Events

Hosted by the Emerging Professionals Community

Leadership doesn’t come with a map. It’s built through trial and error, wrong turns, and a whole lot of “well… that didn’t work.” This high-energy, interactive workshop shortens the learning curve by blending real-world lessons, lived experience, and laugh-out-loud stories so you leave with practical tools, renewed confidence, and a clear path forward as the professional baddie you already are.

Over the past decade, SMPS DC President Jess Gillette has navigated managing up and across, earning credibility in a male-dominated industry, setting (and defending) boundaries, and bouncing back from career setbacks. Today, she serves as Communications & Marketing Director of ABC Virginia, partnering directly with executive leadership from some of the most recognized construction companies in the state. In this session, Jess opens her doodle-filled notebook to share the tips, frameworks, and no-BS strategies she wishes she’d had earlier—so you can fast-track your own growth.

This workshop is intentionally structured, highly interactive, and designed for immediate application. Through guided reflection, real-life scenarios, and practical exercises, participants will walk away with tools they can use the very next day. Expect honesty, humor, and a learning experience you’ll still be thinking about long after it ends.

Key Takeaways:

Who Should Attend (and Why)

This workshop is designed for emerging and mid-level professionals who are ready to lead with confidence but don’t want to learn everything the hard way. If you’ve ever struggled with setting boundaries, navigating office politics, managing up, or finding your voice in a male-dominated or high-pressure environment, this session is for you.

Attendees will benefit most if they are:

Whether you’re building your leadership foundation or leveling up your influence, this workshop delivers practical strategies, real talk, and a reminder that becoming a professional baddie doesn’t mean becoming someone you’re not—it means owning who you already are.

LIMITED TO 15 ATTENDEES

We’ll dive into navigating male-dominated spaces, but this session is for everyone! All identities are welcome, and all will walk away with tools they can use.

Speaker Info:

Jess Gillette, CPSM

Communications & Marketing Director

Associated Builders & Contractors - Virginia

With over ten years of leadership, marketing, and graphic design experience in the AEC industry, Jess intermingles her professional background, authentic stories from her personal life, and comedy into every workshop she facilitates. Currently president of SMPS DC, Jess is a native to the DC area and has found roots in Fauquier County with her small clone, a seven-year-old boy named Jacob. She has been involved with the SMPS DC chapter since 2015, serving as Director of Special Events twice and co-leading the chapter’s nationally recognized CPSM boot camp for many years. She received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Coastal Carolina University and is currently pursuing a Master of Legal Studies at American University. When she manages to carve out a night off, Jess can be found at a comedy open mic somewhere in the DMV region. Jess aspires to live a life of positivity, spread joy, instill confidence in others, bridge divides through kindness and communication, and make everyone laugh. At all costs, commit to the bit.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicajgillette/

What it costs:

Additional details: