Presenters, Moderators & Mentors

Stephanie Horton is a leading c-suite executive of the global luxury and fashion industry. A 30-year veteran of the luxury fashion and marketing communities, Stephanie has developed and executed creative strategy and marketing solutions for both domestic and international brands. She is currently a Senior Director of Global Consumer Marketing and Strategy for Commerce at Google where she leads the Global B2C Marketing teams helping to shape and drive the vision and strategy for Google Shopping and Payments. Prior to Google, Stephanie held positions as Chief Executive Officer at Hemp Tailor, Chief Executive Officer at Alexander Wang, Chief Marketing Officer at Farfetch and senior level positions at Shopbop, American Vogue and The New York Times.

Stephanie currently serves on The Advisory Boards of NYU Stern Fashion/Luxury MBA, The Black in Fashion Council and McMullen Boutique. She serves on the Board of Directors for Farfetch where she chairs the ESG committee, The Board of Directors of Three Hills Capital Partners and two of their core investments FaceGym and Tomorrow, and The Board of Directors for NeueHouse/Cultureworks. In her role on these boards, she has provided strategic guidance and oversight to help drive corporate strategy and ensure forward momentum.

Stephanie is a passionate advocate for women in the workplace. She is Co-Founder of the organization Fashion Tech Connects, which connects female college students of color with Fashion and tech internships. She is also a frequent speaker on the topics of women in business, emerging technology and brand authenticity and e-commerce and retail trends.

Stephanie has lived and worked in London and Shanghai and currently resides in New York.

Stephanie has been featured in Newsette, afrotech.com, Glossy ,The Root , Grow with Google  WWD and Harper’s Bazaar  Fast Company ,  Inc, Vogue, CNBC, Cheddar News . and various other publications and podcasts 

ALIZA LICHT is an award-winning marketer, bestselling author, podcaster, personal branding expert, and the founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK, a multimedia brand and consultancy. She advises businesses and mentors individuals on brand building and career development. Licht leverages over two decades of expertise in marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the fashion industry. She was named one of “America’s Next Top Mentors” by The New York Times and Business Insider’s “Top 20 Most Innovative Career Coaches.” As a social media pioneer and one of the first fashion influencers, Licht created and was the voice of the anonymous social media phenomenon DKNY PR GIRL. Licht is a sought-after keynote speaker and sits on several industry boards. Her first book, Leave Your Mark, was published in 2015. Her new book, On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception is a comprehensive roadmap to building your personal brand. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and two dogs. Find her online at alizalicht.com and @alizalichtxo.

A native of the Midwest, Sarah Wetenhall is a nomad by nature having lived in more than six cities during the first twenty years of her life. Her vagabond roots inspired a love of travel and developed storytelling skills that proved essential in molding this natural-born hotelier. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she began her career in New York where she spent a decade-plus spearheading public relations efforts for major fashion houses including Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Hugo Boss. Her experience in the fashion industry honed her keen aesthetic acumen and a strong sensibility for the luxury market. She currently serves as a board member of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Worth Avenue Association, the Children’s Museum of the East End, and the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy, as well as the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Sarah has also been recognized by Hotels Magazine as one of the top ten independent lifestyle operators in the world.

Lorene Agather co-founded L Marketing Collective with the goal of taking small to medium-sized brands to the next level – she’s done just that with clients like Lela Rose, Miron Crosby, Laude the Label, Coton Colors.

Paloma Contreras is an acclaimed interior designer based in Houston, Texas. Paloma’s design sensibility is a modern take on traditional style– gravitating towards classic silhouettes and timeless pieces paired with a touch of glamour and an infusion of color. Paloma has honed her distinct eye for style over more than a decade in the design industry. She has developed a reputation for designing beautiful interiors in her signature modern-meets-traditional aesthetic resulting in spaces that feel polished, refined, and effortless. Paloma’s interiors are at once timeless, yet fresh– balancing attention to detail and the intersection of form and function to enhance a well-lived life.

Paloma has repeatedly been named to the prestigious ELLE Decor “A-List” of the top interior designers in the world. She has also been recognized as a “Next Wave” interior designer by House Beautiful and has been named to LUXE Magazine’s “Gold List”. In 2017, Paloma was named #4 on the Forbes list of the Top Social Media Influencers in the Home category and has one of the Top 10 Instagram accounts to follow for interior design according to ELLE Decor. Paloma and her work have been featured in numerous publications and websites including ELLE Decor, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue, Domino, Luxe, Traditional Home, Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.

