Women in Law & Leadership Summit: Houston
Leading with Integrity in an Era of Change
Houston’s legal and business community stands at the crossroads of transformation — where energy, innovation, and diversity intersect. As new legislation, economic shifts, and cultural movements reshape how leadership operates, women leaders are redefining power, purpose, and progress across every sector of the legal profession.
The Women in Law & Leadership Summit: Houston brings together today’s most influential women in law and business for a day of dynamic discussion, candid insights, and actionable strategies. From navigating bias and reputation risk to mastering visibility, influence, and resilience, this program tackles the real challenges women face – and celebrates the leadership models built to last.
Join counsel, partners, and executives from Houston’s most prominent companies and firms as we confront the current realities of leadership, share practical frameworks for growth, and chart the next era of equity-driven success.
* 5 Hrs TX State CLE
- Leading Through Disruption: Redefining Power, Purpose & Progress
- From Token to Trailblazer: Building Enduring Power for Women in Leadership
- The Power of the Pivot: Reinvention and Resilience in Women’s Leadership
- Voice, Visibility & Influence: The New Metrics of Leadership Success
- Micro-Bias, Macro Impact: Rewriting the Culture of Leadership
- Equity in Pay, Credit & Recognition: Beyond Compensation
- Law, Leadership & Legitimacy: The Ethics Tightrope for Today’s Women Leaders
- Chief Legal Officer
- C-Suite Executives
- General Counsel
- Deputy General Counsel
- Associate/Assistant General Counsel
- (Senior) Vice President, Legal
- (Assistant) Vice President
- Chief Compliance Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Head of Legal Operations
- (Senior) Corporate Counsel
- (Senior) Counsel
- Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer / Head of Inclusion & Belonging
Agenda
One-to-One Meetings Begin. If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
Disruption has become the new constant—from global instability to AI acceleration to shifting social norms. Women leaders are at the forefront of navigating this complexity, redefining what resilience, innovation, and purpose mean in real time. This session examines the evolving skill set required to thrive amid uncertainty—how to lead transformation with empathy, future-proof decision-making, and a sense of purpose that inspires enduring progress.
This panel will explore:
• Turning disruption into opportunity and sustained influence
• Adaptive leadership techniques for managing volatility and complexity
• Balancing innovation with empathy in organizational transformation
• Reimagining leadership to align values with progress
Francesca Perkins Austin currently serves as Senior Counsel, Associate Vice President at National Life Group, a diversified family of financial services companies offering life insurance, annuity and investment products. In that role, she provides counsel on the development, administration, sales, marketing and distribution of fixed and variable life insurance and annuity products, including related regulatory and legislative issues.
Prior to joining NLG, Francesca worked in the Commercial Litigation group at BakerHostetler LLP. In that role, she served as a key member of litigation team seeking worldwide asset recovery from financial institutions in hundreds of cases in connection with the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Securities LLC. In addition, she represented large manufacturers, sellers, premises owners and contractors in product liability and construction litigation. She also represented the Tort Creditors Committee in the PG&E Chapter 11 bankruptcy; measured by asset value, the largest ever public utility bankruptcy and the biggest in California.Francesca also had the opportunity to serve as a federal law clerk to United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, The Honorable Andrew L. Carter and as a legal intern to The Honorable Ronald L. Ellis (retired), also of the Southern District of New York.Francesca received her undergraduate degree in History from Carleton College. She earned her law degree from Fordham University of Law.
Despite decades of progress, women’s foothold in senior leadership remains fragile amid DEI rollbacks and shifting corporate priorities. The challenge is no longer access—it’s endurance. This session examines how women can transform visibility into lasting influence, convert symbolic roles into structural power, and lead with authenticity in environments still calibrated for conformity. The conversation moves from representation to strategy, exploring what it takes to secure real authority, build trust, and create leadership pipelines that don’t regress with the next corporate trend.
