2021 Women Build Dallas
Virtual Panel Discussion
Women Build is a community of strong, dedicated women, coming together to be a force for good in ourselves and in our communities.
February 2021 Women Build Dallas Virtual Panel Discussion
“How to be a Change Maker in your Community”
Our Moderator
Lady Jade
Women Build Dallas Event Moderator
K104 Morning Show Host
After graduating, Jade returned to Dallas and began her dream career at K104 FM. After working nights, she hosted her own night show which is where she was given the name “Lady Jade.” After working nights for two years, she was asked to join the K104 Morning Show, which she has co-hosted for the last 13 years. The K104 Morning Show is now nationally syndicated in over 30 markets around the country and heard by millions of listeners.
With a passion for giving back, Jade foundered Project 16; her 501c3 non-profit organization geared towards helping less-advantaged youth, giving them opportunities to learn and grow.
Our Speakers
Kelly Ann Doherty
2021 Women Build Dallas Chair
Chief People & Communications Officer for Mr. Cooper Group
Most recently, Kelly Ann she has been responsible for leading the company through its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, spear-heading the shift of more than 9,000 team members’ roles to a remote work environment across the U.S. and India, while concurrently enabling business operations to respond to market demands through massive training and hiring efforts.
Kelly Ann is a seasoned human resources, communications and crisis management executive with nearly 20 years of experience. She has held senior leadership roles in the financial services and technology industries for public and venture capital-backed companies for over a decade. Prior to her role at Mr. Cooper Group, Kelly Ann served as Vice President of Strategic Communications for Elevate Credit, a financial technology firm. She was also formerly a public relations and affairs consultant, a strategic communications staffer for a Presidential campaign and a political appointee for N.A.S.A.
Kelly Ann is also active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Center of Tarrant County since 2015, advising on marketing strategy, young professional development and crisis response. She holds a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.
Martina McIsaac
2021 Women Build Dallas Vice Chair
Region Head & CEO of Hilti
North America
Martina’s drive and ability to lead has a lasting impact resulting in sustained sales growth for Hilti Canada during her tenure. Under her leadership, Hilti Canada received numerous awards and recognitions as a best-in-class workplace. Most recently, Hilti was named to the Top 50 list by Great Places to Work Canada. In 2018 and 2019, Hilti Canada was named a Best Workplace Managed by Women.
As one of her first actions as Hilti North America CEO, Martina signed the Catalyst CEO Champion for Change pledge, joining a group of more than 60 high-profile CEOs personally committed to accelerating and advancing women, including women of color, into senior leadership positions.
As general manager of Hilti Canada, Martina McIsaac was responsible for sales, marketing, engineering, project management, customer service, retail, human resources and finance functions in Canada. She served on the Hilti North America Executive Management Team.
Prior to joining Hilti, Martina served in a variety of leadership positions at Avery Dennison, a global materials science and manufacturing company. Those roles moved Martina to Argentina, the United States and Canada and provided her with invaluable international experience in management, sales and marketing.
Martina earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from Western University and received her master’s degree of International Business from the University of South Carolina.
Martina and her family currently reside in the greater Toronto area and will relocate to Texas.
Thear Suzuki
Women Build Panelist
Client Service Partner at Ernst & Young
Thear is passionate about building leadership and philanthropic capacity in others to improve lives and communities. In college, Thear had the opportunity to live in a Habitat home and volunteer in East Dallas when she was a student leader participating in SMU’s Inter-Community Experience (ICE) Program. This formative experience as well as her own lived experiences growing up as a refugee have shaped her as a business and community leader.
Thear is an advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness. At EY, Thear serves on the Americas Inclusiveness Advisory Council, and she champions leadership development programs that build strong, innovative, and courageous leaders for the 21st century.
Thear is active with non-profit organizations that develop leaders and lifts up others. With the Texas Women’s Foundation, Thear served 6 years on the Board of Directors, 2 years as Co-Chair of the Economic Leadership Council and a proud founding member of the Orchid Giving Circle. Thear serves on the SMU Lyle Engineering School Executive Board, the Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum Board, the Boy Scouts of America National Executive Committee, the National Asian/Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship Board, and she is Co-Chair for the 50/50 Women on Boards – Dallas initiative.
Thear is a 2019 Presidential Leadership Scholar and has received several recognitions, including Women Leaders in Consulting Award, WING’s Mentors & Allies Award, and most recently recognized in DCEO’s 2021 Dallas 500.
Thear earned her BS in Electrical Engineering with Biomedical Engineering Specialization from Southern Methodist University. She lives in Plano, Texas with her husband Eric and their four sons.
AJ Barkley
Women Build Panelist
SVP, Neighborhood Lending Executive Consumer Lending
Reinvestment Act (CRA) commitment and fair lending laws and regulations for home loans, small business, and vehicle lending. She is also responsible for relationship deepening with multicultural, first-time homebuyers and low- to moderate-income consumers through strategic alignment with nonprofits, community advocacy groups, real estate professional organizations, and industry leaders.
Prior to joining Neighborhood Lending, she held many roles at Bank of America. She was the Production Executive for the Plano Centralized and Online Consumer Lending Sales Division, where she led more than 140 lending officers and had national responsibility for employee lending, training redesign, and employee engagement. She also was the Merrill Lynch Associate Market Executive in Global Wealth Investments Management in Dallas, TX. In addition, she held multiple roles in Consumer Banking, most recently as the Area Executive for the DFW Metro Market, which totals more than 140 Financial Centers.
A native of Temple Hills, Maryland, AJ is a graduate of Morgan State University. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
AJ is the Co-Executive Sponsor of the Black Professional Group of North Texas and active in multiple employee networks. She is committed to supporting the community and serves on the nonprofit board for Minnie’s Food Pantry. Her passion is supporting organizations that empower and improve opportunities for children and young adults. She and her husband have two sons, three daughters, and four grandchildren.
Thank you to our Sponsors
Security Builder: $25,000
Strength Builder: $10,000