Paloma recently debuted a lighting collection with Visual Comfort & Co. She is a sought-after speaker on the topic of design and frequently participates in keynote and panel discussions. Paloma’s first book, Dream Design Live was published by Abrams in September 2018. Her second book, The New Classic Home is slated for an October 2023 release. Her curated retail shop, Paloma & Co opened in Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood in January 2019 and has expanded to include a robust online platform. Paloma is currently working on projects in Houston and beyond with clients in Palm Beach, Key Largo, Atlanta, and New York.

Lydia Fenet is the founder and CEO of the Lydia Fenet Agency, a boutique agency representing best in class charity auctioneers. Over her two-decade long career, Lydia served as the Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships for Christie’s and reshaped the fundraising landscape as the world’s leading charity auctioneer. She has single handedly raised over one billion dollars for more than 800 organizations and broken-down countless barriers for women in the auction industry. Widely recognized for her poise and power onstage, she has stood alongside celebrities including Bruce Springsteen, Hugh Jackman, Elton John, Matt Damon and Jerry Seinfeld to raise record-breaking donations for the most notable charities across the globe.

Lydia is the author of two best-selling books, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You & Claim Your Confidence as well as the podcast host of Claim Your Confidence in collaboration with Rockefeller Center.  Her first book was optioned by Netflix in 2022 for a series that will be produced by Chernin Entertainment starring Kiernan Shipka as the lead.

Lydia is represented by CAA and travels internationally to speak to companies about unlocking their sales potential, empowering people in the workplace and the art of public speaking. You can follow her auctions, antics, and anecdotes on Instagram @LydiaFenet.

Natasha Murphy is the Founder/Principal of Built Best, a technical consultancy with sharp execution capabilities geared towards empowering small business owners in the rapidly changing technology industry through expert technical assessment and hands-on implementation. Built Best has helped major brands and retailers grow smart and scale quickly via calculated digital transformation and business modernization practices.

Previously, she served as Director of Digital at Acadia, leading a team of technologists and creatives in planning and implementing innovative solutions for enterprise companies and SMBs. Prior to Acadia, she spent a decade as the Founder and Managing Director of Nicely Built, a boutique web development and marketing agency focused on e-commerce.

Natasha is a Georgia native, UGA double dawg, and current Atlanta resident. She lives in Kirkwood with her family in an over-one-hundred-year-old house and enjoys reading.

Annette Joseph is an expert on entertaining, cooking, and styling. She regularly appears on the Today show and Martha Stewart Living Radio. Her recipes and party ideas have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Epicurious, Vogue, MSN, Elle Decor, Southern Living, and goop, among others.

Annette has over twenty years of experience working in media, and on television, her expertise includes photo styling for interiors, food propping and styling, cooking, and gardening and lifestyle tips, Italian travel tips, and she shares all of it on this channel. She conducts flea market shopping, styling, photography, and slow food, and cooking and yoga and wellness retreats in northern Tuscany. Where she has renovated and lives in a 12th-century fortress with a vineyard. Follow her crazy adventures in the Italian countryside.

She is the author of many books, including: Picture Perfect Parties, Cocktail Italiano, Italy Is My Boyfriend, and My Italian Guestbook, At the Table of La Fortezza and The Killer Menu

Mignonne Gavigan founded her namesake accessories brand in 2014 with hopes that each piece would bring joy and happiness to the wearer. Ultimately what she’s discovered is that women develop a significant amount of confidence when wearing an MG piece, which is so important to the brand- that we are building a community of confident and joy-filled women.  Mignonne’s approach stems from her love of art, nature, architecture, and textiles bringing them all together in jewelry. At Mignonne Gavigan, accessories are the perfect finishing touch. Maggie’s philosophy is that sophistication and playfulness can coexist, and she aims to thoughtfully design one-of-a-kind pieces that tell a story of handmade craftsmanship and faraway travels.

With partners in India and Asia, Mignonne creates modern designs, informed by 100-year-old heritage techniques. Signature styles include embroidered and beaded scarf necklaces, meaningful charms, decadent statement earrings, intricately detailed brooches, and bracelets.

Alicia Kornreich graduated from Cornell, starting her career at Deloitte LLP where she discovered her passion for consumer goods through working with various clients. She started with Mignonne Gavigan in 2021 bringing over a decade of leadership experience in retail from Rent the Runway, Hudson’s Bay Company and Ross Stores.

Alicia Kornreich graduated from Cornell, starting her career at Deloitte LLP where she discovered her passion for consumer goods through working with various clients. She started with Mignonne Gavigan in 2021 bringing over a decade of leadership experience in retail from Rent the Runway, Hudson’s Bay Company and Ross Stores.

