August 11, 2021
Casandra Matej
President & CEO
Visit Orlando
The Official Tourism Association® of Orlando
Join us via ZOOM at 12 pm EST
Casandra Matej (MAH-tay) is the president and CEO of Visit Orlando, The Official Tourism Association® for Orlando, the most visited destination in the United States, and Theme Park Capital of the World®. She is responsible for leading the branding, marketing, and selling of the Orlando destination globally to drive Central Florida’s $76 billion tourism industry.
Matej holds over two decades of experience in the tourism industry including serving as president and CEO of Visit San Antonio, as well as leadership roles at VisitDallas, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and Hyatt Hotels.
Her immediate focus is spurring recovery of the powerful Orlando tourism industry, which draws over 75 million visitors to the region and supports 41% of the local workforce.
For more information on Visit Orlando, click here!
Women's Executive Council Sisters
As the world has been impacted by COVID-19 and our normal monthly luncheons have been replaced with online meetings, the need in our community for scholarships still remains strong. Central to the core mission of the Women's Executive Council, we believe in education, and every year since 1987 we have provided scholarships to women in our community. This year is no exception. Now more than ever, WEC is committed to continuing to help those in need.
One way that we can do that is to donate the amount of money you would normally spend on our luncheons directly to our scholarship fund. Please do this by clicking the DONATE NOW button. Thank you.
SAVE THE DATE 2021
- September 8: Coach Servola Frazier | Motivate Enterprises
- October 13: Elisha Gonzalez, Vice President Government Affairs & Community Relations | Fairwinds Credit Union & Executive Director | FAIRWINDS Foundation
- November 10: Business Luncheon / Elections
- December Holiday Party
SPEAKERS IN 2021
- Secily Wilson, Author, Philanthropist, Broadcaster, Survivor, Motivational Speaker
- Tanya Counter, Area Vice President General Commercial Segment, Salesforce
- Amanda Duffy, Executive Vice President | Orlando Pride
- Karmyn Norwood, Deputy Vice President of Sensors & Global Sustainment, Vice President of Rotary Wing and Ground Programs | Lockheed Martin Corporation
- Diane Diaz, Speaking Coach & Personal Brand Strategist | Speaking Your Brand
- Jo Newell, President | Orlando Chamber
- Casandra Matej, President & CEO | Visit Orlando
SPEAKERS IN 2020
- Amanda Douglas, Chief Executive Officer | Celebration Title Group
- Stacy Nadeau, Speaker Consultant, Coach | Women Empowerment Ambassador
- Frances Rios, Chief Executive Officer | Women Who Lead, LLC
- Peggy Hoyt, Attorney, Author, Speaker | The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryant, LLC
- Mayor Buddy Dyer | City of Orlando
- Mary Pigatti | Chief Executive Officer | eMindful
- WEC Panel Discussion
- Catherine A Ni, Director, Advanced Rotary Wing & Ground Systems | Lockheed Martin - Missiles & Fire Control
- Pamela Landwirth, Chief Financial Officer | Give Kids the World
- LaVon Bracy, EdD, Advocate for Social Justice & CoFounder | New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando
- Romie Mushtaq, MD, ABIHM, Chief Wellness Officer | Evolution Hospitality
SPEAKERS IN 2019
- Heatherann Antonacci | 2018 Women's Achievement Awards Education Honoree, former President, Herzing University
- Cornita A. Riley | Retired, Chief Orange County Corrections, 2016 Women's Achievement Awards Central Florida Woman of the Year
- Kirsten B. Carter, MD | Internal Medicine Physician, Grace Medical Home
- Secily Wilson, | WOW Legacy; Shanta Barton Stubbs, PhD, MA, LMHC | New Image Youth Center; Deanna Snyder, RN | Be Well Essentials
- Karen Willis | Chief Executive Officer, Early Learning Coalition of Orange County
- Deborah Barra | Chief Assistant State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit Office of the State Attorney's Office
- Kelly Lafferman | Chief Marketing Officer & Principal, Findsome & Winmore
- Bernadette Spong | Chief Financial Officer, Orlando Health
- Roseann Harrington, Chief of Staff | Orange County Government
SPEAKERS IN 2018
- Eryka Washington | Ninth Judicial Circuit Office of the State Attorney's Office
- Secily Wilson | The WOW Legacy Group, LLC
- Sharon Spano, PhD | Business Strategist, Author & Professional Integral Coach
- Robin Maynard-Harris | Founder, Libby's Legacy Breast Cancer Foundation
- Jill Bolander Cohen | Founder, The Lifeboat Project
- Jennifer Foster | Owner & Executive Producer, Foster Productions & Co-Founder, One Orlando Alliance
- Karla Radka | Chief Operating Officer, Goodwill Industries of Central Florida
- Pamela (Sissi) Carroll, EdD | Dean, UCF College of Education and Human Performance
- Peg Cornwell | Associate to the President for College & Community Relations & Micki Meyer | Lord Family Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs & Community, Rollins College
-
Aida Lublin | Owner, Brightway Insurance, The Lublin Agency
SPEAKERS IN 2017
- Cyndia Morales Muñiz, EdD, Assistant Director of Multicultural Academic & Support Services | University of Central Florida
- Kari Conley, Director, Community Relations | Orlando Health
- Diane O'Dell, President of Community & Diversity Relations & Executive Director of the Foundation | Universal Orlando
- Maryann Barry, CEO | Girl Scouts of Citrus
- Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, Retired Army, Senior Vice President, Global Partnering, Leadership Development & Health Performance Strategies | Florida Hospital
- Michelle Brady Palmer, Manager, Community Engagement | SeaWorld Parks & Resorts Orlando
- Barbara Jenkins, EdD, Superintendent | Orange County Public Schools
- Joie Cadle, Elected Board Member, Orange County Public Schools, 2017 WEC Woman of the Year