This panel will explore:
• Turning representation into enduring authority and measurable influence
• Mentorship and sponsorship strategies that prevent leadership backsliding
• Navigating evolving expectations around inclusion and leadership style
• Building political capital and executive trust in uncertain times
As a M&A and compliance attorney with nearly 20 years of experience spanning regulated and technology industries, Dianna Jones is a corporate Board Director and trusted C-suite thought partner. She serves on the board of Next Fifteen Communications Group plc (LSE: NFC), a tech and data-driven growth consultancy firm. Dianna is respected for her collaborative engagement style and brings expertise in global ethics and legal compliance program implementation, business risk mitigation in regulated environments for mature and scaling companies, and ESG. Dianna is Director, Legal Compliance at Uber Technologies, Inc. She was previously Regional Compliance Counsel–Western Hemisphere at John Wood Group plc, a global leader in engineering and technical consulting services for the energy and infrastructure industries. Before that, she was with the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where she advised national and multinational companies on complex M&A transactions, reorganizations, and restructurings. She received her B.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School.
If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
Leadership longevity requires reinvention. From economic shifts and corporate restructuring to personal transitions, modern women leaders are rewriting their narratives mid-career—and emerging stronger for it. This session focuses on resilience as a strategy, not a reaction. It offers insight into recognizing inflection points, reframing setbacks, and converting change into professional renewal. The conversation elevates reinvention as a defining skill of contemporary leadership.
This panel will explore:
• Recognizing when a pivot is strategic rather than reactive
• Transforming transition periods into opportunities for growth
• Cultivating resilience and confidence amid uncertainty
• Redefining success through adaptability and forward movement
In today’s landscape, authority is measured by influence, not title. Women leaders are leveraging their voices, ideas, and platforms to shape industries, policies, and culture. This session explores how to build authentic visibility that drives impact—transforming expertise into thought leadership and leadership into advocacy. It’s about mastering presence, expanding reach, and using influence to open doors for others while defining success on new terms.
This panel will explore:
• Building authentic executive presence across physical and digital spaces
• Expanding influence through thought leadership and storytelling
• Managing visibility with confidence and credibility in high-profile roles
• Using one’s platform to drive advocacy, mentorship, and systemic change
Rachel Feiertag has nearly two decades of legal expertise with a strong focus on the energy sector, spanning domestic and international markets. Rachel’s experience includes energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives, power resiliency, utilities, and oil and gas exploration and production. As General Counsel at Concentric, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Rachel partners closely with business leaders to deliver practical, timely, and effective counsel. Rachel thrives in fast-paced environments, leveraging exceptional problem-solving and communication skills to drive innovation and achieve strategic objectives. Passionate about continuous improvement and technology, Rachel has implemented best practices and optimized processes to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, all while fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture.
If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
Even as organizations champion equality, subtle cultural forces still determine who gets credibility, visibility, and opportunity. Small biases—how ideas are received, who’s invited to lead, who gets second chances—create massive downstream impact. This session confronts those hidden dynamics head-on, unpacking how they manifest in senior leadership and what practical reforms dismantle them. It highlights actionable systems that replace passive awareness with measurable equity and accountability.
This panel will explore:
• Identifying and addressing “second-generation” bias at the leadership level
• How micro-inequities shape team trust, culture, and client outcomes
• Building accountability into evaluation, promotion, and pay systems
• Converting cultural awareness into sustainable structural change
Money tells only part of the story. The real equity gap lies in who gets credit, visibility, and advancement opportunities. Women in senior roles continue to encounter uneven recognition for comparable results—particularly in team-based or high-pressure environments. This discussion reframes equity as a holistic system encompassing pay, recognition, and opportunity flow. It examines how organizations can align compensation structures, audit recognition bias, and build cultures that reward impact, not just optics.
This panel will explore:
• How recognition gaps perpetuate pay and promotion inequities
• Concrete tools for auditing and recalibrating credit and compensation systems
• Negotiation approaches that reassert value and authority
• Embedding fairness through transparent structures and leadership accountability
For women at the helm of law firms, corporations, and public institutions, every decision is magnified through a sharper lens of scrutiny. In an era of political division and amplified media narratives, ethical leadership has never been more complex—or consequential. This session tackles the tension between authenticity, responsibility, and reputational risk. It examines how to lead decisively without compromising integrity, uphold principles amid political or institutional pressure, and transform scrutiny into strength.
