This March, I was lucky enough to attended the WBENC Women's Business Summit in Washington DC. While I was there I had the pleasure of catching up with Julia Hubbel. Julia and I both attended the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth last fall. Julia Hubbel is an award-winning entrepreneur, international professional speaker, seminar leader and prize-winning journalist who specializes in the art of influence, relationships and connecting. Her innovative work in networking has resulted in a unique model for meeting others, and is the basis for her forthcoming book, CLICK: Make Your Connections Count.

Also pictured, is Sharon Hoffman Avent; I met Sharon at my very first WBENC conference in LA three years ago. For over a half-century, women have guided Smead Pioneering women's entrance into the boardroom, the mother-daughter team of Ebba Hoffman and Sharon Avent have helped blaze a trail for future women-business owners with their high ideals, achieving unparalleled growth, success and environmental stewardship.

I respect and admire both of these women, for their achievement in business. I look forward to seeing them and meeting new friends and business associates in Maryland at the 2010 WBENC conference. For more information on the WBENC conference go to: Women in Business 2010.