Gretchen Fierle, a former C-Suite executive and founder of 28HoursForMe, an immersive leadership skill-building retreat for aspiring women leaders, will join us for a dynamic and interactive workshop, using her two leadership workbooks, Fish Rot from the Head Down : Stories and Lessons about Leadership in 50 Words or Less. All attendees will receive her books, courtesy of WICE, and the program includes lunch. Look forward to three hours of collaborative and inspirational learning! Participants will receive their own copies of the workbooks to use during the training and take home to continue learning after the program.

*Please note that discounted member pricing is available to WICE members, which include all employees of the organizations listed here, Orange & Rockland Utilities, and any individual-paid members for 2019. If you are not yet a member, you can sign up here.

WICE would also like to invite attendees to bring any hats, coats, sweatsuits, gloves, scarves and undergarments to help support a local charity, Cornerstone Manor within the Buffalo City Mission, which serves women and men in the Buffalo area.

Parking: Upon arrival, attendees will be required to check in with the security guard who will direct them to designated parking facilities. As parking is limited, carpooling is recommended.

Speaker Background:

Gretchen Fierle is a tenured marketing and communications executive with over 17 years experience in executive leadership roles. She most recently held the position as senior vice president of marketing and communications at HealthNow New York, licensee of BlueCross BlueShield of WNY and BlueShield of Northeastern New York, during which time she garnered national, state and local awards for leading strategic marketing initiatives. Previous positions include serving as vice president of communications at Independent Health and executive director of the Research Center for Stroke and Heart Disease, a division of the Jacobs Neurological Institute. Gretchen has retired from health care and now focuses on helping management and emerging leaders learn skills to be successful. She also assists regional not-for-profits develop strong foundational communications and brand positioning as her way of paying it forward. She was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, is a graduate of Bard College, and a loyal and enthusiastic advocate of what the region has to offer.

Honors & Awards

• Buffalo Business First, Power 100 Women •Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Best of Blues Award for Integrated Marketing Communications • PRWeek, Community Relations Campaign of the Year • New York State Broadcasters Association, Inc., “Serving New York" Award • Modern Healthcare and Advertising Age, Community Outreach Campaign of the Year • Buffalo Business First, Women of Influence • Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Best of Blue Award for Consumer Marketing • Odyesseus Award for Strategic Marketing • Community Leadership Award, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) • Women Who Mean Business, Buffalo Business First • Organization Partner of the Year, Erie County Commission on the Status of Women • Health Hero Award, Buffalo Business First • "Be Active” Community Program Award, Erie County Physical Activity Coalition • Civic Empowerment Award, Buffalo-Niagara All America City Committee

Community Involvement

• St. John Fisher College, Adjunct Instructor in the Executive Leadership Doctoral Program • Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology, member, board of directors • D’Youville College, member, board of trustees • Save the Michaels of the World, member, board of directors • Catholic Charities of Buffalo, former member, board of trustees • Buffalo State College Foundation, former member, executive committee • Horizon Corporations, former member, board of directors • Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, former member, board of trustees • Leadership Buffalo, former chairman, board of directors • National Women’s Hall of Fame, former member, board of directors • United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, former member, board of directors