Decorated Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn will give the keynote address at the Center for Growing Talent’s 2018 Women’s Fresh Perspectives Leadership Breakfast on Oct. 20.
The event is set for Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with the Oct. 18-20 Produce Marketing Association’s annual Fresh Summit, according to a news release.
The Center for Growing Talent will present the first Women’s Catalyst Award at the breakfast.
With 82 World Cup wins in her career, Vonn is the most successful female alpine skier in the history of the sport. Her nonprofit, the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, helps young girls to grow as athletes and individuals by building self-esteem and creating a positive self-image, according to the release.
“She is an example to us all — women and men — of what’s possible when we push ourselves beyond where we think our limits are,” Nancy Johnston, Sysco senior manager for produce sales and the center’s Women’s Fresh Perspectives Committee co-chairwoman, said in the release.
The event is moving into a larger venue, said co-chairwoman Leslie Simmons, vice president at Dave’s Specialty Imports.
“From the feedback we are getting from our industry, it is clear that everyone wants to learn how to better support the women in our companies,” Simmons said in the release.
The Women’s Catalyst Award honors one leader annually — female or male — nominated from the fresh produce and floral industry who is cultivating women’s potential through mentoring and by providing a path for their leadership, development and participation, according to the release.
