3rd Annual Women’s Leadership Breakfast Celebration in honor of International Day of the Girl

2024 Event Photos

FEATURED PANELISTS

Ellen Chen
Co-Founder, Mendocino Farms, Investor/Advisor

Since stepping down from the “day to day” of running Mendocino Farms, a premium fast casual gourmet sandwich and salad concept that she co-founded in 2005, Ellen has focused her time, energy and passion supporting female and minority founded businesses. Ellen is using her twenty years of experience growing food brands to help early-stage founders understand their purpose, operationalize their values, get the resources they need and hopefully avoid some of the mistakes she made.

Ellen continues to offer the restaurant group a big business perspective with an entrepreneur's passion. In 2015 Nation’s Restaurant News included her on their annual Power List, and 2020 Nation’s Restaurant News named her the 50 most influential women in food service. She sits on the Board of Directors of Mendocino Farms and Sugared + Bronzed as well as Advisor to Zitti, Curbit, Womaness and Vibrant Funds. She believes strongly in a need to give back to her community and is a Founding Board Member of Teach AAPI and AAPI LA an initiative launched by the Mayor’s office in Los Angeles.

Channing Dungey
Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group

Highly esteemed executive Channing Dungey serves as Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG), one of the entertainment industry’s most-respected providers of original programming. She is the first Black executive and first woman to lead WBTVG. In this role, she has creative responsibility for all of the Studio’s unrivaled television production activities, including nearly 90 scripted, unscripted, and animated series for streaming platforms, cable, and the broadcast networks.

In August 2024, it was announced Dungey will also lead Warner Bros. Discovery’s US Networks business, in addition to WBTVG. Prior to joining the company, she was Vice President of Original Series at Netflix. Before that, she made history as the first Black executive to run a major television network when she was tapped to serve as president of ABC Entertainment. Dungey graduated from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.

Zeba Manki
Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Deckers Brands

Zeba Manki is an accomplished professional in the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, currently serving as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Deckers Brands. Manki previously held the position of Director of Diversity | Equity & Inclusion at Beautycounter, and has also worked at Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics North America as a Program Manager for Belonging, Inclusion & Diversity, as well as in Employment Branding & HR Communications within People & Culture. Prior roles include Talent Resource Manager for the East region at Lush and Senior Recruiter at Avigilon. Manki is a graduate of The University of British Columbia.

Christine Monjer
President, LA Sparks

Christine Monjer became the President of the LA Sparks in 2024. Prior to that, she played a vital role as head of business operations for the Las Vegas Aces in the formation of the brand identity, advertising, creating the game day experience and negotiated the team’s TV deal. Prior to the Aces, she served as the executive director of marketing for MGM Resorts International, where she oversaw residency and touring shows, festivals, and special events throughout all of MGM’s Las Vegas venues. She also spent two years in Chicago working with PepsiCo as the marketing manager for Quaker Oats focused on brand development.

Monjer attended the University of Miami, where she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in business management before going on to earn her MBA from Cornell University. In 2022, Cornell presented Monjer with the Carlos R. Quintanilla Distinguished Latino Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni for exceptional achievements and promoting the advancement of Latinos in the business world.

As a first-generation American of Cuban and Venezuelan descent and native Spanish speaker, Monjer is passionate about diversity in business and serving a myriad of communities in the greater Los Angeles area.

Dr. Kimberly Pargeon
Attending Physician and Epilepsy Specialist, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Dr. Pargeon is an Attending Physician in Neurology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. After receiving her medical degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in 2005, she completed her Neurology residency training at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland in 2009.

Following residency, Dr. Pargeon completed a two-year fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian in New York City in 2011. After her fellowship, she initially joined the neurology faculty at Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx. She subsequently joined the neurology faculty at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and mostly recently was a member of the neurology faculty at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, where she was the director of the epilepsy monitoring unit and of the training clinics for the neurology residents and fellows. She has since relocated to the Los Angeles area, and joined the neurology faculty at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she is the director of the neurology outpatient clinics and of the clinical neurophysiology lab. Dr. Pargeon is board certified in Neurology and in Epilepsy, and she is a fellow for both the American Epilepsy Society and American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. She has special interests in the treatments for medically refractory epilepsy, women’s issues in epilepsy, and trainee education.

Michelle Wahler
Co-Founder and Former CEO, Beyond Yoga

Michelle Wahler Adams is an entrepreneur, business leader and mother. In 2005, she co-founded the active lifestyle company Beyond Yoga, where as CEO, she built the product and brand from the ground up. What started as a mere concept led to a global wholesale business, ecommerce site and opening the first brick and mortar stores, selling tens of millions of units around the world over the course of nearly 20 years. Michelle built a female focused organization with an unwavering commitment to inclusivity, diversity and empowerment both among employees and customers. She skillfully navigated negotiations and led her team through the brand’s acquisition by Levi Strauss & Co. in 2021. Post acquisition she continued her role as CEO of Beyond Yoga and joined the Executive Leadership Team of Levi Strauss.

Michelle was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2021, and as a DEIA Visionary by the LA Times in 2023.

Michelle is originally from Maryland and began her career while living in New York City. She now lives in Los Angeles and is married with two children and two dogs. Michelle is active in a number of philanthropic causes through the family foundation she created with her husband. She also finds joy in painting, reading, and exploring through travel.