08:30AM
Check-In Begins
09:00AM
Breakfast & Mingle
10:00AM
Lessons in Leadership
Erika Prosper Nirenberg,
First Lady of San Antonio & Sr. Director of
Customer Insights, H-E-B
10:55AM
The Marathon Mindset:
Navigating a Career With No Set Finish Line
Wendy Wheless,
Head of Partnership Development, BibRave
11:45AM
Women Founders Panel
Moderated by
Tina Mabley,
Assistant Dean, Full-Time Texas MBA
Panelists
Leah Wise, Attorney & Entrepreneur
Priya Kumar, CEO & Founder, Sustainable Inc.
Angela Hein, Principal Consultant, Connect CPG
Lorie Baez, Owner & Director, My Time Kids Academy
01:00PM
Networking Lunch
Featured Speaker
First Lady of San Antonio & Sr. Director of Customer Insights, H-E-B
Erika Prosper Nirenberg
Erika joined H-E-B in 2008, and in her role, leads a team charged with helping guide the development of H-E-B's strategic vision and operational efforts by providing customer insights to change the business, gain share growth and establish a definitive preference for the company.
Much of Erika's passion revolves around efforts to help improve quality of life among underserved populations. Outside of work, she co-founded and was the 2016 Chair of the Latina Leadership Institute and has led the creation of multiple education, youth entrepreneurship programming, and women’s economic development white papers with Rai$ing Texas, the SABER Institute and VentureLab. In 2019, Erika was named the San Antonio Business Journal’s Woman of the Year and a Governor’s Yellow Rose of Texas honoree. Since 2022, she has been a yearly regional Panelist for the prestigious White House Fellows Program and participated in the Department of Defense’s JCOC Class 93. Erika became a Dame De Escoffier in 2023, the same year she received the Ohtli Award from the Mexican government, the highest honor given to a non-citizen for impact in promoting Mexican culture. Within H-E-B, she has also received Executive Corporate Leadership awards in Community Service and Diversity & Inclusion in 2015, 2016, and 2019.
Erika grew up as a migrant farmworker in the Rio Grande Valley, earned a master’s in communication from the UPENN Annenberg School, and two bachelors from UT Austin. In 2020, she earned an Executive degree in Behavioral Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Having been the 2018 Chairwoman of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Erika has served on several community boards and is currently active on the boards of the Girls Scouts of Southwest Texas, and Methodist Healthcare Ministries. Additionally, she volunteers on several advisory boards aimed at empowering Hispanic women, non-profits, and voting.
Featured Speaker
Head of Partnership Development, BibRave
Wendy Wheless
Wendy Wheless is a seasoned marketing leader with over two decades of experience in consumer packaged goods, professional, collegiate and endurance sports, and leading a national nonprofit. Wendy currently leads partnership development at Bibrave, an acclaimed marketing agency connecting the world’s biggest brands to active lifestyle consumers through experiential activations, influencer campaigns and ambassador programs. Most recently, Wendy served as CEO of Marathon Kids, an organization dedicated to improving children’s lives through running. Professional highlights for Wendy range from bringing Snoop Dogg to the Coors Light Party at Super Bowl XLIV to encouraging 45 6th grade girls to complete their first 5K together. Personal accomplishments include running several marathons (two while pregnant), and trying to keep up with her three young children. Wendy has her BS and MBA from The University of Texas at Austin, and resides in Austin.
Featured Panelist
Leah wise
Attorney & Entrepreneur
Leah Wise was born and raised in Harlingen, Texas and graduated from Harlingen High School in 2008. Upon graduation from high school, Leah attended The University of Texas at Austin where she graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Communication and a concentration in women's and gender studies. Leah obtained her Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 2016.
