Symposium 2024
Join Us for InnovateHer: An Afternoon of Innovation and Leadership
Females in Food, in collaboration with our corporate member Tetra Pak, invites you to InnovateHer—an exclusive half-day symposium in Denton, Texas designed to build and strengthen our community in the region. We’re bringing together accomplished women from across the food and beverage industry for an immersive afternoon of insights, connections, and growth opportunities.
Our Platform
About Females in Food
Females in Food is the first female-focused professional platform committed to closing the gender gap across every sector of the F&B industry.
Females in Food deploys a 360-degree approach to talent development and gender diversity by offering a curated network of women leaders, events and a digital platform providing access to insights, resources, and support to maximize the impact and potential of women leaders in the F&B industry. FIF also acts as a trusted partner to organizations to help increase gender diversity through talent connection, professional development, and employer branding.
We understand that in business, who you know matters as much as what you know. Our community fosters an unmatched culture of collaboration and support resulting in industry relationships that lead to new business opportunities, cost savings, and problem solving.
Register for the Symposium
December 5th, 2024
Pricing
Sponsoring Young Potential
With Tetra Pak’s generous support we are able to put 100% of the proceeds for this event towards a scholarship for two students from the Dallas area to join the Females In Food Community.
TICKET PRICE
- An afternoon of professional development sessions
- Impactful networking with fellow women in the food and beverage industry
- Complimentary Professional Headshots
- Lunch + Cocktail Reception
- Incredible Swag Bag
$35
keynote speaker
Dorsey Standish
Dorsey Standish, MS is a mechanical engineer, neuroscientist, and wellness expert who brings evidence-based mindfulness and emotional intelligence to clients worldwide through her company Mastermind. Dorsey has led science-based wellness programs for hundreds of companies, including Staples, Toyota, and American Airlines. Her personal mission is to help Type A people like herself slow down, destress, and optimize their performance through research-backed brain health training.
Dorsey holds a master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Dorsey’s teachings draw on her training as a teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction through Brown University and deep experience on regular 7-day silent meditation retreats.
While Dorsey is Ivy League-educated and holds a MS in Neuroscience, she believes her best teachers are her wife and two adorable sons. She lives in Dallas, and enjoys the opportunity to travel the country and teach her clients lifelong skills for brain health and resilience.
featured presentation
Suzy Richards, Chief Sales Officer SPINS
As Chief Sales Officer, Suzy Richard brings over two decades of leadership experience, marked by a distinguished track record of steering high-performance teams and pioneering innovative sales strategies. With a keen eye for detail, she crafts actionable plans that propel growth, foster impactful partnerships, and establish enduring revenue streams.
Suzy cultivates a culture of open communication and empowerment, recognizing that nurturing employee development is paramount to organizational success and the cultivation of future leaders. Before her tenure at SPINS, Suzy served in sales leadership at CareerBuilder and co-owned a thriving design business, honing her expertise across diverse sectors.
Her expertise and passion for natural products, coupled with her deep-rooted understanding of the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) landscape, have positioned her as a sought-after public speaker. She frequently graces industry events, such as Naturally Network, captivating audiences with her insights and accomplishments in leadership across multiple domains.
2024 Agenda
december 5th, 2024
keynote speaker
Innovation From The Inside Out: Mindfulness for Mental Health
Journey with Dorsey as she weaves together her own story of overcoming burnout, the latest neuroscience research, and relaxing experiential mindset practices to equip you with new mindful tools for mental strength, resilience, and innovation.
This engaging and actionable talk will demystify the practice of mindfulness and simplify the way you think about mental health and innovation by focusing on self-awareness as the conduit for both.
Get ready to connect with your head, heart, and body as Dorsey teaches you how to embrace 1-2 mindful minutes per day to catalyze your wellness and performance.
Dorsey Standish
Dorsey Standish, MS is a mechanical engineer, neuroscientist, and wellness expert who brings evidence-based mindfulness and emotional intelligence to clients worldwide through her company Mastermind. Dorsey has led science-based wellness programs for hundreds of companies, including Staples, Toyota, and American Airlines. Her personal mission is to help Type A people like herself slow down, destress, and optimize their performance through research-backed brain health training.
Dorsey holds a master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Dorsey’s teachings draw on her training as a teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction through Brown University and deep experience on regular 7-day silent meditation retreats.
While Dorsey is Ivy League-educated and holds a MS in Neuroscience, she believes her best teachers are her wife and two adorable sons. She lives in Dallas, and enjoys the opportunity to travel the country and teach her clients lifelong skills for brain health and resilience.
Satisfying Success: Innovating for Health and Planet
Session Description
Consumers have developed a taste for healthier, more sustainable food and beverage options. Learn how savvy companies are thinking beyond the status quo to deliver the winning ingredients to thrive in this evolving market.
Suzy Richards
As Chief Sales Officer, Suzy Richard brings over two decades of leadership experience, marked by a distinguished track record of steering high-performance teams and pioneering innovative sales strategies. With a keen eye for detail, she crafts actionable plans that propel growth, foster impactful partnerships, and establish enduring revenue streams. Suzy cultivates a culture of open communication and empowerment, recognizing that nurturing employee development is paramount to organizational success and the cultivation of future leaders.
