Meet Our 2020 Speakers

Sheryl Palmer
Chairman & CEO
@Taylor Morrison

Sheryl Palmer is the chairman and chief executive officer of Taylor Morrison, a leading national home builder and developer based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since 2007, Ms. Palmer has overseen a highly experienced leadership team in several key national home building markets. With more than 30 years of cross-functional building experience, including leadership in land acquisition, sales and marketing, development, and operations management, Ms. Palmer has led Taylor Morrison into the top ranks of America's largest public home builders, following the company's IPO in 2013. Under Ms. Palmer's leadership, Taylor Morrison has been successful in creating trustworthy relationships with both its internal and external customers. In 2019, the company was named America's Most Trusted Home Builder for the fourth consecutive year by Lifestory Research, named one of the World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune Magazine, and recognized by Bloomberg's Gender Equality Index (GEI) for transparency in gender reporting and advancing women's equality.

Kristi Allen
Owner
@WoodCastle Homes

Kristi Allen is a general contractor and the owner of WoodCastle Homes. She was lucky to grow up in the home building industry as the third generation of a family-owned home builder, McArthur Homes, where she gained over 13 years experience in new home sales and marketing. In 2016, Kristi began her biggest home building adventure yet when she and her brother started WoodCastle Homes. She quickly learned that building new homes is both more rewarding and more challenging than she ever expected. Currently, Kristi is doing her best to balance building new custom homes for her amazing clients, spending lots of time with her three busy kids, serving as the chair of the Utah PWB, and acting as the GC on The House That She Built, an all-women-built home. She hopes to show girls and women that there's a space for them in this awesome home building industry, and it's a great place to be!

Jen Barkan
Online Sales Coach
@Do You Convert

With over 15 years in sales and marketing for new home builders, Jen Barkan brings frontline experience to Do You Convert as an Online Sales Coach. Since joining the DYC team in 2017, Jen has coached and trained hundreds of online sales specialists and worked with many builders across the country to help develop their online sales programs. She enjoys also hosts a monthly series on FaceBook called OPT — Online People Talking, dedicated specifically for the Online Sales Specialist. In 2016, she was named Online Sales Consultant of the Year by the National Sales and Marketing Council of the National Home Builders Association and was also a Silver Award winner in 2015. Later in 2016, Jen was the recipient of Pro Builder Magazine's 40 under 40 award.

Dawn Duhamel
Director of Sales & Marketing
@Possibilities for Design

Dawn Duhamel is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Possibilities for Design, one of the nation's most recognized homebuilder-centric interior design firms. Dawn has hired, developed, and managed amazing sales and marketing teams for some of the country's leading builders, including Standard Pacific, John Laing, and Pulte. Her resume includes numerous NAHB sales awards and national speaking engagements, but her most recent accomplishment is publishing her first book, Whistled. Whistled chronicles Dawn's introspective journey following a controversial termination late in her career. Reaching deep into the issue of self-worth, Dawn invites honesty and humor into her world, sharing stories of success, setbacks, and sunshine.

Brooke Eversoll
President
@Bee Studios

Brooke Eversoll is a CMKBD and owner of Bee Studios in St. Petersburg. Brooke has been designing 17 years and received her first NKBA certification in 2007, her CKD and CBD back to back in 2014, and her CMKBD in 2016.  Bee Studios is a high end interior design firm with a strong focus on the design/ build relationship. Bee Studios has a unique business model that lands at the intersection of interior design, architecture, kitchen/bath design, and cabinetry.  The firm's focus is high end organic modern environments. Brooke's approach is clean lines and intentional details to create "Curated Spaces Designed for Living".

Liesel Cooper
President of Western and Mountain Regions
@Century Communities

Liesel Cooper — president of Western and Mountain regions at Century Communities — has had a long history of success in the home building industry, having served in prominent positions for several national builders over a decades-long career. In her current role, she directly oversees land acquisition, land development, land entitlement, construction, purchasing, product development, sales, corporate marketing, customer service functions, and finance — resulting in over $1 billion in revenue for the company. She also joined Century Communities just prior to its initial public offering and has played a key role in the company's growth into a top 10 U.S. builder with a national footprint.

