February 4, 2025

The Junior League of Cleveland, a women’s professional development and leadership nonprofit organization, has announced its first annual Women’s Leadership Summit. This signature leadership development event will feature a panel of notable women from the Cleveland area covering topics including transformational leadership, entrepreneurship and navigating career transitions.

“The Junior League of Cleveland has always proudly differentiated itself from other membership organizations with our commitment to high-quality training opportunities and this event is testament. Our mission to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training is at the core of our operations and we are excited to share this upcoming showcase with the public,” said Barbara Kakiris, President. “We look forward to welcoming community members to our League Loft for the event.”

The event highlighted during Women’s History Month will be moderated by Junior League of Cleveland Membership Director, Katie Leimkuehler, an Executive Coach and business owner of the Executive Leadership Center. The event will include breakout groups and feature the following panelists:

• Alison Arkin, SVP & Practice Lead, Leadership Development, Ratliff & Taylor: Alison brings over 30 years of experience in business operations, executive coaching and talent management to her role. She leads the leadership development practice in providing high impact client experiences to support strategy, organizational effectiveness, and leader development. Before rejoining Ratliff & Taylor, Alison served as a Global Talent Manager for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and at the Cleveland Clinic Alison directed succession planning, performance management and organizational effectiveness for over 40,000 employees. 
• Kris Beck, Chief Executive Officer of Proformex: As the driving force behind Proformex, an insurtech data and technology company, Kris has propelled the organization to the forefront of the industry. She is a visionary strategist and operator with a track record of developing and executing growth strategies, increasing profitability, and cultivating the operational excellence necessary to fuel high-growth organizations. Previously, she served as a member of the executive team and held the role of Vice President of Product and Customer Operations at MacroPoint. In addition, Kris serves as a Board Director to LKD Aerospace, and Gladiator Technologies.  
• LaVonne Pulliam, JD, Chief Compliance Officer at University Hospitals:  LaVonne oversees the University Hospital system’s compliance, ethics and privacy programs, ensuring institutional adherence to internal policies and external legal and regulatory requirements. LaVonne is an experienced attorney and healthcare leader with more than 10 years of experience in healthcare compliance. Before joining UH, she served as the Compliance Officer for the Neuromodulation Operating Unit at Medtronic. Prior to that role, she served as Assistant General Counsel for UH, advising in a variety of areas including supply chain, privacy and data sharing, and reimbursement.  
• Lauren Steiner, Founder & CEO of Grants Plus: Lauren’s company helps nonprofits secure the funding they need to fulfill their missions and create lasting change. Grants Plus has been recognized for its exemplary business practices, including being awarded the American Psychological Association’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award and is also a proud member of The Giving Institute, reinforcing the firm’s leadership in philanthropy. Lauren has further contributed to the field as the former co-chair of the Giving USA Editorial Review Board, shaping the most trusted annual report on charitable giving in the U.S. Since founding Grants Plus, Lauren has been recognized with the Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Cleveland Chapter and was featured as a Notable Woman in Entrepreneurship by Crain’s Cleveland Business.

The Women’s Leadership Summit will take place on March 11th from 5:30-8:30pm  at the Junior League of Cleveland Loft located at 3615 Superior Avenue E, Building 44, 4th Floor, Suite 4404C, Cleveland, OH 44114. A limited number of tickets are available to the public. Tickets are $20 and include networking, drinks and snacks. To register for the event, https://tinyurl.com/JLCWomenSummit.  

For more information about JLC Membership or to learn how you can support the Junior League of Cleveland, please visit our website at www.cleveland.jl.org or contact us at info@jlcleveland.org.