About this Event
The Stuff of Legacy: BBB of Northeast California's 2026 Women's Conference
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Citrus Heights Event Center -- 6300 Fountain Square Dr, Citrus Heights, CA 95621
Doors open at 8:00 AM. Conference from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
The BBB Serving Sacramento & Northeast California's annual conference brings our region's women professionals and business owners together, while also answering "How'd she do it?" behind the accomplishments of those shaping business, our community, and everything that comes next.
Join the Better Business Bureau of Northeast California for a unique and powerful day of learning, inspiration, and connection during .
From national leadership to local changemakers, this year’s program is about the legacies we inherit, the impact we create, and the future we build together.
- Keynote: Rebekah Dopp, CEO of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus
- “The Emotional Side of Money” with Tari Vickery
- Women, Work, and What's Next: A fireside chat on parity, progress, and what’s next
- Trailblazers: A panel of local women living bold, unconventional lives
- Creative Inlets & Outlets: A panel to share how we can all better harness imagination in the workplace
- Purpose Beyond Profit: Business philanthropy in action in the Greater Sacramento Region and how you can get involved
- Emerging Leaders: Gold Award Girl Scouts - Heart of Central California creating real community impact
- Breaking with Tradition: The Unconventional Career: Forging your own way in underrepresented spaces
We’ll close with reflections from retiring BBB CEO Lynn Conner, honoring leadership and the power of legacy.
Registration includes a box lunch and the opportunity to meet and shop with local small business vendors during the Women's Business Center's May Marketplace Pop-Up.
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The sessions are as follows:
Women, Work, and What's Next
A fireside chat with Tami Hackbarth, care coach and host of the 100% Guilt-Free Self-Care podcast, and Darcy Totten, Executive Director of the independent California Commission on the Status of Women & Girls. This tete-a-tete conversation will examine the current landscape for women in the workplace, looking at progress made, persistent gaps, and the realities shaping women’s professional experiences today. Tami and Darcy will discuss things like parity, leadership representation, workplace culture, and economic forces influencing women in business, as well as what these trends might signal for the future. Attendees will gain perspective on where momentum is building, what challenges remain, and how their actions and decisions today can shape more equitable outcomes for generations to come.
Trailblazers
Like the name suggests, this panel spotlights remarkable local women who have broken barriers and made new paths for themselves and others in their industries and communities. Each year, panelists share their personal journeys, the challenges they've navigated, and the lessons learned along the way. This conversation always offers our attendees inspiration, perspective, and practical guidance for those looking to do something different as they make their way in the world! This panel has become an attendee highlight each year, and for 2026 will feature Dr. Catherine Campisi, who has spent her life advancing opportunities for persons with disabilities, with a focus on higher education, employment, and independent living, Jamie Lou Waterhouse, realtor, pilot, and founder of the flight instruction nonprofit "Girls Love to Fly", Gina Rossi, a metal sculptor who teaches welding and strives to inspire creativity, spark dialogue, and unite people through art, and Shasta Smith, whose interest in historical preservation led her to establish Vintage Monkey, which specializes in the meticulous restoration, engineering, and preservation of classic and antique motorcycles.
Creative Inlets & Outlets: Making Space for Imagination in the Workplace
This panel will cover how creativity can drive innovation, problem-solving, and personal fulfillment in today’s workplace, regardless of one's role or industry. Panelists will share how they incorporate creative thinking into their work, striking a balance between structure and imagination, and how they create time and space to pursue new ideas. Attendees will leave inspired with practical ways to use their perspective and creative thinking as the professional assets they can be! Moderated by Jamie Perez of Beyond Words Productions, this panel will include Moksha Rao, a digital product designer who also blends her passions for traditional Indian dance and contortion, and Cynthia Dees Brooks, owner of TAP Wine Lounge, which seeks to introduce and educate wine enthusiasts on global BIPOC produced wines.
Sacramento Region Community Foundation's "Purpose Beyond Profit: A Conversation About Business Philanthropy"
This conversation, led by SRCF, looks at how businesses, big or small, can lead with purpose while making a real difference in their communities. The speakers will share how giving back -- whether in time, skills, or resources -- can be incorporated into business operations while making sure their generosity matches their company values and goals. Attendees will leave with tips on forming genuine partnerships, motivating their teams, and creating lasting positive change that helps grow both their business and their community.
Girl Scouts Heart of Central California "Emerging Leaders - Gold Award Recipients"
This signature panel highlights the power of youth action and leadership through Gold Award recipients from Girl Scouts Heart of Central California. Attendees will hear firsthand how these young women have identified critical issues in their communities and created innovative solutions to address them. "Emerging Leaders" celebrates courage, creativity, and the lasting impact of investing in tomorrow’s leaders.
"Breaking with Tradition: The Unconventional Career"
Success sometimes takes unexpected routes! Join a conversation with Elizabeth West, Employment Attorney, Investigator, and Mediator at Weintraub Tobin, and Christina Bilyeu, MD, FACLP, Assistant Physician-in-Chief for TPMG North Valley and Associate Program Director of the Kaiser Permanente Greater Sacramento Valley Psychiatry Residency. Together, they’ll discuss the power of pursuing unconventional opportunities, and how those decisions shape a professional legacy that lifts others along the way and long after.If you care about business growth, community impact, leadership development, and building something that lasts, this is your room.
RSVP today to secure your spot before prices increase!
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Citrus Heights Event Center, 6300 Fountain Square Drive, Citrus Heights, United States
USD 33.85 to USD 108.55
