Join us as we hear from several co-lab members who have gone back to school or completed certificate programs post-grad.

This event is a must for anyone interested in going back to school or gaining additional certifications. Read below to learn more about our incredible speakers.

Gretchen Jones

Gretchen is a strategic business advisor, an NLP practitioner, and holds an MBA from the London College of Fashion. She is also a keynote speaker/lecturer and ambassador for sustainability, most notably presenting her work regularly at SxSW. In her previous life, she was an award-winning design [fashion] director and GenArt inductee. Her work/ideas have been featured in - Business of Fashion, WWD, The New York Times, Style.com, Refinery29, Elle, Glamour, etc. Jones specializes in working with leaders from the Creative/Cultural, Entrepreneurial & Corporate Citizenship sectors. Her clients span the globe and work in a vast swath of industries–such as print & digital media, publishing, cinema/theater, fashion/retail, design, creative conferences/events, fine art, craft, health & wellness and beauty, etc.

Caroline Priebe

The founder of The Center for the Advancement of Garment Making, Caroline Priebe has over 20 years experience in sustainable fashion as a designer, educator, business owner, stylist and consultant. At The CAGM, she creates sustainability strategies for brands and fashion professionals who desire to create transparent, climate beneficial, regenerative, circular business models/apparel. Caroline is also a Life Coach utilizing mind management tools that tap into the neuroplasticity of our brains to help women quickly heal from heartbreak, get unstuck personally or professionally, make aligned decisions and take bold action to design and manifest a nourishing life.

Melina Flabiano

Melina is a consumer/retail enthusiast with seven years of experience ranging from advising mature brands as a McKinsey consultant to starting and operating her own womenswear e-commerce business to advising LOLA's operations team. She was the first hire on Pandora Jewelry's strategy team and shaped the strategic planning and reporting process. She has an MBA from Wharton.

Tiffany Wheat

Finding story, telling stories, and inspiring others to find their “story” are what makes Tiffany tick. The medium? Not so important, as she’s done this with the teams she has mentored and clients she’s worked with amongst a diverse landscape of luxury products - from film to fashion, and from natural skin-care to high-end home furnishings. Fascinations + Curiosities: Dining, shopping and hoteling with Tiffany is your version of either heaven or hell, as she must always (politely, of course!) ask or answer the question, “How can things be done better?” Unlike most of the world, she’s doesn't love chocolate but she’s pretty certain she would not survive without cashmere. Hailing from Berkeley, most people are surprised to find that Tiffany isn’t quite the hippie-as-dying-breed they were hoping for, but every once in a while you can convince her to pretend, and she does like clogs. Her spiritual home is Paris, France (like, actually living in the Musee Nissim de Camando). Or maybe Jack London’s Valley of the Moon.

Sara Stewart Stevens

Sara Stewart Stevens is the Program Director and Assistant Professor of Practice for the Division of Textiles and Apparel at The University of Texas at Austin. She obtained her Master of Science in Textiles and Apparel Technology in 2012 from UT Austin-and teaches courses in merchandising and consumer sciences, retail innovation, and product development, a digital experiential retail course for Nike x TXA, and UT in NYC with Iris Apfel. Sara and a small team just launched IRIS The Coloring Book, a grassroots fundraising product and campaign to raise funds for Iris Apfel's UT in NYC program. Follow along with us @iristhecoloringbook on Instagram. Sara's research initiatives surround elevating female textile artisans in Pakistan through digital educational modules and agricultural byproduct processing for textile innovation. In addition to academia, Sara is a mom, tongue cancer survivor, and powers a small consulting business (Triple S Consulting) in which she works with start-ups on needs surrounding sourcing, manufacturing, visual display, product development, product layout, and brand management.

Alexa Steiner

Alexa Steiner currently works as a Sustainability & Innovation Consultant in NYC. With a love for education and the desire to perpetually learn, she has an undergraduate degree with a double major in Political Science and Sociology, a diploma in Communications and Public Relations, and a Masters of Business Administration with a focus on Sustainable Innovation. She has also worked in the world of higher education as a research assistant and co-author of a book about sustainable family businesses, with her research focusing on a sustainable family business focused in the personal care/beauty industry. A total nerd at heart, she hopes to never stop learning.

We are asking participants who are able to please donate a suggested amount of $20. For this event, 100% of proceeds raised will go to Girls, Inc, a non-profit organization with the central goal of empowering and inspiring girls and young women. For this event please send your donation to Kristy Hurt at @Kristy-Hurt on Venmo. You can learn more about this amazing organization at https://girlsinc.org

PLEASE NOTE

By RSVPing to this event, you are consenting to the guidelines set in place by the co-lab. Any violations of these guidelines will result in immediate removal from the group. You can view the full community guidelines at https://www.khurtconsulting.com/community-guidelines