The Women Empowered Conference is an annual event dedicated to fostering the growth and success of women in business and leadership within our community. It provides a dynamic platform for networking, professional development, and inspiration, featuring engaging speakers, workshops, and opportunities to connect with peers and mentors. The conference aims to empower women with the tools, knowledge, and connections needed to excel in their careers and contribute to the economic vitality of the Ogden-Weber area.
2026 Speakers
KEYNOTE
Dream Without Limits
Turning Purpose Into Possibility
Sandi Hendry is the founder and CEO of Minky Couture, a luxury blanket company known for creating what many customers call the “Best Blanket Ever.” Before becoming an entrepreneur, Sandi spent 30 years as an elementary school teacher, dedicating her life to helping children and families.
Her journey into business began more than 17 years ago when she created a soft, comforting blanket for her daughter during a difficult health challenge. What started as a mother’s desire to provide comfort soon became a passion and a purpose. Friends and family quickly fell in love with the blanket, inspiring Sandi to turn a simple act of love into a thriving business.
Founded in 2009 in Utah, Minky Couture has grown from a small local company into a nationally recognized brand with hundreds of employees and millions of blankets sold. The company has become known for its exceptional quality, unmatched softness, and commitment to giving back to communities in need. Under Sandi’s leadership, Minky Couture has partnered with organizations across the country and earned prestigious relationships, including being named the official blanket of the Dallas Cowboys.
Today, Sandi continues to lead with the same values that inspired the company’s founding: comfort, kindness, family, and creating products that help people feel loved, connected, and at home.
Sandi Hendry
Minky Couture
Lead Without Limits
Real-life skills that push women to the next level
Allyse Jackson
Beehive Meals
Resilience Without Limits
Bouncing back after setbacks or seasons of change
Jodi Orgill Brown is an award-winning speaker, author, and resilience expert who helps leaders and organizations transform adversity into strength. After surviving a brain tumor and navigating life-altering medical complications, including facial paralysis and hearing loss, she discovered that resilience is not about bouncing back it is about growing forward.
She draws from decades of professional speaking, business consulting, and nonprofit leadership experience to teach audiences how to develop antifragility, the ability to become stronger through challenge and change.
She has been featured on stages, podcasts, and media publications around the world and is known for her honest engaging and deeply human approach to leadership and personal growth.
Jodi holds a Master of Science degree and is passionate about helping women in business embrace their own Unlimited Resilience and step into their next level of impact influence and purpose. She believes that every setback can become a setup for growth.
Jodi Brown
Global Leader Group
Innovation Without limits
Creative thinking and breaking traditional models
Dlayne Swensen is a Senior Program Manager within Adobe’s Customer Engineering and Success Strategic Initiatives organization, where she leads complex cross-functional programs focused on customer value, operational excellence, and business transformation. Over nearly a decade at Adobe, she has built a reputation for turning bold ideas into scalable outcomes by bringing together diverse teams across product, engineering, sales, consulting, and customer success.
A passionate advocate for innovation, Dlayne believes that breakthrough results happen when people challenge assumptions, think creatively, and move beyond traditional models. She is committed to helping individuals and organizations unlock new possibilities through curiosity, collaboration, and courageous leadership.
Beyond her professional work, Dlayne is dedicated to personal growth and community impact. She actively supports mental health awareness initiatives, volunteers with nonprofit organizations throughout Utah, and is passionate about helping women find their voice and confidence as leaders. She believes creativity thrives in environments where people feel empowered, valued, and inspired to contribute their best ideas.
Dlayne has been happily married to her best friend for 24 years. Together they have two adult daughters, two dogs, two cats, and a lively collection of animals that make up their small urban homestead. Her message is simple: innovation begins when we stop asking what has always been done and start imagining what could be.
Dlayne Swenson
Adobe
Positivity Without Limits
Creating a positive workplace culture
Beth Furton is the co-founder of Daily Rise Coffee, a Utah-grown coffee company she and her husband, Jeff, founded in 2004. Together, they’ve built Daily Rise into more than a coffee company—it’s a culture centered on exceptional organic coffee, genuine hospitality, and their mission of Promoting Positive Energy.
Originally from Michigan, Beth graduated from the University of Michigan and began her career in supply chain management and finance before bringing her business expertise to Daily Rise. Today, she helps lead the company’s continued growth while remaining passionate about building strong teams, creating meaningful customer experiences, and investing in the communities they serve.
Outside of work, Beth enjoys spending time with Jeff and their two teenage daughters, Livie and Mia. Whether hiking, skiing, paddleboarding, or simply enjoying a cup of coffee in the mountains, she finds inspiration in Utah’s outdoors and believes some of life’s best conversations begin over a great cup of coffee.
Beth Furton
Daily Rise