This panel will explore:
• Navigating heightened ethical and reputational pressures in leadership
• Building credibility through consistency and transparent decision-making
• Leading through controversy without sacrificing core values
• Turning public challenge into an opportunity for institutional trust-building
Ashley Fischer is the General Counsel for Tiff’s Treats, an ecommerce cookie delivery company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Ashley is licensed to practice law in Texas and Oregon and is CIPP/US certified. Prior to joining Tiff’s Treats, Ashley worked in-house at H-E-B, a grocery retail company, Marathon Petroleum, a refining, logistics, and marketing company, and Sirius Computer Solutions, a technology value added reseller. She got her start in law by working as outside counsel in a general practice firm. Ashley graduated from Texas A&M University, College Station and St. Mary’s University School of Law.
If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
Rotating, 20-minute discussions hosted by a topic expert.
RT 1: Power, Pressure & Perspective: Navigating Leadership in a Post-Roe, Post-DEI Era
RT 2: Negotiating Influence: The Art of Assertive Leadership Without the Backlash
RT 3: Leading with Data: Using Metrics to Drive Equity, Performance & Cultural Change
RT 4: The Mentorship Multiplier: Building Generational Bridges in Law and Leadership
Speakers
As a M&A and compliance attorney with nearly 20 years of experience spanning regulated and technology industries, Dianna Jones is a corporate Board Director and trusted C-suite thought partner. She serves on the board of Next Fifteen Communications Group plc (LSE: NFC), a tech and data-driven growth consultancy firm. Dianna is respected for her collaborative engagement style and brings expertise in global ethics and legal compliance program implementation, business risk mitigation in regulated environments for mature and scaling companies, and ESG. Dianna is Director, Legal Compliance at Uber Technologies, Inc. She was previously Regional Compliance Counsel–Western Hemisphere at John Wood Group plc, a global leader in engineering and technical consulting services for the energy and infrastructure industries. Before that, she was with the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where she advised national and multinational companies on complex M&A transactions, reorganizations, and restructurings. She received her B.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School.
Rachel Feiertag has nearly two decades of legal expertise with a strong focus on the energy sector, spanning domestic and international markets. Rachel’s experience includes energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives, power resiliency, utilities, and oil and gas exploration and production. As General Counsel at Concentric, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Rachel partners closely with business leaders to deliver practical, timely, and effective counsel. Rachel thrives in fast-paced environments, leveraging exceptional problem-solving and communication skills to drive innovation and achieve strategic objectives. Passionate about continuous improvement and technology, Rachel has implemented best practices and optimized processes to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, all while fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture.
Ashley Fischer is the General Counsel for Tiff’s Treats, an ecommerce cookie delivery company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Ashley is licensed to practice law in Texas and Oregon and is CIPP/US certified. Prior to joining Tiff’s Treats, Ashley worked in-house at H-E-B, a grocery retail company, Marathon Petroleum, a refining, logistics, and marketing company, and Sirius Computer Solutions, a technology value added reseller. She got her start in law by working as outside counsel in a general practice firm. Ashley graduated from Texas A&M University, College Station and St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Francesca Perkins Austin currently serves as Senior Counsel, Associate Vice President at National Life Group, a diversified family of financial services companies offering life insurance, annuity and investment products. In that role, she provides counsel on the development, administration, sales, marketing and distribution of fixed and variable life insurance and annuity products, including related regulatory and legislative issues.
Prior to joining NLG, Francesca worked in the Commercial Litigation group at BakerHostetler LLP. In that role, she served as a key member of litigation team seeking worldwide asset recovery from financial institutions in hundreds of cases in connection with the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Securities LLC. In addition, she represented large manufacturers, sellers, premises owners and contractors in product liability and construction litigation. She also represented the Tort Creditors Committee in the PG&E Chapter 11 bankruptcy; measured by asset value, the largest ever public utility bankruptcy and the biggest in California.Francesca also had the opportunity to serve as a federal law clerk to United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, The Honorable Andrew L. Carter and as a legal intern to The Honorable Ronald L. Ellis (retired), also of the Southern District of New York.Francesca received her undergraduate degree in History from Carleton College. She earned her law degree from Fordham University of Law.
Venue
TBA
Houston, TX