In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting incredible women speakers who have graced our Lab Sessions and partnered with us to drive meaningful change. From marketing and philanthropy to sustainability and social justice, these women are shaping industries, pushing boundaries, and paving the way for future changemakers.

Elizabeth Neufeld

Lizzy Neufeld is the Founder of Strat Labs, a woman-owned social impact agency established in 2017. As our fearless Founder, she has led and moderated multiple Lab Sessions and spoken at events, including Denver Startup Week, The Jewish Digital Summit, and more. Lizzy has honed her expertise in unifying marketing, communications, and philanthropy to amplify the impact of purpose-driven organizations.

Her innovative approach breaks down traditional silos, creating cohesive strategies that integrate branding, marketing, and fundraising initiatives. She has cultivated a problem-solving culture and deep commitment to client success, earning trust through measurable results and genuine partnership.

Christine Vottima

Christine is the Senior VP of Strategic Marketing at Strat Labs. She has worked with a large variety of organizations, ranging from nonprofits and start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations. She began her career in the B2B technology and cybersecurity industries and has since supported organizations within industries such as health, wellness, fashion, and more. Combining her education in Marketing and Psychology with her career experience, her true passion lies in marketing strategy by finding unique routes to market and new ways to reach target audiences. She has been the mastermind behind many of Strat Labs’s Lab Sessions, including Building your Donor Community, Defining Impact Metrics: Transparency in SCR and ESG, and more.

Candace Richter

Candace is Strat Labs’s Senior Strategist, and has spent her 25+ year career developing, executing, and leading business strategies in the private and nonprofit sector. Beginning her career in a robust management program with Bank of America, she moved on to hone her development and marketing skills working at the Discovery Channel among other media giants. Candace then founded a nonprofit in 2011, which continues to provide support to families with premature babies (beemighty.org).

Candace spent the last seven years at Denver-based, hospitality startup, Inspirato, where she was able to help pioneer a new business line, Inspirato for Good, generating 7M internally and another 7M to nonprofits in just nine months.

Dana Bacardi

Dana is the Senior VP of Strategic Philanthropy at Strat Labs and has 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector where she has specialized in several aspects of fundraising as VP of Development and later as VP of National Expansion with a national non-profit organization supporting families and children facing critical illness. She has not only spoken at our own Lab Sessions, but also at the United Cerebral Palsy’s national conference. Dana graduated with a Business Management and Communications degree from Bentley University in Boston. She began her career in the tech and wireless industry in Boulder, Colorado before moving into the non-profit sector in 2007.

Valerie Hawks

Strat Labs hosted a virtual Lab Session of the Green Space is Gray, featuring Valerie Hawks, Director of Sustainability & Production at Interact Brands. Interact Brands is a branding and design firm building consumer-obsessed brands.

Valerie is passionate about maximizing brands’ sustainability missions and innovations, articulating them through messaging and design. Working with suppliers to ensure design integrity is maintained from project inception to completion, and working with clients to discover sustainable opportunities with their packaging materials, Val enjoys rolling her sleeves up and getting to work at multiple stages in a project.

Christine Yeager

Christine is a former Sustainability Specialist at Strat Labs. Having led multiple Lab Sessions, including Stakeholder Engagement: The Power of Influence, The “Green” Space is Gray: How to Get Clear on Sustainability & ESG Goals, and Defining Impact Metrics: Transparency in CSR and ESG. She has spent her 15-year career in the CPG industry honing her skills in strategic decision making, Commercial Execution, and Program Management.

As the Director of Sustainability PMO at Coca-Cola, she set the agenda for the North America Operating Unit’s execution plan to meet the various sustainability commitments spanning Climate, Water Stewardship, and Circularity. Now, she is the Founder and Impact Consultant of CSY Impact Consulting, driving positive environmental and social impact through revolutionary business actions

Alicia Chin

Alicia Chin is currently the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact for Emerging Brands at VF Corporation. She spoke alongside Strat Labs at The “Green” Space is Gray: How to Get Clear on Sustainability & ESG Goals. She has dedicated her professional career to advocating for the value of corporate social responsibility and the power of brands to be a force for good. At Smartwool, Alicia leads strategic planning of the brand’s Sustainability and Social Impact 10-year roadmap aimed at protecting outdoor places we love to explore and making outdoor spaces accessible for all people. Smartwool’s impact in this space was recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Brands in CSR in 2022. She previously managed sustainability and community engagement at the National Hockey League and Heineken USA.