ALIZA LICHT is an award-winning marketer, bestselling author, podcaster, personal branding expert, and the founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK, a multimedia brand and consultancy. She advises businesses and mentors individuals on brand building and career development. Licht leverages over two decades of expertise in marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the fashion industry. She was named one of “America’s Next Top Mentors” by The New York Times and Business Insider’s “Top 20 Most Innovative Career Coaches.” As a social media pioneer and one of the first fashion influencers, Licht created and was the voice of the anonymous social media phenomenon DKNY PR GIRL. Licht is a sought-after keynote speaker and sits on several industry boards. Her first book, Leave Your Mark, was published in 2015. Her new book, On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception is a comprehensive roadmap to building your personal brand. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and two dogs. Find her online at alizalicht.com and @alizalichtxo.

Annette Joseph is an expert on entertaining, cooking, and styling. She regularly appears on the Today show and Martha Stewart Living Radio. Her recipes and party ideas have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Epicurious, Vogue, MSN, Elle Decor, Southern Living, and goop, among others.

Annette has over twenty years of experience working in media, and on television, her expertise includes photo styling for interiors, food propping and styling, cooking, and gardening and lifestyle tips, Italian travel tips, and she shares all of it on this channel. She conducts flea market shopping, styling, photography, and slow food, and cooking and yoga and wellness retreats in northern Tuscany. Where she has renovated and lives in a 12th-century fortress with a vineyard. Follow her crazy adventures in the Italian countryside.

She is the author of many books, including: Picture Perfect Parties, Cocktail Italiano, Italy Is My Boyfriend, and My Italian Guestbook, At the Table of La Fortezza and The Killer Menu

Emily Lassiter: I grew up in Montgomery, AL and received my business degree from Auburn University before graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law Magna Cum Laude in 2000.

After graduation, I went into private practice for several years before managing pending litigation for a captive insurance group that insured long-term care facilities.

In 2018 I made the decision to shift my career and become a financial advisor. I lost my husband in 2013 in an accident and learned firsthand the value of having a trusted advisor to help you devise a long-term plan and carry it out. As a result, my practice leans heavily towards planning.

I enjoy getting to know my clients, learning about their goals and dreams. My passion is empowering them to craft and implement a plan to achieve their goals.

When not serving clients, I spend my time parenting my two teenage daughters. We love to travel and explore all that the world has to offer. My goal with my children is the same as it is with my clients: to give them the tools they need to face any situation that life brings and to do so gracefully and integrity.

Lauren Pearson: The most important thing in my life is my family. My husband, Andrew, is a minister, and we have three smart and brave daughters.

If research can be considered a hobby, then that would be my thing. This curiosity, which quite frankly can drive those closest to me crazy, is probably why I am well suited to this profession. To support this passion professionally I have earned the Certified Financial Planner™ designation.

The impact of putting a thoughtful plan in place will last generations, and I understand the depth of this responsibility. What you will see and read from my online footprint is that I principally engage in personal financial planning, asset allocation, portfolio construction, and charitable gifting strategies for professionals and families. The key marker of these relationships is trust, transparency, and confidentiality.

This is the work I have been doing for over a decade: designing and crafting hundreds of planning scenarios. It is deeply important that I do great work for the clients whom I serve.

After my family and my faith, this practice is my life work. It is a privilege to lead Somerset Advisory and to serve families across the United States.

Emily McCarthy doesn’t believe in boring. She immerses herself in bright bursts of color and vibrant prints. Even her middle name, Joy, reflects her optimistic point of view. Emily grew up in a small town and dreamed of living on the coast. She received her BA in Graphic Design and Photography from LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. After spending part of her career in the stationery and gift industry, she turned her eye for prints and patterns into her design business, bringing explosions of delight to your closet season after season. Emily believes that when you look good, you feel good — and you do good. While confidence comes from within, a bold color and flattering fit can truly dress you up in joy. She is also inspired by the sophistication of home interior fabrics and wall coverings in her print design. Emily resides in Savannah, Georgia with her college husband and two children.

Jackie Thomson founded of Counsel in early 2022 after co-owning and expanding the Charleston-based lifestyle pr firm, leapfrog, for 13 years. Her consultancy focuses on promoting female founders in the design and style space with a focused approach on brand development through media and influencer relations, events and strategic partnerships. The term of Counsel refers to her team’s hands-on approach to brand building and the partnerships that she builds with long-term clients.

