Discover Fox

Over the course of a semester, thousands of assignments are turned in by students at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.  

And while they are all important, rarely do they garner the attention of the entire school.  

Or lead to an inspiring school-wide education and empowerment conference.  

Unless you are finance majors Sandra Kalyan, class of 2026, and Anika Sharma, class of 2027.  

On Nov. 7, the Fox School hosted “She Leads: Overcoming Obstacles, Achieving Success,” a daylong conference inside the MBA Commons in Alter Hall. The event offered undergraduate students insight into gender equality in the workplace and diverse career paths through speaker panels, a keynote address and professional development opportunities.  

Event support was provided by KPMG, the Center for Ethics, Diversity and Workplace Culture (CEDWC), the Fox Honors Program and the Fox and School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. 

Inspired to build an event to help young women find a professional community, learn about career development and explore professional options, the concept for the conference started as an assignment Kalyan and Sharma turned in for their honors business communication course with Fox School professor Katie Gerst.

Through hard work, and collaboration with Fox faculty and staff, the event became a reality. 

“When our professor came to us at the end of the semester and told us that our conference concept could actually take place, it was very exciting,” Sharma says.  

“As two young women pursuing careers in the finance industry, we’ve both come to realize how male-dominated certain professional fields could be. We designed this event to explore that concept while showcasing our peers who have found success in a variety of different industries.” 

The conference delivered on this mission through guest speakers, including two panel sessions and a fireside chat with keynote speaker Aster Angagaw, FOX ’04. Attendees heard from women industry leaders and those in executive leadership positions across a variety of fields. Many of the speakers were Temple alumni.  

The first panel, “Executive Voices: Women Who Lead,” featured Charisse Dean, advisory managing director at KPMG, Marianna Goldenberg, founder and CEO of Curo Wealth Management, Kendra Plummer, STHM ’13, founder and CEO of Elise Capital, and Erika Whyte, KLN ’91, vice president and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Janney Montgomery Scott.  

Panelists highlighted the importance of finding a professional community and not being afraid to surround yourself with people who will push you. They also shared advice from their career experiences, including how to navigate job hardships and setbacks, and not being afraid to “fail forward.” 

Goldenberg said she wished events like this took place when she was pursuing higher education. 

“A conference like this is energizing, it’s elating—the fact that we are able to come back and tell young women of the future ‘you can be us’ and ‘we paved the way, but now it’s your future,’ is a wonderful thing,” Goldenberg said.  

The second panel, “On the Rise: the Next Generation,” included four Fox School alumni: Sarah Labbad, FOX ’20, senior associate at PWC; Lauren Livingston, FOX ’20, risk manager at Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy; Taylor Regensburger, FOX ’23, structured products investment analyst at Vanguard, and Chanel Ross KLN ’15, FOX ’25, senior media buyer at Precision Watches.  

With all four panelists earning a degree from the Fox School within the past five years, their discussion featured a wide range of topics that included career advice and encouragement, industry trends and how to maintain a positive work-life balance. Utilizing their fresh industry perspectives, their advice highlighted specifics like how to best transition from the classroom to your professional life, the positive aspects of being a newcomer within your chosen industries, and the importance of remaining flexible and motivated to never stop learning.  

Livingston, a former risk management and insurance major, shared how grateful she was for the chance to be back on campus for a meaningful event. 

“I was very thankful to have been invited back to participate—this conference served as a great reminder for students to learn but also not lose sight of what they want to do professionally, and what their dreams are,” Livingston said.  

“As a student, I said I wanted to work in the luxury fashion industry, which is incredibly niche, but I was able to accomplish that through a risk management and insurance education. So, I always tell students to dream big, and it doesn’t matter how you get there.” 

For Kalyan and Sharma, the panels were successful and carried out what they set out to do. 

“We curated these panels to showcase individuals of leadership from a wide range of professional backgrounds, and I believe we accomplished that,” Kalyan said.  

“It was amazing to have so many successful female professionals participate and offer inspiration to the next generation—the fact that many of them are Temple or Fox alumni is even more special.” 

Sharma was pleased with the full circle aspect for some of the participants. 

“Some of our panelists are CEOs and business founders—it’s very helpful for students to understand that these successful professionals were once in our shoes, and now they are running very successful companies,” she said. 

“Hearing their stories is motivating to get more involved on campus, pursue a leadership opportunity, and one day professionally, do more in the workplace, take control of projects and put forth the effort to go above and beyond.”  

The conference concluded in the afternoon with a networking session, allowing students to interact with the speakers and attending companies from within the region. Overall, Fox faculty and staff were pleased to see the event come to fruition.  

“Making Sandra and Anika’s conference idea come to life is a testament to Fox’s faculty and staff, community partners and fantastic alumni,” Gerst said of her students. 

“It makes me proud to see our students turn a professional topic they are passionate about into an educational and professional development opportunity for not only their classmates, but the whole school community.”