Speaker Directory

   

Diva Speakers: Exceptional Speakers and Trainers to Make Your Event a Success

You don’t have to attend a Success in the City event to hear a Diva speak! Our fabulous women not only are experts in their field, but many speak publicly on a wide variety of topics. If you are looking for a speaker with impact, knowledge and pizzazz, you’ve come to the right place. Our executive women leaders are exceptional women, each with a strong voice and a lot to say. Whether you’re looking for a keynote speaker or a trainer; whether your event is a large conference, small group luncheon, or employee retreat, you’ll find a Diva Speaker to meet your needs.

Check out our speakers listed below by topic. (Topics in tan do not yet have speakers available.) There you’ll find all the information you need.


The fine print:
Please respect our listing by not using the email addresses of our speakers for marketing purposes.
Each Diva Speaker can provide you with references to attest to their speaking expertise.

 

 

Advertising / Public Relations
 

Suzanne T. Fulton

  Soarings, LLC

703-328-8578
Sfulton@SoaringsPR.com
www.SoaringsPR.com

  Reston, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Suzanne is an independent consultant who provides public relations and marketing services to clients. She has garnered publicity and article placement for her clients and past employers in national, regional as well as local newspapers and magazines.

Suzanne brings more than 20 years of experience in public relations, communications, marketing, government relations and project management for business membership organizations and a testing & certification body.

Previously, she was communications manager for the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce from 2004 to mid-2007. She was responsible for media relations, internal and external communications, marketing and advertising.

     
Fee Range:   Pro bono and waiver of event fee, if applicable
     
Topics:   Public Relations
Networking Skills
     
Prepared Speeches:   What’s In Your Promotional Toolbox?
Suzanne identifies the many promotional “tools” (e.g., present customers) you might not realize you have and suggests ways to employ those tools to gain more business.
     
    Maximize Your Business Group Membership - For More Business
Using a local chamber of commerce as an example of a business group, Suzanne points to the variety of strategies and tactics to leverage that membership – to gain more business.
     
     

 

Adoption
 
     
     
     
     


Branding
 

Jen Sterling

  Hinge Incorporated

703.391.8870
jen@pivotalbrands.com
www.pivotalbrands.com

  Reston, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Jen Sterling is the President of Hinge, Northern Virginia’s premier professional services brand marketing firm. Hinge is dedicated to helping professional service companies create an emotional connection with their audience; which improves customer loyalty, increases awareness, and will ultimately lead to greater revenues.

Since its inception, Hinge has been recognized as an industry leader through their impressive array of awards and accolades. Hinge’s work has been featured in numerous magazines and trade publications and has had the distinct honor of winning four prestigious “M Awards” from the Washington, DC chapter of the American Marketing Association. These awards recognize marketers for “campaigns that demonstrate solid strategy, brilliant innovation, and positive return on investment.”

     
Fee Range:   $1,500-$2,500
     
Topics:  

Branding

     
Prepared Speeches:   Branding 101
     
    Branding and New Media
     
    Branding for Professional Service Firms


Business Development
 

Darcie Davis

  Zephyr Strategy, Inc.

703.885.1464
darcie@z3strategy.com
www.z3strategy.com

  Manassas, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Darcie Davis advises clients around the world to first gather wisdom directly from their stakeholders (their customers, employees, vendors, donors, etc.) to be strategic about business performance (e.g. in sales, marketing, customer service, operations, etc.). She works with organizations and departments anxious to improve and willing to take the guesswork out of the business development process. As a high level management consultant, she has earned a reputation for asking hard questions, discovering profound truths and turning them into opportunities and improvements for clients. Her strength is in helping organizations understand their own unique corporate personality to develop distinctive and competitive services.

     
Fee Range:   $2,500-$5,000
     
Topics:  

Business Development
Customer Service,
Management

     
Prepared Speeches:   Client Feedback - the truth will make your company rich
Your customers know the truth about your company but do you know what they are saying? Learn the 5 issues your customers will speak about to strangers. Come hear the truth about surveys, then learn different ways you can capture and take advantage of perceptions your customers have about your company. You'll understand how to keep your customers and how to keep from losing them.
     
    Touch is Not a Dirty Word. Find the glue that keeps clients loyal
Customers need a lot of care, we all know that. There are many ways to touch customers to show them you value their business. Hear about 5 rules of behavior that customers hate and the Number One thing customers want most. Learn what your company can do to touch your customers to keep the checks coming in and the competition going out.
     