Before her tenure at SPINS, Suzy served in sales leadership at CareerBuilder and co-owned a thriving design business, honing her expertise across diverse sectors. Her expertise and passion for natural products, coupled with her deep-rooted understanding of the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) landscape, have positioned her as a sought-after public speaker. She frequently graces industry events, such as Naturally Network, captivating audiences with her insights and accomplishments in leadership across multiple domains.
Lauryn Lueken
Lauryn Lueken currently works as a Sr. Marketing Manager for Tetra Pak
Session Description
Innovation is not limited only to products and technology. Join us to learn from three females leaders who are using their experience, expertise and passion to drive change for food, people and nature at their organizations.
Ursula Evering - SunOpta
I am a strategic business leader with a strong understanding of human capital and an engineering mindset. I played a key role in developing company budgets and contributed to achieving year-over-year revenue growth. Additionally, I expanded product lines and oversaw the implementation of software and technology systems.
My track record demonstrates my ability to lead diverse teams through periods of change and drive business expansion. Leveraging my engineering mindset, I excel at swiftly identifying and resolving the root causes of issues, showcasing my problem-solving skills and efficiency. I am adept at designing processes to enhance efficiency and boost productivity.
My exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills have allowed me to build positive relationships across all levels of an organization. I approach challenges with optimism and proactivity, employing a creative mindset to overcome obstacles. I enjoy optimizing operational performance and possess strong organizational and employee growth and development capabilities.
My current objective is to strategically enhance operational efficiency and business performance indicators through the collaborative and empowered utilization of human capital.
Courtney King - Beatbox
Courtney King is a dynamic HR visionary with a track record of transforming organizations through innovative people strategies and a deep understanding of human capital. As the Senior Vice President of People & Culture at BeatBox Beverages in Austin, Texas, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s HR infrastructure, building it from the ground up to meet the demands of a rapidly growing business. With over 20 years of experience, she has mastered the art of aligning people and culture with the business goals of the company.
Before joining BeatBox Beverages, Courtney held high-impact leadership roles, where she drove talent management, employee engagement, and organizational development initiatives that redefined workplace culture. Her unique blend of hands-on experience and strategic thinking has allowed her to introduce forward-thinking HR programs that enhance employee well-being and boost performance.
While Courtney has found her career in HR, her entrepreneurial roots run deep. As a former owner and operator of a successful restaurant franchise, she gained firsthand knowledge of managing operations, leading teams, and building a thriving business. This entrepreneurial experience sets her apart in the industry, giving her an edge in balancing both the human and operational sides of leadership.
Courtney earned a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Courtney is an expert in her field, and she offers a wealth of knowledge and a passion for fostering exceptional workplace environments.
Michele Fite - Elo Systems
Chief Commercial Officer, President & Board Director
A food and agriculture veteran, Michele guides teams in discovering the fastest path to realizing full business potential. An expert in commercialization in both startup and enterprise, Michele creates strategies that unlock new revenue sources, builds upon existing ones, and creates sustainable businesses, from vision to acquisition—all while driving cross-functional alignment.
Michele serves as the Chief Commercial Officer of Elo Life Systems, a $46M funded startup in molecular farm where she leads the execution of its business, commercial and food science strategy. Before joining Elo, Michele was the chief commercial officer at Motif FoodWorks. As one of its first employees, she led Motif’s business and commercial strategies, including introducing and commercializing the company’s game-changing meat alternative ingredients. Prior to Motif, Michele was president of Kerry’s Dairy and Culinary segment, and held executive roles at several companies, including DuPont, Solae and Nestle. Michele was also the founding CEO at Cadena BioSciences, a start-up focused on gut microbiomes and was instrumental in their acquisition by Kaleido BioSciences.
She holds a degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations from the University of Oklahoma. Michele is a managing partner/advisor at Bridgetech Fund, a board advisor for Nuversys and Liven Proteins and serves on the boards of Women in Agribusiness and Global Child Nutrition Foundation.
tours
Behind the scenes
See behind the scenes at how Tetra Pak is innovating the food and beverage business. Tours will include a visit to the company’s carton packaging converting factory, the product room, technical training center and product development center.
Location: Tetra Pak Headquarters
The InnovateHer symposium will be held at the Tetra Pak headquarters, offering attendees an exclusive experience.
behind the scenes
Exclusive tour offered by Tetra Pak
Alongside the inspiring sessions and networking, participants will have the unique opportunity to tour Tetra Pak’s campus, where groundbreaking food packaging solutions come to life. Don’t miss this rare chance to see behind the scenes of one of the industry’s leaders in innovation, while connecting with other trailblazers in the food sector.
Exclusive offer
Professional Headshots
Attendees will get an extra perk from our generous host, Tetra Pak – complimentary professional headshots!
Whether you’re looking to update your LinkedIn profile or just want a fresh, polished photo, this is the perfect opportunity to capture the moment. Our glow-up team will help you to be photo-ready with light hair and make-up, so take advantage of this exclusive offer and leave the event not only inspired but with a brand new headshot to showcase your professional self.
