Sparking Success Conference

The best business decisions are informed by a multitude of perspectives.

Sparking Success Conference: Change Management, Leadership, and Resilience

The Sparking Success conference offers a platform for raising awareness, promoting dialogue and cultivating skills within the academic and business spheres.

Sparking Success Conference – 10th Anniversary

Location and Timing

Date: Friday, October 31, 2025
8:30 am – 1:30 pm, with reception to follow
McNair Hall, Rice University
This is a free event, but registration is required.

At Rice Business, we endeavor to create a rich learning environment that considers and appreciates a multitude of perspectives that lead to enhanced decision-making. We consider this mindset a critical leadership skill in today’s increasingly global and inclusive workplace.

The Sparking Success conference offers a platform for raising awareness, promoting dialogue and cultivating skills within the academic and business spheres.

If interested in sponsorship, please contact Lina Y. Bell at 713-348-4731.

Agenda

*All events in Shell Auditorium – McNair Hall unless otherwise indicated.

Time	Description
8:15 am – 8:30 am	Registration - 1st Floor Rotunda, McNair Hall
8:30 am	Welcome Constance Porter, Senior Associate Dean for Belonging and Engagement, Associate Clinical Professor of Marketing, Rice Business Keynote Address – Love As a Change Strategy Co-authors: Mohammad Anwar, President & CEO, Softway and Culture+ Jeff Ma, Director, Softway and Culture+ Frank Danna, Director, Softway and Culture+
9:45 am – 10:30 am	Houston Area Survey Insights Ruth Lopez Turley, Director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research Professor of Sociology, Rice University
10:30 am – 10:40 am	Break
10:45 am – 11:30 am	Industry Insider Perspectives Obi Ihekweazu, Principal Counsel, Cheniere Energy, Inc. Anthony Rodriguez Sanchez Lee '24, Sr. Associate Banker, J.P. Morgan Private Bank Tammi Wallace, Co-Founder, President, CEO- Greater Houston LGBTQ Chamber Moderator: Ingrid Robinson, CEO & President – Houston Minority Supplier Diversity Council (HMSDC)
11:35 am – 12:30 pm	Breakout Sessions Option A – Leading Resilient Teams: Resources, Recovery and Thriving After Change Danielle King, Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Associate Professor, Psychological Sciences Option B – NeuroDiversity Matters – Room Tracy Winter, Neurodiversity Specialist, Leadership and Executive Coach
12:35 pm – 1:30 pm	Breakout Sessions Option A – Leading with Confidence and Self-Care: Break Free from Fear of Failure, Perfectionism and Burnout – Room Ijeoma Nwaogu, Owner, Everlead, LLC Option B – TBA
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm	Networking Reception - Gibbs Convocation Hall, Suite 200