Chandra Thomas Whitfield

In September 2023, Strat Labs hosted a Future Changemakers panel featuring students from GALS Denver, moderated by Chandra Thomas Whitfield. Chandra is Co-Host and Producer of “Colorado Matters,” an interview-style, daily public affairs show on Colorado Public Radio.

An award-winning multimedia journalist, her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Essence, Ebony, NBCNews.com, NPR.org, and The Huffington Post. In 2020, she completed a Leonard C. Goodman Institute for Investigative Reporting Fellowship with In These Times magazine, during which she hosted and produced the In The Gap podcast about how pay inequity and discrimination impacts the lives – and livelihoods – of Black women in the American workforce.

Esther Lee Leach

These next three speakers all co-hosted our Women Changemakers Panel in 2023. Esther Lee Leach is a Senior Advisor for Community Partnerships in the Office of the Mayor. Formerly, Esther was Vice President, Development & Fundraising at Downtown Denver Partnership. At the Partnership, Esther led the Corporate Sponsor Program, and oversaw fundraising across the organization, matching corporations with initiatives that highlight their focus areas and needs. Esther grew up on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia and has now settled in Cherry Creek after living in San Francisco, New York and London. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Fashion Journalism from the University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion, and has experience as a journalist, fashion editor, photographer, television host, film/television producer, community builder and event planner.

Esther is a board member of Biennial of the Americas which creates connections and builds community across the Americas. She is also on the board of Cherry Arts; its nonprofit mission provides access to art experiences and supports arts education via the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, and statewide art education programs. Esther’s third board appointment is the Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce, and was awarded the Gervasini Community Leader of the Year Award for Cherry Creek by the Chamber of Commerce.

Wanda James

Wanda L. James is a dynamic and accomplished leader who brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role as a University of Colorado Regent. With a background in business, military service, political consulting, and entrepreneurship, she has been a trailblazer in multiple industries. Her election to the Board of Regents marks a historic moment, as she is the first Black woman elected to the board in over 44 years.

Regent James is a Naval ROTC graduate of CU Boulder and served as a naval officer for four years. She has worked for two Fortune 100 companies, managed political campaigns, and along with her husband, Scott Durrah they became the first African Americans legally licensed to own a cannabis company in America. She has been recognized as an influential leader, appearing on the covers of multiple magazines and being named to Ad Week’s 2021 Trailblazer list alongside VP Kamala Harris, Kim Goodwin, the president of ABC News, and Tracee Ellis Ross.

In addition to her business accomplishments, Regent James has been an active member of the community, serving as a former president of the National Women’s Political Caucus LA, a gubernatorial appointee to the Colorado Tourism Board, and a member of the CU Alumni Board. Her passion for social justice and her commitment to education make her a valuable asset to the Board of Regents.

Sonya Ulibarri

Sonya Ulibarri is a Senior Strategic Advisor for the City and County of Denver. Prior to joining the City and County of Denver, Sonya was the Chief Impact Officer for the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado and President & CEO of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver for 11 years, where she advanced their mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Sonya has also served in previous leadership roles as the Executive Director of YouthBiz and the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training.

She is a seasoned executive and successful fundraiser with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. An active leader in the community, Sonya is the President of the Denver Public Library Commission and has served on over a dozen boards and commissions. She is a Bonfils Stanton Foundation Livingston Fellow, NYU Women of Color Policy Institute Lead the Way Fellow, Latino Leadership Institute Fellow, and Hispanas Organized for Political Equity (HOPE) Bi-National Fellow. Sonya is a Colorado native, CU Denver alumna, and mother of two who speaks frequently on issues that include: racial and gender equity, leadership development, fundraising and philanthropy, social enterprise, and youth development.

Conclusion

Women have always been at the forefront of change, and the leaders we’ve highlighted here are proof that if you are looking to bring expertise to your event, you can always choose a woman. At Strat Labs, we are honored to have worked alongside these women and amplify their work through our Lab Sessions and beyond.

If you are looking for a powerful speaker for your next event, make sure to choose one of our Strat Labs team members, or reach out to any of our friends above on their LinkedIn.