Women's Leadership Summit

Jessica Abo

Jessica Abo is the founder and CEO of Jett Productions, helping today’s workforce stay relevant, relatable, and ready for anything. An award-winning journalist, bestselling author, sought-after media trainer, and public relations expert, Jessica has more than 20 years of TV news experience. Leveraging her extensive background, she teaches audiences the skills necessary to boost their executive presence. Her training emphasizes communicating with inspiration, effectiveness, and clarity to ensure everyone is in sync. After hearing Jessica present, leaders, managers, and employees understand how to share their ideas and recommendations, fostering organizational alignment and maintaining a strong corporate reputation.

As a media trainer, Jessica has worked with top executives of companies such as Amazon, Paramount, and Meta, empowering each person to carry themselves with confidence they need to amplify their influence in the office. She has coached our country’s leading healthcare providers at prestigious institutions like Fred Hutch, Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Drawing from her professional experience and personal stories, Jessica is a highly sought-after speaker. Her speaking engagements have taken her to Delta Airlines, Microsoft, Weight Watchers, and TEDx, as well as hundreds of small businesses, nonprofits and schools. Most recently, she was invited to speak at Stedman Graham’s foundation.

While Jessica’s career has seen her covering everything from wrongful conviction cases to politics, today, you can find her regularly in the media herself. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America’s GMA3, Access Hollywood, Dr. Phil’s Mornings on Merit Street, and more. As a writer and contributor to Forbes.com and Entrepreneur.com, she has profiled industry titans. She knows what it takes to capture attention and inspire action, which are vital to break through the noise in today’s fast-paced world.

Jessica’s debut book made waves in the media, selling out on its first day and landed the official GRAMMY Awards gift bag. When she’s not having dance parties in the kitchen with her family, you’ll find her supporting several philanthropic causes. She’s been recognized by the White House and won several awards for her charity work.

Zachary Donah

Zach Donah, CAE, is president and CEO of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs (MassCPAs) where he leads state’s professional association of 11,500 certified public accountants (CPAs) and professionals working in their firms and organizations. Prior to his current role, Donah was Deputy CEO at MassCPAs where he worked with the Society’s leadership team on the overall management and oversight of the Society and its Educational Foundation, including advancing the organization’s strategic goals and objectives. He has been a member of the Society’s staff since 2013, serving in various role in the organization’s government affairs team, including vice president of advocacy, where he oversaw the Society’s government relations and the academic and career development programs and the MassCPAs Educational Foundation. Prior to joining the Society, Donah served as a legislative director and chief of staff in the Massachusetts State Senate.

Simone Ahuja

Simone Ahuja is the founder of Blood Orange, a marketing and strategy advisory boutique with a focus on innovation and emerging markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, with partners around the globe, Blood Orange shares and practices innovation principles learned through extensive work in India, including jugaad–a frugal, flexible and inclusive approach to innovation inspired by emerging markets.

She is the producer and director of Indique | Big Ideas from Emerging India, which broadcasts on PBS stations across the country. For the series, she conducted extensive ethnographic, background, and academic research on innovation occurring at the grassroots level in emerging markets with social entrepreneurs and US-based multinationals. Coupled with her own experience working with transnational teams, this experience has given her a holistic lens through which to view the mindset and principles of emerging markets-inspired innovation–and its relevance in a global context.

Simone is the co-author of “Jugaad Innovation:Think Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough Growth” (Jossey-Bass, 2012). The book has been published in the US, Brazil, Holland, France and India, where it is now a #1 business bestseller, and has been called “the most comprehensive book yet on the subject” of frugal innovation by The Economist.

She has served as a consultant to the Centre for India & Global Business at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and as an associate Fellow for the Asia Society in New York City. She provides advisory services, keynotes and interactive frugal innovation labs to entrepreneurs, academic institutions, and corporations including PepsiCo, Best Buy, Procter & Gamble, 3M, Medtronic, the World Economic Forum, MIT, and Harvard University. She is a regular columnist for the Harvard Business Review online.

Most recently, Simone served as a judge for the Ashoka Changemakers League of Intrapreneurs competition which recognizes and supports global intrapreneurs driving social innovation within large organizations.

Jessica Abo

Jessica Abo is the founder and CEO of Jett Productions, helping today’s workforce stay relevant, relatable, and ready for anything. An award-winning journalist, bestselling author, sought-after media trainer, and public relations expert, Jessica has more than 20 years of TV news experience. Leveraging her extensive background, she teaches audiences the skills necessary to boost their executive presence. Her training emphasizes communicating with inspiration, effectiveness, and clarity to ensure everyone is in sync. After hearing Jessica present, leaders, managers, and employees understand how to share their ideas and recommendations, fostering organizational alignment and maintaining a strong corporate reputation.

As a media trainer, Jessica has worked with top executives of companies such as Amazon, Paramount, and Meta, empowering each person to carry themselves with confidence they need to amplify their influence in the office. She has coached our country’s leading healthcare providers at prestigious institutions like Fred Hutch, Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Drawing from her professional experience and personal stories, Jessica is a highly sought-after speaker. Her speaking engagements have taken her to Delta Airlines, Microsoft, Weight Watchers, and TEDx, as well as hundreds of small businesses, nonprofits and schools. Most recently, she was invited to speak at Stedman Graham’s foundation.

While Jessica’s career has seen her covering everything from wrongful conviction cases to politics, today, you can find her regularly in the media herself. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America’s GMA3, Access Hollywood, Dr. Phil’s Mornings on Merit Street, and more. As a writer and contributor to Forbes.com and Entrepreneur.com, she has profiled industry titans. She knows what it takes to capture attention and inspire action, which are vital to break through the noise in today’s fast-paced world.

Jessica’s debut book made waves in the media, selling out on its first day and landed the official GRAMMY Awards gift bag. When she’s not having dance parties in the kitchen with her family, you’ll find her supporting several philanthropic causes. She’s been recognized by the White House and won several awards for her charity work.

Zachary Donah

Zach Donah, CAE, is president and CEO of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs (MassCPAs) where he leads state’s professional association of 11,500 certified public accountants (CPAs) and professionals working in their firms and organizations. Prior to his current role, Donah was Deputy CEO at MassCPAs where he worked with the Society’s leadership team on the overall management and oversight of the Society and its Educational Foundation, including advancing the organization’s strategic goals and objectives. He has been a member of the Society’s staff since 2013, serving in various role in the organization’s government affairs team, including vice president of advocacy, where he oversaw the Society’s government relations and the academic and career development programs and the MassCPAs Educational Foundation. Prior to joining the Society, Donah served as a legislative director and chief of staff in the Massachusetts State Senate.