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About the 2024 Conference

The third annual Women in Leadership Conference, held on May 3, 2024, at Saint Louis University, centered around breaking and powering through the "bamboo ceiling" for Asian women in leadership. The conference delved into cultural differences, a history of stereotyping, unconscious bias, struggles with identity crises, the myth of the “model minority,” and the perpetual foreigner syndrome — challenges that Asian American women leaders face daily.

Audience members react to a lion dance performer in an elaborate costume with artificial fur and colors that form a lion's face.

The crowd reacts to the Lion Dance during the Be Heard Women in Leadership Conference at Il Monastero on May 3, 2024.

View the 2024 Conference Report

Emcee for the Day

  • Peter Tao, principal, TAO + LEE Associates

Leadership Development Workshop – Hear to be Heard

Presented by Brian Wellinghoff and David Pickersgill of Barry-Wehmiller, "Hear to Be Heard: Harnessing the Power of Attention in the Academy and Beyond" allowed participants to discover the transformative impact of active listening in both academic circles and the business sector.

  • Brian Wellinghoff & David Pickersgill, Barry-Wehmiller

Welcome Remarks

  • Michael Medart, president, Medart, Inc. and president, Dean’s Executive Board
  • Christine Rollins, Faculty Senate president, professor of law, SLU
  • Betsy Cohen, executive director, STL Mosaic Project
  • Michael Lewis, provost, SLU
  • Barnali Gupta, Edwards Jones Dean, Chaifetz School of Business, SLU

Asian Women in Leadership Panel

  • Elaine Cha, host and producer, St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio
  • Grace Lee, dean of faculty, MICDS
  • Michelle Li, NBC St. Louis morning anchor; cofounder, The Very Asian Foundation
  • Nalini Mahadevan, principal attorney, MLO Law; cofounder, Immigrant Professional Women’s Network in STL
  • Shu Schiller, incoming dean, College of Business Administration, University of Missouri – St. Louis
  • Moderator: Luchen Li, associate VP for global engagement, SLU

Asian Show

The Asian show featured musical acts and performances from SLU, WashU, and MICDS students.

  • Lion Dance
    Milton Duckworth, Cade Miller, Wenting Yu, Henry Oliver, Lawrence Lee, Michal Kenigsberg, Lucas Cheng, Isaac George
  • Step Up – Muay Thai
    Mohamad Soudani and Yashwanth Majji
  • Vintage Vibrations – An Ode to China's Timeless Female Vocalists
    Darren Cheng and Bryan But

Event Sponsors

The third annual Be Heard – Women in Leadership Conference was free for all attendees, thanks to generous sponsorships provided by: