Nicole Price was a whiz at math and science from the start. She earned a degree in chemical engineering and climbed high in her field. But as her career twisted and turned, she found strengths she’d never considered, strengths that led her to what she does best – motivate others to discover their own abilities and become better leaders.
“What do you know you’re really good at? What does the world keep asking you for?” said Price, who will deliver the keynote address at the 25th annual Women’s Leadership Colloquium @UMW, held at the University of Mary Washington’s Stafford Campus on Thursday, Nov. 1. “I help people find an energy and spirit they never knew they had.”
The colloquium fosters the connectivity of professional women and inspires them toward a lifetime of leadership, attracting managers, administrators, educators, business owners and representatives from the public and private sectors. Seminars, breakout sessions, networking opportunities and a panel presentation from regional entrepreneurs will revolve around this year’s theme, “The Empowered Woman.”
“Women have got to own it,” said Lynne Richardson, memberof the colloquium’s advisory board and UMW’s vice president of Administration and Finance. “Whether it’s your professional life, personal life or other aspects of your life, women must be knowledgeable, and own it.”
Price, a coach, consultant and keynote speaker, agrees, urging women to find purpose by acknowledging and embracing their own strengths and passions. She launched her company, Lively Paradox,in 2016, to help them do just that. Drawing on her proven ability to bring diverse personalities together around the same goal, she reminds women in leadership to embrace characteristics like compassion, critical listening and collaboration that might be considered more feminine.
“We cannot walk away from those things that make us uniquely qualified as women to be great leaders,” she said.
Price, who earned a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina A&T University and a master’s in adult education from Park University, is closing in on a doctorate in leadership and management. She is the author of Lively Paradox: An Authentic Perspective on Issues of Diversity and Inclusion and the co-author The Power of Seven-Second Chances.
Seminars scheduled throughout the day-long event at UMW’s Satfford Campus target the theme of empowerment from various angles – through citizenship, the embracing of differences, in our personal and financial lives, and in building a sense of presence and purpose. Presenters include Teri McNally, executive director of the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region; Carter Fitch, director of finance and human resources at The George Washington Foundation; Cara Parker, president and CEO of C Parker Consulting; and Jenna Cooley, founder of Cooley Coaching and Consulting; as well as UMW’s Richardson and Vice President of Equity and Access Sabrina Johnson.
Regional entrepreneurs Stacey Lampman of Spaces Design Studio, Scarlett Pons of PONSHOP Studio, Ameeta Vashee Rajagopal of Ameeta Bakes, Erin Salo of Pueo Business Solutions and Michelle Caldwell Thompson of CTI Real Estate will share their wisdom during a panel discussion.
Registration is $179 before Oct. 1, $199 from Oct. 1 to 31, and $219 on Nov. 1. Reduced group and student rates are also available. For more information, visit the 25th annual Women’s Leadership Colloquium @UMW website.