Tanya Donahue
President
@RI Kitchen & Bath Design+Build 

Tanya Donahue, President of Rhode Island Kitchen and Bath, has over 25 years' experience in the home building and remodeling industry. Overseeing RIKB's design and sales team, she has taken a creative approach to marketing by offering seminars, partnering with local businesses, and bringing authentic and approachable messaging to the company. Tanya is a member of the Rhode Island Builders Association, and also served as co-chair of the Remodeler's Committee. She has spoken at many industry events, including Harvard University's Joint Center on Housing Studies conference. Tanya was also the recipient of the 2017 ProRemodeler Extreme Sales Award.

Lindsay Helmick
Chief Financial Officer
@Allen Construction

Lindsay Helmick manages the finance and operations divisions as the Chief Financial Officer. As a tech savvy strategic thinker, she spends most days making sure that new processes and procedures are implemented smoothly across the company, while developing the financial systems needed to support the company's continued growth. Lindsay pays close attention to the numbers, but her real passion comes from managing teams and systems to make sure the company stays organized. A local graduate from the University of California at Santa Barbara, Lindsay spent five years in the accounting department with Deckers Outdoor Corporation before joining Allen Construction.

Sarah Henry
Owner
@Gaspar's

As the second-generation owner of Gaspar's, Sarah Henry provides the strong, behind-the-scenes support that helps the company thrive. Having grown up in Seattle, Henry joined the family business in 2002 after spending a decade working in Human Resources. She believes that excellent communication skills are critical to Gaspar's success both internally and externally. Henry invests in communication training company wide so that every employee can be part of fostering a collaborative spirit between clients and the design/construction teams to create beautiful results and a great experience for all.

Sheila Lanier
Lead Designer
@Homework Remodels & Tri-Lite Builders

Sheila Lanier is Lead Designer at Homework Remodels and Tri-Lite Builders. She has been creating award-winning remodels since 2006. A graduate of the National Kitchen + Bath Association's Certified Design program, she is a passionate advocate for continuing education. To that end, she also is also a Universal Design Certified Professional with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. As the future leader of Homework Remodels, her goal is to continue building a culture that is focused on leading with humility and helping homeowners love their home again.

Abbie Mirata
VP, Founder
@Kyndly

Abbie Mirata is a trainer, speaker, corporate executive, and business owner. From teen mom to VP, founder of the nonprofit Kyndly, and owner of a franchise that concentrates on mentoring young people, she is focused on impacting people, creating community, and building a kinder world. She believes people are looking for a human connection in the companies they do business with. As former head of sales operations and training for a multi-billion dollar Fortune 500 public company and VP of People and Culture for a successful startup tech company, Abbie draws from her experiences to help others focus on cultivating joy and finding the light they give from within themselves, each and every day. As a Joy Coach and keynote speaker, she brings her quick-witted humor, personal challenges, and relentless positivity to every interaction, workshop, and engagement.

Leyah Valgardson
Founder & Executive Coach
@Leader's Voice

Leyah Valgardson is the founder of Leader's Voice, a women's executive leadership coach, and feminine culture champion. Leyah spent 15 years of her career in a male-dominated industry trying to play a "man's game," only to realize that she would never truly win. She determined that the key to change was in owning the power of her unique, feminine voice. Leyah's success with honing and using her inherent leader's voice led her to the highest ranks of leadership positions in her corporate career. Knowing that her experience could be beneficial to other professional women, Leyah left her corporate position in 2018 to start Leader's Voice. Through a variety of one-on-one executive coaching, group coaching, and workshop opportunities, Leyah helps women advance in their careers by mastering and expressing their unique leader's voice - empowering them to become valued, effective change leaders within the workplace.

Christine Williamson
Founder
@Building Science Fight Club

Christine Williamson has spent her career in building science forensics, discovering why buildings fail, and working with owners, builders, and architects to remedy the problems. Her new construction consulting helps architects use building science not only to mitigate risk of failure, but also to help them make their projects as energy efficient as they are beautiful. She is the founder of the Instagram account @buildingsciencefightclub, an educational project that teaches architects about building science and construction. She graduated from Princeton University and studied at Boston Architectural College before completing her Master's of Architecture at NewSchool of Architecture + Design.

Pierrette Tierney
VP of Business Development
@Magleby Construction

After obtaining a Master's Degree in Journalism from USC and working at CNN's London Bureau, Pierrette started a career in home building at Pulte Homes. She quickly climbed the management ranks in public home building, most recently serving as Division President for Taylor Morrison's Bay Area operations. In her career, she has overseen the development and implementation of well over 200 master plan, active adult, high-density, and luxury home communities. In 2016, she and her husband decided to take their industry experience and apply it to the family business at Magleby Construction, a professional custom construction firm. She now oversees business development, marketing, branding, strategic growth opportunities, and runs its Park City operations. Pierrette also serves as the first female President of the Park City Area Home Builder Association.

