February 2026 Retreat Agenda and Logistics

Hi everyone,

Our annual retreat is just a few weeks away. I am looking forward to our time together, reflecting on key achievements, and setting our paths for future success. Here is an overview of our plan, logistics, and actions to prepare. Please review now.  

Purpose: The objectives for our retreat are:

* To inspire and challenge ourselves with practical, relevant business concepts and practices

* To reflect, and set our focus for 2025, individually and as a group

* To build relationships and promote the exchange of ideas

Participants: Barbara, Christina, Heather, Joyce, Juliana, Katie, Katrina, Kelsea, Krista, Lan, Molly, Nina, Sunitha, Teri.  

Business Briefings: To deepen our understanding of each other's businesses, you'll be asked to give a 10 minute business briefing using an outline that I will provide. Part of the group will present Sunday evening before dinner, and the rest on Monday morning. These are verbal updates, no slides or whiteboards needed.  

Sunday:  Christina, Heather, Juliana, Kelsea, Molly, Nina (Group 1)

Monday: Barbara, Joyce, Katie, Katrina, Krista, Lan, Sunitha (Group 2) 

Workshop: Gila Kurtz, from Pinnacle Global Networks, will lead a two-hour workshop with us on Strategic Vision: The Secret Advantage of Women Who Lead with Clarity. Gila is a serial entrepreneur, best-selling author and co-founder of Dog is Good (www.dogisgood.com) - an award-winning, global lifestyle brand for dog lovers. With deep expertise in vision development, brand creation, product development, sales, and marketing psychology, Gila understands what it takes to build a beloved, scalable brand.  

Panel Discussion: We have four fantastic WPO entrepreneurs joining us for a panel discussion focused on Scaling Your Business which Molly has agreed to facilitate. The panelists are: 

• Beatriz Olvera Stotzer, CEO of New Capital LLC where she manages a multimillion dollar portfolio of affordable housing, business, and economic development enterprises. Bea leveraged an initial $97K grant into more than $400M of investments for housing in low income communities throughout Southern CA, simultaneously creating business incubators and small business loan funds. Bea is a member of WPO Los Angeles Chapter.  
• Bethany Van Veen, CEO and Founder of Perspective Pharmacovigilance, a company focused on drug safety operations with consulting services that help companies design and implement processes and infrastructure to meet global standards and regulatory reporting requirements. Based in Walnut Creek, Bethany was previously a member of the WPO SF Chapter.  

• Lisa Butler, Founder and CEO of Lisa Says Gah!, a fashion and lifestyle brand known for joyful design, bold prints, and community-driven storytelling. Lisa Says Gah spans e-commerce, in-house collections, collaborations, retail stores in SF and LA, and a growing wholesale division with partners including Anthropologie, Shopbop, and Bloomingdale's. Lisa is a former member of our chapter, before relocating to the LA area in 2024. 
• Lori O'Keefe, President and CEO of MAAS Companies, a comprehensive planning and construction management company specializing in working with educational (K-12 and higher ed) and government clients. An employee-owned company, based in Newport Beach, MAAS has an impressive client list including many educational institutions in Northern and Southern CA. Lori is a WPO Platinum Member.  

Action Planning:  Tuesday morning will focus on taking the ideas and concepts from the workshop and panel discussion and putting them into action.  

Agenda: All meetings and meals will be held in The Gallery at the Rowan Hotel, unless noted below.  

Sunday, 2/22/26:

4:00  Check-in

5:00  Meeting starts. Business Briefings by Group 1.

6:15  Cocktails and Dinner at 4 Saints Restaurant, Rowan Hotel.

Monday, 2/23/26

7:30  Breakfast Buffet

8:30  Business Briefings by Group 2.  

10:00 Workshop on Strategic Vision

12:00 Lunch and Open Time

2:00  Panel Discussion on Scaling Your Business

4:00  Open Time

7:00  Dinner at Eight4Nine Restaurant, Palm Springs

Tuesday, 2/24/26

7:30  Breakfast Buffet 

8:30  Reflections and Action Planning

10:30 Hotel Check-out

11:00 Shuttle to Palm Springs Tramway

11:30 Lunch at Peaks Restaurant (atop the Palm Springs Tramway)

1:00  Tramway back to Palm Springs 

Thank you to Molly, Joyce, Juliana, and Christina for your help in identifying speakers and securing the venue.  

Let me know if you have any questions. See you soon!  

Best, 

Teri