Featured Speaker – Whitney Carpenter – Who’s Saying Your Name When You’re Not In The Room?

Whitney Carpenter believes we’ve been given the wrong career advice for years. The advice that got most women into the room is not the advice that gets them to the next level. We’ve spent decades telling women to find mentors. Learn from them. Follow their advice. Build the right skills. But Whitney believes that’s only half the equation. Careers rarely change because of what you know. They change because someone with influence decides to put your name in the conversation. That’s sponsorship. After spending her career opening doors, creating partnerships, and building relationships that move businesses forward, Whitney noticed something. The biggest opportunities almost never came from another training session or another certification. They came because someone chose to advocate FOR her.

With equal parts humor, practical wisdom, and straight talk, Whitney challenges
audiences to rethink what it really takes to advance. She’ll show why mentorship
matters, why sponsorship changes careers, and how to build relationships that don’t just support your growth—but actively create opportunities for it.

You’ll leave with a new perspective on leadership, influence, and one question that could change the trajectory of your career:

Who’s saying your name when you’re not in the room?

Panel (Courage Over Comfort – Taking a Leap)- Jacque Gordon

Jacque is a top-performing Realtor with Keller Williams Brazos West, proudly serving Hood County since 2017. Known for her people-first approach, she brings leadership, expertise, and unwavering commitment to every client she serves.

Deeply rooted in the community, Jacque has held key leadership roles including past
president of both the Granbury Association of Realtors and Leadership Granbury, and
currently serves on the Hood County United Way board. Her dedication earned her the Texas Realtor Good Neighbor Award in 2020 and the Granbury Chamber’s Woman in Business honor in 2025.

Guided by integrity, kindness, and trust, Jacque lives by her motto:
Your neighbor. Your Realtor. Your Friend.

Panel (Courage Over Comfort – Taking a Leap) – Maggie Walton

Maggie Walton is an educational leader with 18 years of experience in public education. Born and raised in Granbury, she is deeply invested in the community that helped shape her and is passionate about serving the students, families, and educators who call it home. After serving as principal of Acton Elementary School, she took a leap in June 2026 into district leadership and now serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Granbury ISD, where she helps lead initiatives that advance the district’s strategic
priorities and long-term success.

Known for her collaborative leadership style and unwavering commitment to continuous improvement, Maggie has led initiatives focused on instructional excellence, strategic planning, leadership development, mentoring, organizational culture, and employee engagement. She believes the most meaningful leadership happens when people are empowered to grow, take risks, and lead with authenticity and purpose.

Panel (Courage Over Comfort – Taking a Leap) – Monica Hays

Monica Hays is the Executive Director of Forward Training Center of Hood County, where she leads initiatives that equip individuals with the education, workforce skills, and support needed to achieve meaningful employment and lasting self-sufficiency. With more than two decades of
leadership experience spanning recruiting, marketing, operations, and nonprofit management, Monica previously served as Area Manager for national recruiting firms before joining Jobs for Life, where she held the roles of Director of Marketing and Director of Operations. Throughout
her career, she has championed innovative partnerships and transformational programs that restore dignity through work. Passionate about helping others move beyond limitations, Monica
believes that meaningful change happens when we have the courage to step outside of our comfort zone—embracing challenges, pursuing growth, and creating opportunities that strengthen individuals, families, and communities.

Krissy White – Living Your Best “Normalish” Life

Some people know Krissy White as a chef, author, wife, mom, or President of Tuman Breast Cancer Foundation. But none of those titles tell the whole story.

Life has handed Krissy more than her share of unexpected challenges, including a breast cancer diagnosis during a global pandemic that forever changed her perspective. Rather than allowing adversity to define her, she chose to let it refine her. Today, she spends most of her time walking alongside women facing one of life’s hardest journeys by providing financial and emotional support.

Through honest storytelling, humor, and heartfelt vulnerability, Krissy inspires women to embrace the life they have—not the one they planned. Her message is a reminder that our greatest setbacks can become our greatest purpose, and that even after life’s hardest moments, it is possible to find humor, meaning, and the courage to live your best “normal-ish” life.

Whether she’s serving her community through the Tuman Breast Cancer Foundation, booster club, writing, or baking something from scratch, Krissy’s mission is simple: to help others discover that what tried to break them may become the very thing that helps them rise.