Kerry Mulcrone
President
@Kerry & Co.

Kerry & Co., a New Home Sales, Leadership and Coaching Company, is celebrating 35 years in the home building industry. Kerry shares her hands on direct from the trenches experience and knowledge coast to coast developing company synergy and systems which create both a "Love to work here" and "People love to work with us" environment. Kerry's energy is infectious and her compassion compelling.

Betsy Sheppard
Founder & CEO
@Gilbert & Sheppard Group

Betsy Sheppard is a respected marketing and advertising veteran known for her expertise in residential real estate development and the 55+ home building industry. Betsy's career spans over 3 decades, culminating in the 1999 founding of Gilbert & Sheppard Group, an award-winning creative marketing and business consulting firm based in north Georgia. Betsy has been an active member of the Atlanta HBA and is a National Board Member for Atlanta. She is a founding member and past Chair of the PWB Atlanta chapter and a past Chair of the Atlanta 55+ Council. The Atlanta HBA honored her as its 2010 Council Chair of the Year and 2013 Associate Member of the Year. On the NAHB national level, Betsy was the 2015 55+ Council Associate of the Year and the 2018 PWB Woman of the Year.

Meredith Oliver
Co-founder & Chief Strategist
@Meredith Communications

Meredith Oliver is the co-founder and chief strategist of Meredith Communications, a digital marketing agency in Raleigh, N.C., specializing in digital marketing solutions such as website design, search engine optimization, and social media marketing. She is an eighteen-time presenter at the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) International Builders Show including multiple appearances in the Super Sales Rally. Meredith holds the MIRM and the MCSP designations and is a Past Chair of the NAHB NSMC Institute of Residential Marketing. Meredith served for two years as the Communications Chair for the NAHB Professional Women in Building Council. Honors include 2017 MIRM Designee of the Year, 2016 NAHB PWB National Member of the Year, and 2015 NAHB NSMC Bill Molster Award for Outstanding Service and Lifetime Achievement. You can follow her on Twitter @MeredithCSP and on Instagram @MeredithsShoes22.

Denise Dersin
Editorial Director
@Pro Builder, Custom Builder

Denise Dersin is the editorial director of Pro Builder, Custom Builder, ProBuilder.com, and CustomBuilderOnline.com. An award-winning writer and editor for more than 30 years, Dersin previously served as editor in chief of Builder magazine and editor of Time Life Books. While at Time Life, she edited, wrote, or researched more than 50 volumes for four of the company's best-selling series of books.

Erika Taylor
Director of Content
@Pro Remodeler

Erika Taylor believes that the cornerstone of a great media brand lies in its ability to form community. She's passionate about bringing together the brightest minds in remodeling, engaging them as writers, speakers, and influencers for ProRemodeler's audience. Prior to her tenure with SGC Horizon, Erika served for 14 years as editorial director for Hanley Wood's pool group. She's also been a contributor for the Los Angeles Times, and a field manager for RAND, a world renowned think tank.

Mollie Elkman
Owner & President
@Group Two

Mollie Elkman is the owner and president of Group Two, a leading new home marketing agency that focuses on connecting builders with buyers. Group Two's cross-functional teams specialize in progressive strategies that build trust throughout the buying cycle. By analyzing each builder's unique market and product, the Group Two team is able to help bolster sales and impact the buyer experience as well as the builder's bottom line.

Jane Meagher
President
@Success Strategies

Jane Meagher is President of Success Strategies, the nation's leading full-service Design Studio creation, strategy, and training company. Jane works with leading builders and suppliers in 42+ states and throughout Canada, bringing her passion for consumer purchase psychology and retail strategies to the new home building industry to increase option sales, improve operations and the customer experience, and to sell more homes. The company just released the industry-first online training and certification program for Design Consultants: Design Consultant Professional (DC PRO), and a companion program for Managers (Managing Excellence).

Nikki Nuckols
Founder & Creative Director
@Click & Co.

Nikki Nuckols is a brand and web design expert who marries innovation and creativity with digital strategy. Nikki started her career as an art director working on ad campaigns for corporate giants such as Target, Best Buy and LensCrafters, but soon realized her passion lay with helping small businesses grow and succeed. Now, with over a decade of experience, and nearly 300 brand and website launches in her portfolio, Nikki helps lead her team as the founder and creative director of Click & Co., a strategic digital agency.