Jackie earned her undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston, then moved to New York for a buying position at GUCCI, and then to grow the wholesale business for bridal and evening wear designer Reem Acra. She later returned to Charleston to join, and later take over leapfrog’s design-related projects. Her wide-ranging interests in lifestyle-related categories drives of Counsel’s expertise in the fields of fashion and design. Beyond the realm of traditional PR, Jackie enjoys honing brand strategy, content creation, and developing market positioning for her clients.

Over her tenure at Leapfrog PR, Libba guided many of her clients, both large and small, to become prominent brands among the shelves of national retailers. A storyteller at heart, she looks for common threads – pride in the process and an authentic history – in all of the companies she works alongside. Now as a founder of the creative consultancy Add Lib, she focuses on only a handful of carefully selected clients who have a truly great story – business owners in the south who have products and services that are inspired by heritage (a recipe, an orchard, a kettle built to last, kinship) and built on people’s need to gather, connect and foster relationships. She advises some of the South’s best-loved brands including Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, Caroline’s Cakes, Sea Island Forge, Schermer Pecans, and The Southern Coterie #tscsummit. She thrives on mentoring entrepreneurs and small business owners. To celebrate these relationships, she offers a pro bono Small Business Mentorship program with three to five women participating each year.

An Atlanta native, Libba found her passion for all things edible as a post-grad student at New York’s French Culinary Institute (International Culinary Center). She segued into restaurant public relations at Baltz & Co. and the Dunn Robbins Group, promoting brands in the food, wine, and spirits industries. Following a move to her husband’s hometown of Charleston, Libba joined Leapfrog to continue her craft, as an owner from 2009 to 2021. She recently founded Add Lib in 2022.

Libba is a graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee. Libba and her husband, Chris, are raising their two sons a stone’s throw from the Ashley River.

Lorene Agather co-founded L Marketing Collective with the goal of taking small to medium-sized brands to the next level – she’s done just that with clients like Lela Rose, Miron Crosby, Laude the Label, Coton Colors.

Lydia Fenet is the founder and CEO of the Lydia Fenet Agency, a boutique agency representing best in class charity auctioneers. Over her two-decade long career, Lydia served as the Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships for Christie’s and reshaped the fundraising landscape as the world’s leading charity auctioneer. She has single handedly raised over one billion dollars for more than 800 organizations and broken-down countless barriers for women in the auction industry. Widely recognized for her poise and power onstage, she has stood alongside celebrities including Bruce Springsteen, Hugh Jackman, Elton John, Matt Damon and Jerry Seinfeld to raise record-breaking donations for the most notable charities across the globe.

Lydia is the author of two best-selling books, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You & Claim Your Confidence as well as the podcast host of Claim Your Confidence in collaboration with Rockefeller Center.  Her first book was optioned by Netflix in 2022 for a series that will be produced by Chernin Entertainment starring Kiernan Shipka as the lead.

Lydia is represented by CAA and travels internationally to speak to companies about unlocking their sales potential, empowering people in the workplace and the art of public speaking. You can follow her auctions, antics, and anecdotes on Instagram @LydiaFenet.

Mignonne Gavigan founded her namesake accessories brand in 2014 with hopes that each piece would bring joy and happiness to the wearer. Ultimately what she’s discovered is that women develop a significant amount of confidence when wearing an MG piece, which is so important to the brand- that we are building a community of confident and joy-filled women.  Mignonne’s approach stems from her love of art, nature, architecture, and textiles bringing them all together in jewelry. At Mignonne Gavigan, accessories are the perfect finishing touch. Maggie’s philosophy is that sophistication and playfulness can coexist, and she aims to thoughtfully design one-of-a-kind pieces that tell a story of handmade craftsmanship and faraway travels.

With partners in India and Asia, Mignonne creates modern designs, informed by 100-year-old heritage techniques. Signature styles include embroidered and beaded scarf necklaces, meaningful charms, decadent statement earrings, intricately detailed brooches, and bracelets.

Natasha Murphy is the Founder/Principal of Built Best, a technical consultancy with sharp execution capabilities geared towards empowering small business owners in the rapidly changing technology industry through expert technical assessment and hands-on implementation. Built Best has helped major brands and retailers grow smart and scale quickly via calculated digital transformation and business modernization practices.

Previously, she served as Director of Digital at Acadia, leading a team of technologists and creatives in planning and implementing innovative solutions for enterprise companies and SMBs. Prior to Acadia, she spent a decade as the Founder and Managing Director of Nicely Built, a boutique web development and marketing agency focused on e-commerce.

Natasha is a Georgia native, UGA double dawg, and current Atlanta resident. She lives in Kirkwood with her family in an over-one-hundred-year-old house and enjoys reading.

