This is no time to sit on the sidelines. Join the nation’s female association leaders for a powerful day dedicated to community building and growth. The Exchange: A Women’s Leadership Experience™ is an opportunity to invest in yourself while sharing your wisdom and strength to empower and uplift women at every stage of their individual journeys.

Critical conversations happen here that you rarely find at other conferences. Whether you’re new to the field or have decades of associations experience on your resume, you’ll find discussions relevant to your daily lived experience and pivotal to your future in the field. Earn CAE credits and countless industry connections as you explore topics such as leading authentically and unapologetically, making space for wellness and work-life balance, and more.

This inclusive experience welcomes all to draw inspiration from our keynote speakers, find new mentors, and benefit from our community’s multigenerational perspectives. With early career professionals, aspiring leaders, and C-suite professionals invited to share a seat at the table, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to build bridges between generations and inroads for women as you advance personally and professionally.

More speakers, including Keynotes, will be added to this page soon!

Disclaimer:

(This event is aimed at topics that impact those who identify as women. However, all are welcome.)

Meet the Speakers

Adrianna Hopkins

Adrianna Hopkins a morning show anchor based in Washington, D.C.; and adjunct professor for Florida International University in D.C., leading the Caplin News DC Bureau. Her broadcast career has taken her to New Orleans, LA, Miami, FL, Louisville, KY & Macon, GA. She earned a BA in Electronic Communications & African American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Adrianna is a passionate advocate for women’s health issues, connecting with organizations that share a desire to find solutions to disparities in health outcomes for Black & BIPOC people. Equity is a persistent theme in her reporting as she explores topics ranging from environmental justice to the epidemic of gun violence to Black maternal mortality outcomes. She firmly believes in connecting people to experiences outside of their own.

She and her husband have two beautiful & smart children.

Amy Yip

Amy Yip is the founder of Amy Yip LLC, a company dedicated to closing leadership skills gaps that prevent underrepresented employees from advancing into key roles. As an accomplished Mental Fitness Executive Coach, keynote speaker, award-winning author, and self-confidence trainer, Amy is passionate about helping individuals and teams thrive. A 2X TEDx speaker, she draws on over 16 years of experience building and leading global teams at industry leaders like Google, Clorox, and Booz Allen. Amy’s work is driven by her passion for fostering diverse leadership and creating transformative change.
Amy is an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach, a Certified Hudson Institute Coach, a Certified Strozzi Institute Somatic Coach, and a pioneer Mental Fitness Coach certified through Positive Intelligence.
Amy received her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and her BS in computer science and BA in communications from the University of Maryland.
Amy resides in Maryland with Greg, her best friend and husband, and her sons Logan and Julian, the cutest kids ever.

Sheri Jacobs

Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE is a keynote speaker, CEO, best-selling author, and innovation strategist leading a movement based on this bold idea: The future belongs to those who take more shots. She has shared her transformative message with hundreds of associations and companies across many industries, challenging them to elevate every voice, expand failure boundaries, and embrace experimentation as a path to success. A recognized expert in leadership and innovation, Sheri empowers leaders to break free from the safety of what has always worked and adopt a new set of rules to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Samyuktha Neeraja

Samyuktha Neeraja, MPH, CAE, lives in the Chicago area and has been working in the association management industry for 9 years. Her current position is the State Association Relations Manager at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. In this role, Samyuktha provides consulting services to state associations and assists them with their governance, leadership, and infrastructure-related needs.

Samyuktha is a disability advocate and steward of DEIA+. She has given many speaking engagements sharing her experiences as an Indian-Hindu American woman with dwarfism and how organizations can be more inclusive for people from minoritized backgrounds. In addition, Samyuktha co-hosts the “A Little Perspective” podcast, which is a platform for lifting up voices from marginalized groups, co-authored the best-selling anthology, “A Little Perspective: Real Stories of Little Ladies, and is a member of the Association Forum’s Welcoming Environment Committee & ASAE’s Accessibility Task Force. Samyuktha is also the Immediate Past President of Benedictine University's Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Outside of her leadership and advocacy efforts, Samyuktha is a recipient of the 2023 Rising Star Alumni Award from Benedictine University, the Association Forum Forty Under 40 Award in 2021, and is an ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) Scholar for the Class of 2023-2025.

Mariama Boney

Mariama S. Boney, LMSW, CAE, CPEC, CTS is a powerhouse in association leadership, nonprofits, and a trusted, go-to-source for solutions. With 3M+ lives positively impacted, she equips executives, staff, boards, faculty, and students with the tools to lead with integrity, strategy, and impact through her firm, Achieve More LLC.

A dedicated ASAE leader for 20 years, she has contributed 10,000+ volunteer hours as a committee member, council chair, donor, content leader, CAE facilitator, DELP alumni, and author. As the progenitor of ElevateHER: Advancing Women in Leadership and Innovation, a groundbreaking partnership with Black Association Executives and Association Latinos, she continues to create safe spaces for women and their allies. 

She’s also shaping the future of change leadership, ethics, DEIA+A, and well-being—crafting programs, products, and services based on cultural fluency and resilience while integrating strengths-based leadership. She is the author of the VENT book series. 

Bottom line? Mariama strives to champion everyone and everything around her to be better, achieve more, and maximize results.