Registration Now Open for Women’s Leadership Conference from WT Enterprise Center

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Even a former NASA engineer can suffer from imposter syndrome.

Maureen Zappala, a former propulsion engineer and author, will deliver the keynote address at The Next Chapter: Women’s Leadership Conference, to be hosted by the WT Enterprise Center on Nov. 17.

Zappala was the first woman and youngest facility manager of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory, NASA’s premiere jet-engine testing complex. After leaving NASA to raise her kids, she has become one of the country’s most prominent speakers on imposter syndrome and says that she has built her work around one idea: “the doubt that quietly steals performance from your most capable people can be defeated.”

“Every major milestone I’ve ever reached came hand-in-hand with imposter syndrome and the fear that I wasn’t qualified enough to be in the room,” said Gina Woodward, WT Enterprise Center executive director. “At The Next Chapter, we’ll dismantle the myth that strong leaders never doubt themselves. This is an honest conversation about the mental roadblocks women face and how to build the genuine conviction required to step forward and lead as you were intended to do.”

The leadership conference is designed to bring together women from across the Panhandle for a day focused on leadership, professional development, entrepreneurship, connection and personal growth, Woodward said.

Registration begins at 9 a.m.; programming begins at 9:30 a.m. The conference will be held at Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive in Amarillo.

Cost is $150, plus fees.

Breakout sessions and panel discussions also will cover personal branding, community leadership and service, AI for productivity, financial planning, navigating difficult conversations, and burnout and leadership.

The conference also will feature The Next Chapter pitch competition, highlighting women-owned businesses from across the Texas Panhandle.

Finalists will deliver a live pitch for their businesses for the opportunity to receive funding to support their continued growth. A total of $10,000 will be awarded through the competition, including a $3,000 Startup Award, $5,000 Established Business Award and $2,000 People’s Choice Award.

The pitch competition is made possible through the support of Amarillo National Bank and the Texas Governor’s Commission for Women, in partnership with The Beacon State Fund.

The day will conclude with an after-hours networking reception from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Attendees also will have access to professional headshots during this time.

The WT Enterprise Center is a department of West Texas A&M University’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business.

For information, call 806-651-8500 or visit wtenterprisecenter.com/tnc/.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of about 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 65 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 41 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and three doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference; WT offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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