Paloma Contreras is an acclaimed interior designer based in Houston, Texas. Paloma’s design sensibility is a modern take on traditional style– gravitating towards classic silhouettes and timeless pieces paired with a touch of glamour and an infusion of color. Paloma has honed her distinct eye for style over more than a decade in the design industry. She has developed a reputation for designing beautiful interiors in her signature modern-meets-traditional aesthetic resulting in spaces that feel polished, refined, and effortless. Paloma’s interiors are at once timeless, yet fresh– balancing attention to detail and the intersection of form and function to enhance a well-lived life.

Paloma has repeatedly been named to the prestigious ELLE Decor “A-List” of the top interior designers in the world. She has also been recognized as a “Next Wave” interior designer by House Beautiful and has been named to LUXE Magazine’s “Gold List”. In 2017, Paloma was named #4 on the Forbes list of the Top Social Media Influencers in the Home category and has one of the Top 10 Instagram accounts to follow for interior design according to ELLE Decor. Paloma and her work have been featured in numerous publications and websites including ELLE Decor, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue, Domino, Luxe, Traditional Home, Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.

Paloma recently debuted a lighting collection with Visual Comfort & Co. She is a sought-after speaker on the topic of design and frequently participates in keynote and panel discussions. Paloma’s first book, Dream Design Live was published by Abrams in September 2018. Her second book, The New Classic Home is slated for an October 2023 release. Her curated retail shop, Paloma & Co opened in Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood in January 2019 and has expanded to include a robust online platform. Paloma is currently working on projects in Houston and beyond with clients in Palm Beach, Key Largo, Atlanta, and New York.

A native of the Midwest, Sarah Wetenhall is a nomad by nature having lived in more than six cities during the first twenty years of her life. Her vagabond roots inspired a love of travel and developed storytelling skills that proved essential in molding this natural-born hotelier. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she began her career in New York where she spent a decade-plus spearheading public relations efforts for major fashion houses including Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Hugo Boss. Her experience in the fashion industry honed her keen aesthetic acumen and a strong sensibility for the luxury market. She currently serves as a board member of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Worth Avenue Association, the Children’s Museum of the East End, and the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy, as well as the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Sarah has also been recognized by Hotels Magazine as one of the top ten independent lifestyle operators in the world.

Sarah Slaughter joined Atlanta-based public relations and marketing consultancy agency Domino Media Group in August 2016 as Domino’s first hire when she moved to Atlanta after living in New York City. Her time there was spent at a public relations agency working on a variety of luxury beauty and lifestyle accounts, including Bioré, KORRES, L’Occitane, DreamDry, and more. During her time at Domino, Sarah has been the lead on accounts of various sizes, including leading Atlanta real estate developments and nationally recognized e-commerce brands and designers. As of early 2021, Sarah is now President of Domino, overseeing each of the company’s accounts and overall strategy and execution.

Stephanie Horton is a leading c-suite executive of the global luxury and fashion industry. A 30-year veteran of the luxury fashion and marketing communities, Stephanie has developed and executed creative strategy and marketing solutions for both domestic and international brands. She is currently a Senior Director of Global Consumer Marketing and Strategy for Commerce at Google where she leads the Global B2C Marketing teams helping to shape and drive the vision and strategy for Google Shopping and Payments. Prior to Google, Stephanie held positions as Chief Executive Officer at Hemp Tailor, Chief Executive Officer at Alexander Wang, Chief Marketing Officer at Farfetch and senior level positions at Shopbop, American Vogue and The New York Times.

Stephanie currently serves on The Advisory Boards of NYU Stern Fashion/Luxury MBA, The Black in Fashion Council and McMullen Boutique. She serves on the Board of Directors for Farfetch where she chairs the ESG committee, The Board of Directors of Three Hills Capital Partners and two of their core investments FaceGym and Tomorrow, and The Board of Directors for NeueHouse/Cultureworks. In her role on these boards, she has provided strategic guidance and oversight to help drive corporate strategy and ensure forward momentum.

Stephanie is a passionate advocate for women in the workplace. She is Co-Founder of the organization Fashion Tech Connects, which connects female college students of color with Fashion and tech internships. She is also a frequent speaker on the topics of women in business, emerging technology and brand authenticity and e-commerce and retail trends.

Stephanie has lived and worked in London and Shanghai and currently resides in New York.

Stephanie has been featured in Newsette, afrotech.com, Glossy ,The Root , Grow with Google  WWD and Harper’s Bazaar  Fast Company ,  Inc, Vogue, CNBC, Cheddar News . and various other publications and podcasts