Emerge Summit

Breakout Session #1 - Professional Development

The Influence Revolution: Shifting from Power to Impact

Jill Parish - ThinkDev

 In today’s dynamic landscape, effective leadership goes beyond traditional authority and embraces the art of influence. This session will explore the shift from power-based leadership to influence driven strategies, preparing participants to think about what skills they need to develop in order to inspire and engage those around them.

Lead From Where You Are: Rebuilding Culture Without a Title

Robby Gill - GameChangers

Drawing from experiences at Amazon and beyond, Robby Gill shares a practical, story-driven approach to transforming team culture from the inside out. Through real-world examples spanning corporate, sports, and personal leadership moments, this session explores how a clear vision, everyday actions, and the courage to lead without permission can reignite morale and unify teams. Attendees will walk away with simple, actionable principles to create meaningful change—no title required

Evolving Your Leadership to Elevate Your Career

Julie Phillips - Randle Communications

Learn how to transition from being a contributor which often is the first step to career advancement, to a people-centered leader who can balance their portfolios while also elevating in title, role and responsibility. I'll share tips to change your mindset and strengthen your capacity to make this shift seamlessly.

Interview Ready — New Graduates & Early-Career Professionals.

Igor Carreon - Adora POS

This hands-on workshop gives early-career candidates and recent graduates a manager’s perspective on getting hired — what hiring teams measure, resume and LinkedIn signals that drive callbacks, how to prepare for technical screens and take-home projects, and how to craft concise, compelling behavioral answers. The session is interactive: I’ll use a short question template tied to the presentation and invite two volunteers (one at a time) to respond to a critical resume or interview prompt; we’ll solicit quick audience observations and then I’ll model a tightened, manager-ready version. Attendees will leave with concrete wording techniques, a one-page resume checklist, and a clear action plan to improve their next application or interview.

Connecting Up: Creating Impact with Movers, Shakers, and Decision Makers.

Alex Becerra - SAFE Credit Union

In this breakout session, Alex Becerra (Community Development Specialist,) will deliver a dynamic presentation aimed at building meaningful connections with influential leaders and creating lasting positive impacts in business & community. Alex will share valuable insights and actionable strategies for aligning your personal and professional development goals while strengthening your network and driving collaboration. Ultimately, the breakout will challenge participants to more effectively (and intentionally) establish (and build) relationships with Sacramento's current, up-and-coming, and future leaders. Key takeaways include: aligning personal & professional development goals, increasing engagement with influential networks, leveraging existing relationships to bridge connections, "showing up" in places/settings where you can make a real difference, serving others to strengthen your professional reputation, and fostering a lifelong growth mindset. The session will feature key talking points and incorporate interactive workshop elements, including group discussions, mini-games, and personal reflections.

When AI Takes the Mic: Ethics & Policy with a Live AI Panelist

Daniel Chapnick - The Raley's Companies 

Artificial intelligence is already influencing how we hire, educate, govern, and protect information — often faster than ethical standards, public policy, and workforce understanding can keep up. For young professionals, this rapid change also raises a very real question: Will AI take my job? This breakout panel brings together experts in talent acquisition, legislative and Chamber policy, AI governance and security, and childhood education, alongside a unique special guest: ChatGPT, participating live as an AI panelist. Using ChatGPT’s voice functionality, the AI panelist will listen to the discussion and respond in real time only when addressed, offering structured, data-driven perspectives to the same ethical, policy, and workforce questions posed to the human panelists. This side-by-side format allows the audience to clearly see where AI provides efficiency and insight — and where human judgment, accountability, and values remain essential. Topics will include ethical considerations in AI-assisted hiring, bias and transparency, legislative and regulatory challenges, data security and governance, responsible use of AI in childhood education, and the growing concern around AI replacing jobs and reshaping career paths for early-career professionals. The panel will address where job displacement risks are real, where fears are overstated, and what skills and safeguards matter most moving forward. By watching humans and AI respond together on stage, attendees gain a practical, grounded understanding of how AI should be governed — not just adopted — and how young professionals can position themselves to remain relevant, employable, and confident in an AI-influenced workplace.

The Conversation You're Avoiding

Lorraine Armijos - LAR Insights

The Conversation You're Avoiding: Think of a conversation you’ve been putting off. The feedback you need to give. The boundary you need to set. The question you need to ask. Got it? That conversation is costing you more than you think. Most professionals avoid difficult conversations not because they don’t care, but because no one ever taught them how. We worry we’ll damage the relationship, say it wrong, or make things awkward. So we stay silent. The problem grows. Resentment builds. And the conversation gets harder the longer we wait. This workshop gives you both the mindset and the method. You’ll learn the Crucial Conversations approach to showing up with courage and creating safety, then master SBI-E, a simple four-step framework that keeps feedback factual, clear, and forward-focused: Situation, Behavior, Impact, Expectations. You need both. The mindset gets you IN the room. The method gets you THROUGH the conversation. You’ll practice the full framework with a partner using realistic workplace scenarios, then leave with a commitment to have the conversation you’ve been avoiding this week.

Fix the Right Thing: Diagnosing Challenges to Lead Real Change

Taylor Toledo - Toledo Consulting Inc.

