I joined with over 1,000 women to attend the Office Depot Success Strategies for Businesswomen in Boca Raton, Florida. It was a great time of year to go south when there was a little snow and ice here in Kentucky not to mention the great sessions and networking opportunities.

This conference is known for its prestigious keynote speakers with The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, United States Senator and former First Lady kicking off the event. Then, Katie Couric, co-anchor of NBC's Today and Contributing Anchor, Dateline NBC; Mary Matalin, former assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney -- the first White House official to hold that double title; Dawn Hudson, President of Pepsi-Cola North America; and Iyanla Vanzant, CEO, Innervisions Worldwide Spiritual Life Maintenance Center. The theme of the conference was "Today's Challenge…Tomorrow's Triumph."

Each speaker and session was geared to the strategies and tools needed to grow our business and enhance our success. Not only was I interested in this conference for what it offered for my business directly, but there was also a connection with golf.

Dawn Hudson, President of Pepsi-Cola North America, serves on the LPGA Board of Directors, as well as Lowe's Corp., the Association of National Advertisers and the American Film Institute. With her business responsibilities combined with those for her family of four, and, of course, her love of golf, it takes a lot of balancing between work and life. "Golf is not just sports, it's entertainment," she pointed out. Hudson has over 20 years of experience in all areas of marketing and branding with well-known brands including Bristol Myers and Frito-Lay. She launched Pepsi's popular "Joy of Cola" and "Joy of Pepsi" campaigns. "I come out of a brand-marketing background, which breeds a healthy respect for individualism. When you think about it, you are a brand." "And businesswomen have to be their own brand today. It's important to remember your own style and background -- and to leverage your strength and what makes you unique. You can be the architect of your own success -- not just in business life, but in everything you do."

Joan Cavanaugh, an entrepreneur, artist, teacher, golfer and former division head at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Publications Department, in New York City, was awarded the prestigious Office Depot "Businesswoman of the Year" award. Cavanaugh was nominated by Executive Women's Golf Association for her many outstanding career and philanthropic accomplishments and demonstration of leadership. While at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she created her own division called Educational marketing and created the first retail space exclusively geared to children's books, games, toys and graphics related to the art in a museum. Educational chain stores such as Noodle Kidoodle, Zany Brainy and the Learning Express were modeled after The Children's Shop at the museum.

I learned more about why Joan received this award when we played golf at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. One of the first items she created was an Advent Calendar. At the time, 98% of the calendars sold in this country were from Europe. She commissioned American illustrators of children's books to design the calendars with interactive features such as pop-ups, mini toy fillables, etc., which in a few years outsold European calendars here. In the 80's, she founded WJ Fantasy, which created five paper art products for children. Later she sold her firm and has set her sights on a career in the golf industry. Cavanaugh founded the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program in Fairfield County, Connecticut and is the present Site Director. She will begin writing books directed to professional women who want to play the game and about mothers and daughters who play golf together.

Books By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Books By Katie Couric
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