Are you risk-adverse? Have you ever taken a risk that boosted your career or finances? This is the session for you!
In this session, attendees will hear from a panel of executive leaders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders who have taken professional/personal risk that have shaped their path in life. They will share success stories, challenges, and tips on how to develop your risk-taking muscle.
Dr. Siti Lowery: Dr. Lowery, owner of Lowery Smiles Dental Office in Cary NC, has been practicing dentistry for 24 years. Her passion for beautiful smiles goes back to childhood. She wanted and planned to be a dentist since she was 8 years old. Although Dentistry is truly her calling and passion, Dr. Lowery enjoys other roles including teaching, functioning in leadership positions and Lowery is an ordained minister. Speaking to women and young ladies is her special niche.
Dr. Lowery is married to Dr. Kedrick T. Lowery, Senior Pastor of Grace Church of Durham. Together they have two daughters, Layla Grayce, and Laura Nicole and dog, Legend. She loves traveling, especially to the beach, anything artistic, laughing and spending time with her family.
Tamara Pearce: Tamara is the Sr. Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Wolfspeed based in Durham, NC. She is responsible for developing, implementing and executing the DE&I strategy focused on minimizing opportunity gaps for underrepresented populations for Wolfspeed employees and the surrounding communities. Tamara has close to 20 years of HR experience with Fortune 500 companies and was a 2022 Leader in Diversity Award recipient from the Triangle Business Journal. She received an undergrad degree from Barton College and Graduate Degree in HR Development from Villanova University.
Barbara Mojica: Barbara is a seasoned financial professional with a decade of industry experience, six of which have been dedicated to the credit union sector. Her career has been defined by her unwavering passion for financial well-being, equity, and empowerment of underserved communities, particularly the Latinx population.
Currently serving as the Executive Director for the National Latino Association of Credit Union Professionals (NLCUP), Barbara is at the forefront of driving positive change within the credit union industry. In her role, she has tirelessly championed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, working to dismantle barriers and create pathways for Latinx professionals to excel in the financial world.
Barbara’s commitment extends beyond her professional role, as she actively engages in community outreach and financial education initiatives, understanding that financial empowerment is a critical tool for breaking cycles of inequality. With a decade of experience and an unwavering dedication to her cause, Barbara continues to be a beacon of hope for underserved communities and an inspirational leader within the financial industry.
Kristine Sloan: A Triangle native, Kristine brings a deep commitment to justice, interdependence, and authenticity into all of her work. She’s an entrepreneur, organizational leader, facilitator and strategist. As the Executive Director of Leadership Triangle, Kristine works to connect local leaders to their values, purpose and vision, in service of greater regional collaboration and impact. Prior to joining Leadership Triangle, Kristine was the CEO of StartingBloc, where she supported 3200+ entrepreneurs, activists, and organizational leaders as they made significant social change. Earlier in her career, Kristine led a multimillion dollar grant project in Burundi for All Across Africa, designed cross-cultural programming for NC State University, worked on water advocacy rights with indigenous populations in South India and co-founded a social enterprise in West Africa. She holds three degrees from NC State, including a Masters of International Studies with a specialization in Rural Development.
Arlene G. Babwah: Arlene is the current Chief Risk Officer of Coastal Credit Union where she has spent the last 17 years of her career. Some of those 17 years were spent in Wealth Management as a Business Operations Manager, in Retail Strategy where she managed the conversion and migration to the Personal Teller Machine Platform, before moving to Risk Management in 2011. Prior to Coastal Arlene worked with large, global financial institutions. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with concentration in Finance and Financial Markets and Institutions. Arlene is a life-long lover of words and an avid reader in her spare time. Reading comes a distant second to family where her current and most fun role is grandmother (GoGo) to 3 beautiful little girls. She is married to her husband of 38 years and has 2 children.
Arlene is not just passionate about her role in Risk Management at Coastal but also about employees, their development and engagement. She currently is hyper focused on building a work environment where all employees feel seen, valued, included and can bring their authentic selves to work daily. She was the Chair for the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council for the first 2 years of its inception, and now serves in an advisory capacity.
Dr. Siti Lowery, Owner, Lowery Smiles Dental Office in Cary, NC
Tamara Pearce, Sr. Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Wolfspeed
Barbara Mojica, Executive Director, National Latino Association of Credit Union Professionals (NLCUP)
Kristine Sloan, Executive Director, Leadership Triangle
Arlene G. Babwah, Chief Risk Officer, Coastal Credit Union
