March 30th, 2012

The Montana State University College of Business (CoB) will host the 5th annual Women’s Circle of Excellence (WCOE) conference, April 19, at Riverside Country Club, in Bozeman.

The WCOE conference helps develop women’s professional and personal success. The conference will include sessions on leadership, customer relations, digital marketing strategies and work/life balance.

The opening session will feature Kitty Saylor, MSU alumna, president and CEO of REHAU North America. Her session will focus on what makes high-performance teams successful, with a particular emphasis on the key roles that collaborative leadership and communication play in contributing to this success. She manages a team of 1,500 employees and oversees the North American operations of the company which is based in Germany and Switzerland.

Melinda Hinson Neely, business owner, author and marathon runner, will give the keynote presentation, “Making Life Work for You!” at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19. Women professionals often struggle with juggling increased levels of responsibilities in their work and personal lives. The session will help participants discuss balancing professional and personal time, which is vital to creating a happy and healthy lifestyle. Hinson Neely will draw from her experiences and help participants find their balance. She will share her secrets on how to maintain work/life balance, whether one is single or married, employed by a large corporation, a small business or working from home.

The conference is hosted by the CoB. Major sponsorship is provided by State Farm Insurance, with additional support from Bacterin International and breakout session sponsorship by Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. and First Security Bank.

Conference registration is $55, which includes educational sessions, event materials, networking reception, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction and entertainment provided by Broad Comedy. Proceeds from the silent auction help fund a WCOE scholarship. Five continuing professional education credits for certified public accountants are available.

For additional conference information and to register, visit https://www.montana.edu/business/wcoe/.