    Women's Initiatives. What the Big Boys Need to Know
Why bother with an initiative unless you can show results. Learn the 3 things that derail most women's initiatives (the Big Boys already know these). Understand clearly what it is you want to accomplish for your women and your company. Participate in a lively discussion about what will be working for your success and where there may be heel breakers. You'll hear about elements that have helped other women's initiatives succeed and be envied in their marketplace.


Careers

 
     
     
     
     


Change
 
     
     
     
     


Communication
 
     
     
     


Cooking
 
     
     
     


Creativity
 
     
     


Customer Service
 

Darcie Davis

  Zephyr Strategy, Inc.

703.885.1464
darcie@z3strategy.com
www.z3strategy.com

  Manassas, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Darcie Davis advises clients around the world to first gather wisdom directly from their stakeholders (their customers, employees, vendors, donors, etc.) to be strategic about business performance (e.g. in sales, marketing, customer service, operations, etc.). She works with organizations and departments anxious to improve and willing to take the guesswork out of the business development process. As a high level management consultant, she has earned a reputation for asking hard questions, discovering profound truths and turning them into opportunities and improvements for clients. Her strength is in helping organizations understand their own unique corporate personality to develop distinctive and competitive services.

     
Fee Range:   $2,500-$5,000
     
Topics:  

Business Development
Customer Service,
Management

     
Prepared Speeches:   Client Feedback - the truth will make your company rich
Your customers know the truth about your company but do you know what they are saying? Learn the 5 issues your customers will speak about to strangers. Come hear the truth about surveys, then learn different ways you can capture and take advantage of perceptions your customers have about your company. You'll understand how to keep your customers and how to keep from losing them.
     
    Touch is Not a Dirty Word. Find the glue that keeps clients loyal
Customers need a lot of care, we all know that. There are many ways to touch customers to show them you value their business. Hear about 5 rules of behavior that customers hate and the Number One thing customers want most. Learn what your company can do to touch your customers to keep the checks coming in and the competition going out.
     
    Women's Initiatives. What the Big Boys Need to Know
Why bother with an initiative unless you can show results. Learn the 3 things that derail most women's initiatives (the Big Boys already know these). Understand clearly what it is you want to accomplish for your women and your company. Participate in a lively discussion about what will be working for your success and where there may be heel breakers. You'll hear about elements that have helped other women's initiatives succeed and be envied in their marketplace.


Diversity
 
     
     
     


Education
 
     
     
     

 

Emergency Preparedness
 
     
     

 

Employee Relations
 
     
     
     
     


Entrepreneurism
 
     
     
     


Environment / Green
 
     
     
     
     


Ethics / Values
 
     
     
     
     

 

Etiquette
 
     
     
     


Family
 
     
     
     


Future
 
     
     


Generation Issues
 
     
     
     


Goal Setting
 
     
     
     


Government & Politics
 
     
     
     


Health & Nutrition
 
     
     
     


Humor
 
     
     
     


Image
 
     
     
     


Inspiration
 
     
     
     
     

 

Internet / Web
 
     
     
     


Leadership
 

Lesley Boucher

  Pensare Group

240-381-7287
Lesley.boucher@pensaregroup.com
www.pensaregroup.com

  Bethesda, MD
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Lesley Boucher is the Managing Director of the Pensare Group, a management consulting firm that works with motivated leaders to improve performance, enhance the ability to attract and retain loyal customers and increase profitability. She brings more than 20 years of experience working internationally to her present position. Lesley has held senior positions in the Privy Council Office (Government of Canada), the World Bank, the Institute on Governance, and most recently was Vice President of Operations for Galt Associates, a software development company. Lesley is an Advisor with the UMBC ACTiVATE program for entrepreneurs, and is on the Board of Directors for Success in the City and the National Association of Women Business Owners (Northern Virginia Chapter).

     
Fee Range:   $2,500-$5,000
     
Topics:  

Leadership
Performance Improvement
Business Development

     
Prepared Speeches:   The Value of Vision: The First Step to Great Leadership
Do you have a clear, succinct and energizing Vision? If you could exploit your strengths and overcome your weaknesses to outperform your competitors, what would it mean to your future? You will learn:
1. How to create a compelling Vision that INSPIRES
2. Six key elements to effectively communicate your Vision
3. Why creating a POWERFUL Vision is not enough
4. How to get everyone focused on RESULTS
     
   

Ask, Don’t Sell!  How To Make This Year Your Best In Sales
Achieving consistent success in sales requires careful planning, an understanding of the buying / selling process, and an awareness of each prospect’s attitudes, emotions, and motivations as well as your own.  For a sale to be “completed,” you must first put all of these pieces together. And to do that, you need to master the ability to ask the right questions. You will learn:
1. Six critical steps in the buying / selling process
2. The impact of our internal attitudes on sales success
3. Common sales practices that lose more sales than they win
4. Power questions and techniques that help prospects buy from you

     
   

Outperform & Outlast the Competition
Trying to sustain and grow your business in a highly competitive environment?  Are you feeling economic pressures such as having to work harder for fewer available dollars? 

