambers of Commerce, business networking groups, Parks and Rec programs and other community organizations.
Jennifer was also a financial advisor, and holds her FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations, along with her Life and Health Insurance licenses. She earned an Executive Certificate in Business Analysis and Digital Transformation in 2020. She is a believer in life-long learning, and her vision is to forge genuine, long term relationships with her clients and be their trusted advisor by conducting her business with the utmost integrity.
She lives in Olympia, WA and spends her free time volunteering as the Communications Director for Friends of Capitol Forest; a local trail maintenance non-profit, singing with the SPSCC Percival Choir, teaching fitness and skiing classes, and mountain-biking, hiking and kayaking throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Scott Bright
Chief Executive Officer and Board Director, Jeeva Wireless, Inc.
Scott Bright
Chief Executive Officer and Board Director, Jeeva Wireless, Inc.
Scott is an accomplished technology executive with 30+ years of entrepreneurial and growth-phase experience.
He currently serves as CEO at Jeeva Wireless, a start-up spun out from the labs at UW, focused on ultra-low
power wireless IoT technology and supply chain automation.
Scott also serves part-time as an Adjunct Professor
of Electrical Engineering at Seattle University, and was previously co-founder and CEO of Synapse Product Development.
Scott holds four U.S. patents, received his B.S. Electrical Engineering from Ohio University and M.B.A. from University of Washington,
Bothell and is a Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Scott is married an has two college-age daughters, lives in Seattle with two doodle-dogs, and enjoys rock-climbing,
back-country ski touring and mountaineering in his spare time.
Ann Paulson
Department Chair at Edmonds College
Ann Paulson
Department Chair in the Business Management Department at Edmonds CollegeAnn Paulson teaches courses including Entrepreneurship, Ecommerce and Facilitation.
Prior to working in education, Ann worked for 15 years in business,
including consulting and business planning for growing companies.
Ann has an MBA and a PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Nebraska.
She has volunteered for 501 Commons for years as an Executive Service Corps Member and a consultant to more than a dozen nonprofits.
She is currently working as an Advisor for the Whitman Student Consulting Corps.
Event Schedule
The conference will culminate with an opportunity for attendees to “pitch” their idea that they have workshopped throughout the day to senior business leaders, receive feedback, and get recognized for great pitches, sending them off to start pitching new ideas in their respective places of work.
Morning Keynote - Dr. Fariba Alamdari former VP of Boeing
How to Develop Ideas Under pressure – Elizabeth Scallon
Innovating During Challenging Times – Panel Discussion
Perfecting the Pitch – Panel Discussion
Group Working Sessions & Mentoring
Pitch Competition
Fireside Chat Keynote - Heather Redman
Closing & Awards
Hurry up! Book your Seat
Early Bird
$50
ON SALE THROUGH
APRIL 30 th 2021*
-
Full conference includes speaker sessions, mentoring, and a friendly pitch competition.
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*Sales end at 11:59 pm
Standard
$80
ON SALE
-
Full conference includes speaker sessions, mentoring, and a friendly pitch competition.
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