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Headline reading 2023 Alumni Leader and Volunteer Conference with photo of Purdue fountain.

Conference Speakers

Lesley Wiete Headshot

Keynote Speaker

Lesley Wiete (HHS’98)

Chief of Police // Purdue University Police Department

Leading in a Life of Service

Wiete is a 23-year veteran of the Purdue University Police Department, who started her career as a patrol officer in 1999 and was appointed chief in 2022. She has been responsible for leadership of the patrol division—the largest division in the department—and managing home football games. Wiete holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Purdue and a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. She recently graduated from the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command, an intensive leadership program for experienced law enforcement officers. 

Lesley Wiete Headshot

Keynote Speaker

Lesley Wiete (HHS’98)

Chief of Police // Purdue University Police Department

Leading in a Life of Service

Wiete is a 23-year veteran of the Purdue University Police Department, who started her career as a patrol officer in 1999 and was appointed chief in 2022. She has been responsible for leadership of the patrol division—the largest division in the department—and managing home football games. Wiete holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Purdue and a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. She recently graduated from the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command, an intensive leadership program for experienced law enforcement officers. 

Session Speakers

Session Speakers

Session Speakers
Jody Sunna

(LA’01)

Vice President for Corporate Communications // Philip Morris International

Sunna spent nearly two decades guiding and shaping brands and supporting their corporate, cause, and communications efforts before she shifted to working on the client side. She was named among PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 and received PRNews’s People of the Year Award for three consecutive years. Sunna’s presentation is called “Gaining a Seat at the Table: How to Harness Your Influence.”
Shanita Starks

(M’96)

CEO // Stark Truth

Starks is a servant leader who has worked in various leadership roles throughout her career. The first CEO in her family, she is inspired to influence change in the world and make it a better place, which aligns with her motto “The stark truth will set you free.” Starks’s presentation is called “Get Anchored: Saying Yes to Yourself.”
Karil Sommers

(LA’10, MS T’17)

Senior Business Manager // Business Office for Student Organizations // Purdue University

Sommers began working at Purdue in 2004 and completed her degrees while working. She has a registered yoga teacher 200 certification as well as certifications in chair yoga and yoga nidra. She teaches yoga classes online and throughout the community. Sommers’s presentation is called “Restore With Yoga Nidra,” and she will lead a morning mindfulness session.
Cassandra Salazar

(LA’17)

Community and Staff Engagement Administrator // Purdue Extension

Salazar was named a woman of distinction by the YWCA Greater Lafayette and has won three professional awards—Greater Lafayette Commerce’s Top 10 Under 40, Indiana Latino Expo’s Young Professional, and Indiana Latino Institute’s Rising Latino in Their 20s. She serves as the 4th Congressional District’s representative for Indiana’s Latino Legislative Committee. She also volunteers as the copresident of the Purdue Latino Alumni Network and as a mentor for Women Who Create and Latinas in Tech. Salazar’s presentation is called “Shaping the Future: Latina Women as Change Agents.”
Janessa Rhoades

(MS LA’20)

Owner and Small Business Marketing and Operations Consultant // J Rhoades Consulting

Rhoades helps small-business owners systemize their marketing and operations systems to increase revenue and build businesses that will sell for a fortune. She is passionate about empowering women to design and live their dream lives by understanding their professional worth and not compromising their personal goals. Rhoades’s presentation is called “Taming the Burnout Beast: Seven Strategies to Catapult Professional and Personal Success.”
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