Managing the competitive landscape is increasingly difficult.  Outperforming and outlasting the competition is no longer a nice-to-have but required for survival, particularly for newer organizations with a relatively new client-base.  You will learn:
1. How to move from “managing change” to exploiting change for maximum growth
2. The four reasons why people resist change and how to overcome them
3. Five strategies for organizational change
4. Why leaders who embrace change win the race to continuous improvement and corporate growth


Learning Skills
 
     
     
     

 

Life Balance
 
     
     
     


Management
 

Darcie Davis

  Zephyr Strategy, Inc.

703.885.1464
darcie@z3strategy.com
www.z3strategy.com

  Manassas, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Darcie Davis advises clients around the world to first gather wisdom directly from their stakeholders (their customers, employees, vendors, donors, etc.) to be strategic about business performance (e.g. in sales, marketing, customer service, operations, etc.). She works with organizations and departments anxious to improve and willing to take the guesswork out of the business development process. As a high level management consultant, she has earned a reputation for asking hard questions, discovering profound truths and turning them into opportunities and improvements for clients. Her strength is in helping organizations understand their own unique corporate personality to develop distinctive and competitive services.

     
Fee Range:   $2,500-$5,000
     
Topics:  

Business Development
Customer Service,
Management

     
Prepared Speeches:   Client Feedback - the truth will make your company rich
Your customers know the truth about your company but do you know what they are saying? Learn the 5 issues your customers will speak about to strangers. Come hear the truth about surveys, then learn different ways you can capture and take advantage of perceptions your customers have about your company. You'll understand how to keep your customers and how to keep from losing them.
     
    Touch is Not a Dirty Word. Find the glue that keeps clients loyal
Customers need a lot of care, we all know that. There are many ways to touch customers to show them you value their business. Hear about 5 rules of behavior that customers hate and the Number One thing customers want most. Learn what your company can do to touch your customers to keep the checks coming in and the competition going out.
     
    Women's Initiatives. What the Big Boys Need to Know
Why bother with an initiative unless you can show results. Learn the 3 things that derail most women's initiatives (the Big Boys already know these). Understand clearly what it is you want to accomplish for your women and your company. Participate in a lively discussion about what will be working for your success and where there may be heel breakers. You'll hear about elements that have helped other women's initiatives succeed and be envied in their marketplace.


Mergers & Acquisitions
 
     
     
     


Money / Economics
 
     
     
     


Motivation
 
     
     
     


Negotiation
 
     
     


Networking Skills
 

Suzanne T. Fulton

  Soarings, LLC

703-328-8578
Sfulton@SoaringsPR.com
www.SoaringsPR.com

  Reston, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Suzanne is an independent consultant who provides public relations and marketing services to clients. She has garnered publicity and article placement for her clients and past employers in national, regional as well as local newspapers and magazines.

Suzanne brings more than 20 years of experience in public relations, communications, marketing, government relations and project management for business membership organizations and a testing & certification body.

Previously, she was communications manager for the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce from 2004 to mid-2007. She was responsible for media relations, internal and external communications, marketing and advertising.

     
Fee Range:   Pro bono and waiver of event fee, if applicable
     
Topics:   Public Relations
Networking Skills
     
Prepared Speeches:   What’s In Your Promotional Toolbox?
Suzanne identifies the many promotional “tools” (e.g., present customers) you might not realize you have and suggests ways to employ those tools to gain more business.
     
    Maximize Your Business Group Membership - For More Business
Using a local chamber of commerce as an example of a business group, Suzanne points to the variety of strategies and tactics to leverage that membership – to gain more business.
     
     


New Media / Web 2.0
 
     
     
     


Organizing Skills
 

Susan Kousek

  Balanced Spaces, LLC

703-742-9179
skousek@balancedspaces.com
www.balancedspaces.com

  Reston, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Susan Kousek is a Certified Professional Organizer® and corporate trainer who helps people put order in their lives. She works with individuals in their office or home to set up systems to stay organized, and helps them sort through their accumulations of papers and stuff. Filing systems are a favorite, as are workshops and presentations where she shares her favorite organizing techniques with the audience.