Before you can lead change, you need to understand what kind of problem you're actually facing (because not every issue can or should be solved the same way). This session gives attendees a practical framework to diagnose challenges and shows how that clarity unlocks smarter, more effective change from any level of an organization.

Breakout Session #2 - Personal Development

Credit, Confidence, and Career Choices: How Financial Stress Shapes Your Work Life

Savannah Brown - SAFE Credit Union

This interactive workshop is designed to help professionals understand how financial stress influences personal wellbeing, professional growth, and major life decisions. Through discussions and group activities, we'll dive into pressures of societal timelines, learn how comparison shapes decision-making, and gain tools to build financial confidence. Additional topics covered:

• Financial concepts mini lessons: budgeting, saving, and credit
• Getting inspired by your work again
• Following your dreams, not dollars

Finding Your People: Strategic Networking and Finding Meaningful Mentorship

CJ Stone - American Water

Everyone says “your network is your net worth”—but no one really shows you how to build one that matters. This session breaks down how to connect with seasoned professionals in a way that feels natural, not transactional—and how to turn those connections into meaningful mentorship. 

Join CJ Stone (Principal at California American Water, President of Active 20-30) and a panel of regional leaders as they share real insights on what it takes to stand out, ask better questions, and build relationships that last beyond a single event.

Whether you’re early in your career or looking to level up your circle, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to build credibility, grow your network, and find mentors who genuinely want to support your growth.

If you’ve ever walked into a networking event and thought, “Where do I even start?”—this is where you start.

Volunteerism as a Path to Career Growth

Christopher Marshall - Junior Achievement Sacramento

Volunteerism is often seen as a way to give back, but it can also be a powerful catalyst for personal and professional growth. This panel will explore how community involvement builds leadership skills, expands networks and opens unexpected career opportunities. Moderated by Junior Achievement Director Jaimie Asakawa, the discussion will feature Street Soccer USA Chief of Staff Tiffany Fraser, Startup Sac President and CEO Laura Good and Junior Achievement Sacramento President and CEO Chris Marshall. Panelists will share real world examples of how service shaped their careers, the skills they gained through community leadership and practical ways young professionals can leverage volunteer experiences to accelerate their growth while making meaningful impact.

Blaze Your Own Trail or Dismantle the One You’re Given

Kit Carson - Carson's Coatings

Kit Carson is an entrepreneur who got his start at 25, buying a We Buy Ugly Houses franchise by maxing out an unsecured line of credit while working nights as a bartender. Through grit and resourcefulness, he completed over 250 real estate deals before selling the business and stepping into leadership of his family’s company, Carson’s Coatings, 35 years in business. 

In this session, Kit shares how he earned respect from teams with decades of experience, brought new energy into a long-standing business, and is reshaping the stucco materials space in Northern California. Expect real-world lessons on leadership, trust, and thinking differently, no fluff, just what actually works.

Personal Brand as Leadership Tool: Defining Your Professional Narrative

Rachael Brown - Rachael Brown Consulting

A leader's brand determines their visibility, influence, and trajectory. This workshop will guide attendees through an essential process of self-discovery to identify their core values, unique professional strengths, and future vision. Participants will leave with a clear, cohesive personal brand narrative they can immediately use to elevate their voice, secure buy-in, and advocate for their own career progression.

Earn Your Own Line: Redefining Personal Branding in the Age of AI

Vanessa Errexarte - UC Davis GSM 

Personal branding often feels performative and self-promotional, yet staying invisible isn’t an option in an AI-driven world where competence alone gets overlooked. This workshop offers a more authentic approach—helping participants build a brand rooted in credibility, service, and original thinking. Drawing from Valuable & Visible, attendees will challenge assumptions in their field, uncover meaningful problems, and develop perspectives that drive impact. They’ll also learn to turn one clear idea into a sustainable communication system that builds trust across platforms. Featuring a real-world case discussion, this session equips professionals to balance visibility with value—and stand out with purpose.

Healing Through Harmony: Music Mindfulness & Connection

Sumra Afzal and Shirley Tolman - Kaiser Permanente

Discover how music can heal, energize, and bring people together. This interactive session opens with a calming guided meditation, followed by a brief look at how music supports individuals living with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and depression. Then, the energy shifts as participants are invited to join a lively karaoke experience, ending with group reflection, discussion, and a fun raffle giveaway.

From Sipping Mezcal to Driving Community Impact: Turn Your Passion Into Action

Adrian Piñon - Planet Mezcal

Join this inspiring and interactive breakout session exploring how a simple idea can evolve into a purpose-driven platform with real community impact. Through a personal journey from corporate marketing to launching a globally engaged digital community, attendees will gain insight into the power of storytelling, cultural authenticity, and strategic thinking.

Participants will reflect on their own passions and strengths, then workshop and pitch ideas for passion projects in small groups—fostering collaboration, feedback, and inspiration. This session is designed to help emerging leaders connect purpose with action, offering practical tools to shape ideas, build meaningful platforms, and create impact.

Attendees will leave with a clearer vision for their own passion project—and the confidence to take the first step.

The Metro EDGE offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities.

For questions or to request more information, please contact:

Savannah Fox
Phone: 916-552-6800
Email: sfox@metrochamber.org