Summit 2023
Thank you for joining us at NextUp Leadership Summit 2023! Check out our 2023 Summit Takeaways on the NextUp blog. Big Dreams. Bold Action. NextUp…
NextUp Leadership Summit is our largest event of the year – a celebration of everything NextUp, our community, and our mission to Advance All Women in Business! With over 1,400 attendees annually, world-class speakers, powerful programming, meaningful opportunities to connect, and frank discussions about what we can all do to meet our own career goals, there’s nothing like Summit.
Join us this year in NextUp’s home city of Chicago for an incredibly unique experience, where you’ll take in everything the Windy City has to offer while connecting with likeminded members of NextUp’s network. Summit is the event of the year, and you won’t want to miss it!
WNBA and Olympic Champion Kara Lawson, a 2003 Tennessee graduate, was appointed Duke University’s fifth head women’s basketball coach on July 11, 2020. Prior to this role, she served as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, becoming the franchise’s first female coach in its history. Her coaching success extended to leading the US 3×3 Women’s National Team to a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, earning her the distinction of being the first-ever 3×3 USA Basketball Coach of the Year. With an illustrious playing career in the WNBA, including a championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005 and multiple gold medals, Lawson’s achievements also encompassed NCAA Final Four appearances during her college years at Tennessee. Her remarkable journey continues to inspire and make history in the world of basketball.
Since bringing home the Gold and Silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Laurie Hernandez has gone on to win the coveted Mirror ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 23 and published her first NYT Best Selling book titled, “I Got This: To Gold and Beyond”. In 2018, she released a children’s illustrated book and NYT Best Seller, “She’s Got This”, while serving as the KPMG Literacy Champion to promote readership as a path to leadership. Additionally, Mattel created a Laurie Hernandez “Shero” Barbie to honor her and her Latina heritage.
Laurie is a second generation American, as her grandparents are from Puerto Rico, making her the first U.S. born Latina to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1984. She was the gymnastics analyst for NBC for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and will reprise the role at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Laurie is a rising sophomore, studying drama at NYU Tisch in NYC, as acting and screenwriting are future career ambitions. Throughout the year, she travels nationwide speaking to the next generation about following one’s passion; and is a fierce advocate for prioritizing Mental Health. Laurie has become an outspoken advocate for children’s rights was recently named a UNICEF Global Ambassador.