WOW! Forum names even more speakers

The annual WOW! Forum is a day-long event featuring nationally recognized speakers who educate and motivate the hundreds of women attending the largest professional development conference in this region.

Since its inception 14 years ago, the event continues to flourish and inspires attendees professionally and personally. Coordinated by the WOW! Forum Advisory Committee, every detail of the day is focused on supporting and empowering women in the workplace.

The 2018 WOW! Forum will be held Oct. 5 at the Carole & Ray Neag Performing Arts Center of the Warner Theatre. The theme for this year’s conference is Women of Strength & Courage.

We have six incredible speakers this year including breast cancer survivor and advocate Jamie PlevaNickerson. At 28, Jamie Pleva-Nickerson tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene mutation. This mutation meant she would have an 87% chance of developing breast cancer before turning 60 and 54% chance of having ovarian cancer. Armed with this knowledge and having a front row seat to her older sister Tracy’s life with breast cancer as a young woman, she decided to “take the power back from cancer” and scheduled a double prophylactic mastectomy.

A month before surgery, at her first mammogram, the doctor found calcifications that were biopsied and confirmed she had breast cancer. Her surgery was now lifesaving. Three months after her surgery, Jamie’s sister Tracy died after living with breast cancer for 9 years. In that moment, Jamie made her decision to do all that she could in the fight against breast cancer, specifically in premenopausal women.

Jamie became heavily involved with The Young Survival Coalition (YSC), the premiere non-profit organization dedicated to helping, supporting and educating the needs of young women with breast cancer. Tracy was one of 10 original founders of the YSC and Jamie dedicates herself to helping the organization that helped her and her sister.

For 10 years, Jamie has ridden in the YSC’s Tour de Pink. A 3 day, 220 bike ride along the east coast. She has raised nearly $200,000, along with her teammates, in the years she has been riding.

Jamie has become one of the most well-known faces at the YSC. She continues to advocate for young women and educate the medical community and public that breast cancer can and does happen to young women and speaks at numerous fundraisers and Pharmaceutical events. She has given multiple interviews to Glamour Magazine, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, etc.

Jamie is the recipient of the YSC’s Kristen Martinez Legacy award for her dedication to the YSC and her advocacy work. This award is given to someone that embodies the same passion and fierce advocacy work as the namesake. She also received the Val Skinner LIFE Hero award. A LIFE Hero is a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose; someone who has demonstrated courage in the face of breast cancer and purpose in the fight to eradicate the disease.

In 2014, Jamie was asked to take part in the worldwide campaign Hear Our Stories by Estee Lauder, with her father Ted Pleva. This intimate and uniquely done documentary closely followed four families whose lives were forever changed from a breast cancer diagnosis. Jamie’s story was unique in that her father was her main caregiver during treatment and she was the youngest at diagnosis.

Now, nearly 10 years out from her cancer diagnosis, Jamie continues to “take the power back from cancer”. Unable to have children due to her chemo treatments she used 2 eggs she froze before beginning her treatment and is now mother to twin 3 year old girls. As a woman and mother who works full time, continues her advocacy work, and supports her husband in their family business, Jamie finds herself ready for more. She is dedicated to helping to end the disease that took her sister and hundreds of thousands of women and men and to support those that currently face a breast cancer diagnosis.

Our emcee this year is KJ Johansen. KJ is a stand-up comedian, co-owner and a host of KBJB Radio/TV, co-owner of Humor House Productions, and host of Kitchen Witches cooking show.

KJ started exploring her broadcasting and comedy early in life. In high school, KJ started her own radio show on the school’s station WSHR located in Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, NY, funny enough, she also worked as a manager for McGuire’s Comedy Club, now Governors, on Long Island, where she met her husband of 23 years.

Since then, KJ has produced and performed Comedy shows in all different venues, including the Ridgefield Playhouse, Funny Bone comedy clubs, Caroline’s NYC, among others.

In September of 2016, KJ and several others created KBJB Radio/TV. KBJB streams 24×7 with music from original artists not only in the US, but all over the world! KBJB is proud to call themselves “The Home of the Original Artist”. KBJB has all original programming with great shows and comedy as well!

Comedy is KJ’s passion and on stage she pulls her audience in for pure laughs with stories of her life, her family & some audience participation. Sit up front for the best experience!

Her comedy style has been described as “witty and sassy” and “high energy and hilarious”.

Tickets for the WOW! Forum are on sale now. More information, the schedule of events, and tickets can be found online at www.wowforum.org. The Premier Sponsor of the WOW! Forum is TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank.