By Lacie C. Blankenship
Co-hosted by Vanderbilt Executive MBA, Master of Management in Health Care, and Executive Education programs, the event welcomed nearly 150 attendees eager to hear from such highly regarded leaders with high-level experience across various industries.
“We are sitting here with three truly inspiring women,” said Professor Goldsmith, setting the tone for an evening focused on inclusion, authenticity, and actionable leadership.
Meet the Panel
L to R: Sydney Savion, Kelly Goldsmith, Jen Fabbri, and Cara Heilmann.
Sydney Savion, Vanderbilt’s Vice Chancellor for People, Culture and Belonging, and former executive with Google and Air New Zealand, retired U.S. Air Force officer.
Cara Heilmann (MBA’94), a Talent Executive, Career Coach, and bestselling author who has helped over 4,000 people find meaningful work.
Jen Fabbri (MBA’21), a Healthcare Operations Leader and Practitioner who began as a nurse and now leads healthcare operations, focusing on empathy and efficiency.
Kelly Goldsmith, Faculty Director, Hoogland Undergraduate Business Program, E. Bronson Ingram Chair, Professor of Marketing, and a behavioral scientist, moderated the discussion.
The State of Women in Leadership
Goldsmith opened with statistics showing both progress and persistent gaps: women now make up 42% of business school students, yet for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women are (McKinsey). Plus, fewer than 11% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
Key Takeaways from the Panel
- Genuine Relationships Matter: Leadership is rooted in trust, authenticity, and connection. All panelists emphasized the value of mentorship and coaching from both ends of the table.
- Excellence Isn’t Gendered: Performance and strategic thinking are valuable traits across all identities. The panelists shared how they’ve succeeded by showing up authentically and delivering measurable results.
- Empathy is Ethical and Strategic: The speakers highlighted that human-centered leadership and decision making is both the right thing to do and also effective.
- Transparency Builds Trust: Clear, honest communication and radical accountability foster inclusive environments where people feel valued.
- Act Imperfectly, but Intentionally: The speakers emphasized the notion that perfection kills innovation, encouraging others to take bold steps, even if they’re not perfect.
- Excellence Requires Intention: Progress doesn’t happen by accident. People and organizations alike must be deliberate in confronting outdated norms.
The panel’s insights resonated across industries and career stages, encouraging all leaders to be bold, human-centric, and intentional as they shape the future.
