NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders
NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit 2024
Thursday Sept. 12 - Friday Sept. 13, 2024 | Washington, DC
Build your skills and expand your network. Engage in professional development to evolve your career. And get exclusive insights from retail leaders.
The NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit is an invitation-only two-day summit of networking, learning and skill building for emerging retail leaders who are early careerists (2-5 years into their full-time career).
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
The NRF Foundation provides the skills and resources people need to build great careers and continues to invest in the future of the retail workforce.
The NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit brings together 100 early retail professionals, retail leaders and subject-matter experts to provide exclusive insights and engaging professional development that will help early careerists become stronger future leaders.
The event seeks to provide early professionals with support, access, and opportunities to further themselves as leaders, and to support the retailer community with investing in early talent that will contribute to a stronger, more diverse workforce.
Benefits for Early Careerists
- Build knowledge of the wider world of retail, hearing directly from NRF experts and retail leaders from various companies on what they need to know about the industry.
- Cultivate an industry-wide network of mid-to-senior level peers who are eager to invest in the next generation of leaders.
- Develop effective workforce navigation skills and techniques to be engaged, authentic and successful team members.
Eligibility
Criteria to attend the Emerging Leaders Summit include:
- Full-time employment at a retail company
- Entry-level up to manager roles in any function within the organization
- Approximately two to five years of full-time retail experience
- A demonstrated potential and desire to grow in a career
- A commitment to the advancement of people of color to help cultivate a dynamic retail industry where everyone belongs
Attendees of the 2023 NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit had an average of 3.9 years of work experience and represented 15 different functions within their organizations including merchandising, marketing, communications, supply chain, store management, finance and more. An attendee group with cross-functional backgrounds maximizes learning and networking across the broad spectrum of retail roles.
Attendees can represent either corporate, stores, or warehouse functions. They should be ambitious early retail careerists with strong leadership potential and a clear interest in development opportunities to advance their careers and networks. Attendees should come ready to engage, learn, ask questions, and take learnings back to implement and share with their teams.
Schedule
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 11, 2024 |
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5:00pm Reception |
Reception honoring the Congressional Black Caucus Optional Event — 5:00pm-7:00pm The National Retail Federation is hosting a rooftop reception to honor the Congressional Black Caucus during their 53rd Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. NRF will honor the valued leadership of all CBC members and their extraordinary work in shaping future generations. Members of the CBC work every day to uplift and promote a common goal of equity, diversity, and inclusion in all sectors of our communities. These efforts include supporting entrepreneurial businesses run by women, people of color and underrepresented individuals. Attendees of the Emerging Leaders Summit are invited to attend this event. Details will be provided to those who confirm their attendance. |
THURSDAY SEPT. 12, 2024EATON HOTEL DC |
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9:30am Networking |
Attendee Arrivals & Welcome |
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10:00am Keynote |
Crafting Your Narrative: Building the Brand for the Business and Yourself
Mecca MitchellBurlington Stores, Inc. |
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10:45am Networking |
Meet Your Peers |
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11:00am Session |
NRF Curated Content: Industry & Consumer Insights
Katherine CullenNational Retail Federation |
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11:45am Break |
Lunch |
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12:45pm Panel |
Leading with Purpose: Cultivating Culture as a New Manager Managing relationships, transitioning from individual contributor to manager of people, empathy and EQ to lead, and building culture for your team.
Stephanie HarryLidl Session Description
Trixie Grace ThomasDICK'S Sporting Goods Session Description
Max GlickmanPwC Session Description |
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2:15pm Panel |
Unique Experiences of Diverse-Owned Brands
Danyel Surrency JonesAmazon Session Description
Valesca FrancisAmazon Session Description |
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3:45pm Break |
Break |
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4:00pm Session |
NRF Curated Content: Activating the Power of NRF Membership
Maria ValerioNational Retail Federation Session Description |
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4:15pm Session |
Grassroots Advocacy
Meghan CruzNational Retail Federation Session Description |
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4:15pm Session |
The Impact of Retail Policy
David FrenchNational Retail Federation Session Description
Reginald B. HendersonLowe's Session Description |
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5:30pm Networking |
Reception at the Moxy DC Lucha Rosa Rooftop Reception ends at 8:00pm. |
FRIDAY SEPT. 13, 2024EATON HOTEL DC |
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8:00am Break |
Breakfast |
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9:00am ProfessionalDevelopment |
Early Career Mastery
Halleemah NashRosecrans Ventures Session Description |
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11:30am Break |
Lunch |
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12:30pm Keynote |
Heart-Led Careers: Exploring Sustainability
Nira JohriKFC The future of sustainability in retail, restaurant, and consumer packaged goods spaces. |
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1:30pm Panel |
Navigating the AI Frontier Discussing the intersection of retail and AI, the probable use cases, and the direction for the future.
