The much-anticipated 2015 PEI Women Conference took place last week in Denver, Colorado, and was a success by all definitions. The Conference was kicked off by a tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory where NREL Senior Analyst Kristi Moriarty showed the group the Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility and the Thermal Testing Facility. The tour was followed by a reception at the Embassy Suites Downtown Denver. Attendees registered for the conference and mingled with the other attendees before sitting down to a PEI-hosted dinner. 

The keynote speech delivered by Carey Lohrenz officially opened the Conference. Carey spoke of her journey to become a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy and how keeping a strong focus on her goals helped her succeed. "'No' is a complete sentence" was an important takeaway for many women, as well as, "Food is good" explaining how food can help in emotionally charged situations. 

Gail Alofsin followed Lohrenz and spoke on harnessing the power of your personal brand, including how to develop your natural attributes and how to overcome hurdles.

After lunch, Carolyn Hoskinson, director of the EPA's Office of Underground Storage Tanks, spoke about the upcoming rollout of the new UST regulations. The details of the new rule could not be discussed; however, Hoskinson provided a great deal of information on the subject and answered many questions.

Kathryne Newton Ph.D., headed up the next day's sessions with discussions on the impact of the changing generations in the workplace and adapting to new communications styles including how to work with millennials. Kathy also talked about ways to deal with conflict, such as encouraging parties to work together by establishing common goals.