     
Fee Range:   $500-$2,500
     
Topics:   Organizing Skills
Time Management
Stress
     
Prepared Speeches:   Take Back Your Time
Learn practical time management techniques to make the best use of your time and become proactive rather than reactive. You’ll learn how to prioritize, focus, avoid procrastination, and how to set up a system so you don’t forget critical tasks.
     
    Control Your E-mail: Effective Email Techniques
Using Outlook examples, this presentation (which can include a live demo) covers organizing techniques and Outlook shortcuts to manage your email inbox and process your messages without becoming overwhelmed. Includes best practices for outgoing messages.
     
    The GO (Get Organized) System Workshop
Learn extremely simple, powerful and practical tips to address the six major issues that cause chaos and disorganization in an office environment:
1. Handling incoming items (paper, email, phone calls, verbal requests, ideas)
2. Prioritizing
3. Using time rationally
4. Managing projects
5. Personality issues
6. Procrastination



Persuasion
 
     
     
     
     

 

Performance Improvement
 
     
     
     


Personal Growth
 
     
     
     


Presentation Skills
 
     
     


Relationships

 
     
     
     


Retirement/Aging/Social Security
     
     
     


Sales & Marketing
 
     
     
     
     


Sports
 
     
     
     

 

Strategic Planning
 
     
     
     
     


Stress
 

Susan Kousek

  Balanced Spaces, LLC

703-742-9179
skousek@balancedspaces.com
www.balancedspaces.com

  Reston, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Susan Kousek is a Certified Professional Organizer® and corporate trainer who helps people put order in their lives. She works with individuals in their office or home to set up systems to stay organized, and helps them sort through their accumulations of papers and stuff. Filing systems are a favorite, as are workshops and presentations where she shares her favorite organizing techniques with the audience.

     
Fee Range:   $500-$2,500
     
Topics:   Organizing Skills
Time Management
Stress
     
Prepared Speeches:   Take Back Your Time
Learn practical time management techniques to make the best use of your time and become proactive rather than reactive. You’ll learn how to prioritize, focus, avoid procrastination, and how to set up a system so you don’t forget critical tasks.
     
    Control Your E-mail: Effective Email Techniques
Using Outlook examples, this presentation (which can include a live demo) covers organizing techniques and Outlook shortcuts to manage your email inbox and process your messages without becoming overwhelmed. Includes best practices for outgoing messages.
     
    The GO (Get Organized) System Workshop
Learn extremely simple, powerful and practical tips to address the six major issues that cause chaos and disorganization in an office environment:
1. Handling incoming items (paper, email, phone calls, verbal requests, ideas)
2. Prioritizing
3. Using time rationally
4. Managing projects
5. Personality issues
6. Procrastination


Success

 
     
     
     
     


Teambuilding
 
     
     
     


Technology
 
     
     


Telework
 
     
     
     


Time Management
 

Susan Kousek

  Balanced Spaces, LLC

703-742-9179
skousek@balancedspaces.com
www.balancedspaces.com

  Reston, VA
Washington, DC Metro Area
 

Susan Kousek is a Certified Professional Organizer® and corporate trainer who helps people put order in their lives. She works with individuals in their office or home to set up systems to stay organized, and helps them sort through their accumulations of papers and stuff. Filing systems are a favorite, as are workshops and presentations where she shares her favorite organizing techniques with the audience.

     
Fee Range:   $500-$2,500
     
Topics:   Organizing Skills
Time Management
Stress
     
Prepared Speeches:   Take Back Your Time
Learn practical time management techniques to make the best use of your time and become proactive rather than reactive. You’ll learn how to prioritize, focus, avoid procrastination, and how to set up a system so you don’t forget critical tasks.
     
    Control Your E-mail: Effective Email Techniques
Using Outlook examples, this presentation (which can include a live demo) covers organizing techniques and Outlook shortcuts to manage your email inbox and process your messages without becoming overwhelmed. Includes best practices for outgoing messages.
     
    The GO (Get Organized) System Workshop
Learn extremely simple, powerful and practical tips to address the six major issues that cause chaos and disorganization in an office environment:
1. Handling incoming items (paper, email, phone calls, verbal requests, ideas)
2. Prioritizing
3. Using time rationally
4. Managing projects
5. Personality issues
6. Procrastination


Transportation
 
     
     
     
     


Women's Issues
 
     
     
     


Writing