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2:15pm Break |
Break |
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2:30pm Panel |
Unified Retail: Integrating Stores, Corporate and Warehouse for Maximum Impact
Kimberly Lee MinorWomen of Color Retail Alliance Session Description
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4:00pm End |
End of Programming |
Supporters
Platinum
Gold
Bronze
Support and Attend
Join the NRF Foundation in our work towards a more diverse retail workforce at all levels by investing in retail's emerging leaders.
Platinum - $25,000
- 5 retail attendee registrations
- On stage speaking opportunity for a company executive (exact placement to be determined by NRF Foundation)
- Opportunity for 2 company executives to attend the event's networking happy hour
- Opportunity to provide donated product or branded swag to attendees
- Digital spotlight to feature your brand’s DEI work, success stories, or spotlight attendees on screen during program breaks
- Premier placement of company logo on event signage and website
- Premier placement of company logo on select digital communications (i.e. emails and program)
- Visibility on NRF and NRF Foundation social channels - Instagram Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - when promoting the Emerging Leaders Summit
- Inclusion in select press releases, recap blog post and recap video as Platinum Sponsor (if applicable)
- Invitation for two company executives to attend NRF’s Congressional Black Caucus Rooftop Reception on Wednesday, September 11, 2024
- Access to event photos
Gold - $10,000
- 5 retail attendee registrations
- Premier placement of company logo on event signage and website
- Premier placement of company logo on select digital communications (i.e. emails and program)
- Visibility on NRF and NRF Foundation social channels - Instagram Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - when promoting the Emerging Leaders Summit
- Inclusion in select press releases, recap blog post and recap video as a Gold Sponsor (if applicable)
- Digital spotlight to feature your brand’s DEI work, success stories, or spotlight attendees on screen during program breaks
- Invitation for one company executive to attend NRF’s Congressional Black Caucus Rooftop Reception on Wednesday, September 11, 2024
- Access to event photos
Bronze - $5,000
- 3 retail attendee registrations
- Company logo on event signage and website
- Company logo on select digital communications (i.e. emails and program)
- Visibility on NRF Foundation social channels - Instagram Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - when promoting the Emerging Leaders Summit
- Access to event photos
Hotel Information
The Emerging Leaders Summit will take place at the Eaton DC hotel in Washington, D.C.
A room block for attendees with discounted rates are available for the dates of Wednesday, Sept. 11 – Friday, Sept. 13.
Reservations for our room block closes August 20, 2024.
Experience the 2024
Emerging Leaders Summit
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Hear What Attendees Are Saying
"The NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit gave me a fresh perspective to more confidently move forward in my personal and professional life. It was such a privilege to have been given the opportunity to learn exclusive insights from industry leaders and network with other diverse talent. Participating in the summit was an experience that I will not soon forget!"
Taylor Ivey Crawford
Victoria’s Secret Assistant Merchant
"The NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit provided space for me to step away from the day-to-day work and think about the role I play in my company’s goals, as well as how I'm achieving my own personal goals."
Caitlyn Castro
Athleta Merchant
"The atmosphere that was created by the NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit allowed for open, honest, and engaging conversation that helped me think differently about the leader I am and what I bring to my organization."
Caila Hendrickson
Kohl’s Human Resources Generalist
"The NRF Foundation Emerging Leaders Summit was a great environment to foster diversity in all regards; diversity of thought, diversity of experience, diversity of job title, and diversity of identity."
Jordan Crawford
Amazon Vendor Manager