SHE LEADS : THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Name:
SHE LEADS : THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Date:
October 15, 2026
Time:
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT
Registration:
Register Now
SHE LEADS : The Difference Makers
Event Description:
She Leads is an inspiring evening dedicated to connecting and learning from influential women in leadership roles. This event highlights the remarkable contributions of women who thrive in male-dominated industries and diverse leadership environments, driving positive, lasting change. Attendees will engage with women who demonstrate resilience, adaptability, and the power to mobilize others -- qualities that enable them make a meaningful impact.
This is an opportunity to also share your own experiences and engage in thought-provoking discussions. The event is a excellent opportunity network and showcases women-led and diversity-driven businesses and organizations at our 'She Leads vendor exhibition'.
Date and Time: Thursday, October 15th, 2026 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Venue: The Water Tower Inn (360 Great Northern Road)
Tickets: Chamber-member single ticket: $59.99+hst, Chamber-member table of 8: $439.99+hst (includes complimentary vender table - limited vender table availability / 1st come), Chamber-member single ticket with vender table: $159.99+hst, NON Chamber-member single ticket: $69.99+hst
Venue: The Water Tower Inn (360 Great Northern Road)
Tickets: Chamber-member single ticket: $59.99+hst, Chamber-member table of 8: $439.99+hst (includes complimentary vender table - limited vender table availability / 1st come), Chamber-member single ticket with vender table: $159.99+hst, NON Chamber-member single ticket: $69.99+hst
Meet our keynote speaker:
Laura Dawson is one of North America’s leading experts in U.S-Canada economic relations. She leads the Future Borders Coalition, an organization dedicated to business and government cooperation on trade and travel between the U.S. and Canada. In recognition of this work, she received the 2025 King Charles Coronation medal and was named one of Canada’s Top 50 Foreign Policy Influencers by the Hill Times. She is a frequent commentator on Canadian, U.S. and international media and is a trusted advisor to governments in both countries.Previously, Dawson was director of the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington DC, senior economist at US Embassy Ottawa, and ran a think tank on government digital transformation for Amazon Web Services. She has taught graduate courses in international economic policy in universities around the world. At a practical level, she has advised on NAFTA/USMCA trade negotiations, regulatory cooperation, border security and facilitation, and helped launched new programs for secure and efficient movement of people and cargo between countries.
A proud Sault Ste Marie native, Dawson holds a PhD in political science and is married to U.S. Ambassador (ret) Charles Shapiro. They live in Atlanta, GA. (LinkedIn profile here)
Laura will join our She Leads Panel, also including Karen Bird and Donna Hilsinger for a discussion moderated by La-Na Fragomeni.
Meet our She Leads Panel:
Karen Bird is an Ojibwe woman from Batchewana First Nation. She has 27 years of financial industry experience including commercial lending, business advisory services, housing property management, renewable energy project management, business plan writing, start-up company coaching, wealth management and corporate cultural training. Karen was the recipient of the 2015 Influential Women of Northern Ontario’s Aboriginal Leadership Award and in 2018 was the first Indigenous recipient of the ATHENA Leadership Award.Karen is the proud mother of four, step mother to three, values her language and carries many cultural teachings. Karen currently sits on the Board for ATHENA International and Taking IT Global. She was first Indigenous President of the SSM Chamber of Commerce. Karen is also the first Indigenous certified facilitator in North America for ATHENA International.
Karen is a strong advocate for women in business, Indigenous inclusion and sexual assault survivors through her non-profit Nakehndan – Knowing Your Truth, numerous seminars, panels, guest speaking and moderating engagements.
Donna Hilsinger has spent much of her career bringing people together—through business, community involvement, mentorship and a strong belief in giving back to the community she calls home.For more than three decades, Donna worked in Sault Ste. Marie’s hospitality and tourism industry, including many years as General Manager of The Water Tower Inn. During that time, she helped build the Inn into one of Northern Ontario’s leading hospitality destinations and, just as importantly, a place where people and community came together.
Community involvement has always been an important part of Donna’s life. She has led and served with many organizations, including the Algoma Fall Festival, Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation, Tourism Sault Ste. Marie, Children’s Aid Society of Algoma and Sault Trails Advocacy Committee. She currently serves as Honorary Colonel of the 49th (Sault Ste. Marie) Field Artillery Regiment.
Donna has a particular interest in encouraging women and young people to recognize their strengths, build confidence and take on new opportunities. Throughout her career, she has valued the chance to mentor others and believes that some of the most meaningful leadership happens when we help someone else see what they are capable of.
Her community contributions have been recognized with a Northern Ontario Business Influential Woman Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Ontario’s Leading Women Building Communities Award and both the ATHENA Award and the Paul Dalseg Community Achievement Award from the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce.
Today, Donna is Executive Director of the Algoma Fall Festival and teaches in the Culinary Program at Sault College. She is also the proud mother of Emily and Owen, who are building their own lives and careers while finding their own ways to contribute to their communities.
