2025 GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Leadership Institute Agenda

Leadership in the Loop:  Building Your Lasting Legacy

Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Universal Orlando Royal Pacific Hotel

8:00 am Breakfast

9:00-9:10 Welcome and Introductions

GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Leadership Institute Planning Committee

 

February 26, 2025, Morning Session Theme:

Heroic Leadership, Gwen Griggs, Class of 2019
Mindful Leadership: Knowing When to Pause and Clear Your Head, Barbara Stankowski, Class of 2012

Leadership is not an act; it is a way of life—a life-long journey. In the hectic, pressured life of an entrepreneur, developing as a leader can be the key to a balanced and fulfilling life. Combining the ideas of heroic leadership and mindfulness, being present at the moment can help strengthen your resolve, compassion, and influence by first understanding and developing yourself.

Leadership is not a job, not a role one plays at work and then puts aside during the commute home to relax and enjoy real life. Leadership is real life. Your way of doing things should flow from your worldview and priorities. By knowing what you value and want to achieve, you will always be able to orient yourself in a new environment and adapt confidently to unfamiliar circumstances.

Personal leadership is a never-ending work in progress that draws on continually maturing self-understanding. The external environment evolves, and personal circumstances and priorities change. Some personal strengths erode, even as opportunities arise to develop others. All these changes demand consistent, balanced growth and evolution as a leader. The strong leader relishes the opportunity to continue learning about self through self-reflection and looks forward to new discoveries and interests.

The session will address tools, applications, best practices, and readings that will help participants continue their lifelong development as leaders.

 

 

More speaker announcements are coming soon…

Theme: Redefining Leadership: Embracing a Culture of Empowerment and Innovation in a Boss-Free World

Come with us as we explore a future where traditional hierarchical structures are challenged and replaced by collaborative, employee-centric models. By embracing a culture of experimentation and learning, participants will delve into the idea that failure is not a taboo subject, but rather a valuable stepping stone to innovation. This transformative approach aims to equip leaders with the tools and mindset to build high-performing organizations that foster creativity, resilience, and employee empowerment.

More presenter announcements are coming soon…

Keynote Speaker, SaLisa Berrien, Class of 2021

SaLisa L. Berrien, Founder and CEO of COI Energy, has over twenty-five years of experience in energy technology. From working at electric utilities to smart grid, cleantech, SaaS and big data analytics companies, SaLisa is paving new pathways in the climate technology space. In her early career, she sold the first electric vehicle (G-Van) and one of the largest geothermal heat pump systems in the NE region of the United States. She later went on to help EnerNOC move to #1 Demand Response company in the industry by growing its customer base globally through her unique ability to develop sustainable multinational accounts. She developed and patented the first AI for energy optimization (AI4EO) driven excess energy exchange platform for businesses to improve energy performance, reduce carbon emissions and provide equitable access to clean energy for all.

SaLisa is also the Founder and Board Chair of STRIVE Inc. A 501c3 charitable organization founded in 1995 that focuses on STEM leadership development training for students in 8th through 12th grades. In 2013, she established the COI Ladder Institute to focus on delivering leadership and empowerment services to women and BIPOC founders. Annually, COI Ladder Institute hosts an Unleashing Your Power Retreat on Martha’s Vineyard.

Since 1996, SaLisa has provided over 50 scholarships to high school and college students. In 2004, she established the Karl H. Lewis Engineering Impact Alumni Endowment at the University of Pittsburgh for students of African descent enrolled in Engineering.

SaLisa holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University, and she is completing a Corporate Innovation Certificate at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She’s been a guest speaker at various conferences and events including SXSW, IEEE – Tampa Bay, Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum, American Society for Engineering Education, and Morgan Stanley’s Sustainable Futures Summit to name a few. In 2019, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2022, SaLisa became a Mentor for W.E. Cornell at Cornell University to help STEM PhDs and postdocs commercialize their innovations.

She believes if you do the right thing for your customers, they will remember you for that. She practices the Platinum Rule, “Do unto your customer as they would have you to do unto them.” One of SaLisa’s core values is philanthropy. Her mission in life is to positively impact the space she occupies by leaving it better than she found it.

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Sustainable World Development

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