Leah opened her own law practice in 2016 and became the first Latina-owned law firm in South Texas dedicated 100% to personal injury. Since then she has obtained millions of dollars in settlements for injured clients. Leah is the owner of Leah Wise Law Firm, PLLC, her real estate investment company, Leah Wise Enterprises, LLC, her clothing line CrashGal Couture, LLC, and recently founded a non-profit called Wise Women Foundation. Leah’s passion is empowering Latinas. She is the co-founder of “Latina Feature Friday”, a social media segment highlighting Latina-owned businesses in the RGV, runs a “CrashGal Mentorship Group” for aspiring Latina lawyers, and runs a business mentorship group for Latina entrepreneurs.
In 2021, Leah was named one of the best lawyers in the nation for securing the largest settlement in the state of Texas. Less than 1% of all lawyers in the U.S. achieve this distinction. Leah was voted “Best Attorney” by the Valley Morning Star Reader’s Choice Awards in 2017 and 2018. Leah is the first Latina injury attorney in the history of the RGV to advertise with Univision, KRGV Channel 5, and Lamar billboards. In 2022, Leah founded the Leah Wise Latina Student Hardship Fund at St. Mary’s University School of Law in which she pledged $50,000 to the law school to help Latina Law Students experiencing financial hardship. Leah enjoys spending time with her loved ones and advocating for women’s empowerment all over the nation.
Featured Panelist
Angela Hein
Principal Consultant, Connect CPG
Angela Hein is a seasoned consultant, entrepreneur, and champion for women founders in the consumer goods space. As the founder of Connect CPG, she has advised dozens of early-stage, primarily women-led brands, guiding them from inception to national distribution with expertise in strategy, operations, and finance. Angela has co-founded two product startups, including one acquired by a public company in 2021, and previously served as Executive Vice President at one of the fastest-growing startups in the natural products industry. With over a decade of experience driving growth and innovation, Angela is a sought-after mentor and speaker, dedicated to empowering women to thrive in business and the evolving world of entrepreneurship.
Featured Panelist
Lorie Baez
Owner & Director, My Time Kids Academy
Lorie Baez, an Austin native, has dedicated over 28 years to early childhood and elementary education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning & Development from the University of Texas, specializing in Reading and English as a Second Language. In 2007, after years of experience in both public and private education, Lorie turned her passion for early learning into a thriving venture. What started as a single classroom in a rented space quickly grew into two top-rated preschools. My Time Kids Academy is known for its warm, nurturing environment, small class sizes, and an innovative curriculum that fosters young minds. With her passion, energy, and dedication, Lorie has built a place where children thrive, and families feel at home. Today, her schools proudly serve the communities of Bee Cave and Spicewood, Texas.
Featured Panelist
Priya kumar
CEO & Founder, Sustainable Inc.
Priya is a supply chain expert with over 18 years of experience in end-to-end supply chain transformation, logistics and inventory management, category management, strategic sourcing, and process improvement. Her unique approach to strategic sourcing, negotiations, savings capture, and process improvement has garnered significant attention in the consulting world. Priya is the CEO & Founder of Sustainable Inc., a boutique supply chain consulting firm. She has collaborated with several Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies to drive harmonization across their supply chains, sourcing over $7 billion in spend and delivering over $500 million in savings for clients.
Throughout her career, Priya has authored more than 75 market research reports for various industries and business units. A Six Sigma Green Belt and ASQ Quality Certified Analyst, Priya has extensive experience utilizing lean principles to enhance manufacturing supply chain processes.
Priya has also been a speaker for numerous supply chain-focused organizations, including the Denver World Trade Center, where she delivered a detailed market intelligence report on supply chain trends for 2024 and beyond. Her thought leadership has been featured across various platforms, including her own podcast, Smarter Supply Chains. Priya has introduced innovative theories on supplier rationalization, inventory management, and supplier negotiations to help companies adapt in disruptive supply chain environments.
A former McCombs graduate herself, Priya is currently the President of the Women of McCombs Alumni Group in Austin, TX and an Adjunct Professor in the Supply Chain Department.