Honoring the Past. Empowering the Future.

See it. Be it.

While women remain underrepresented in B2B sales and  leadership in nearly every sector, the role models we seek have actually been here all along. You just may not have heard of them or if you have heard of them, not met them yet. We aim to introduce or re-introduce you to them.

These honorees have (or had) some of the most successful careers in sales, leadership, and the C-suite, which began in the 1980s. Some of these women are still leading today, while others have stepped away or passed on, leaving their stories untold to the next generation.

The Sales Decades Project was created to change that.

Through a series of video interviews and this flagship live event, we're uncovering the legacies of these trailblazers. Through this, we hope to bridge the gap between the legends of the past, and the leaders of tomorrow.

The Dallas Events: April 22-23, 2026

Join us at the University of Texas at Dallas for an evening plus a day of recognition, history, and professional growth. 

Hosted by the UTD Center for Professional Sales, this event is designed for sales leaders, individual contributors, and anyone committed to the advancement of women in B2B sales. Many of our honorees will be in attendance!

Wednesday, April 22: The Recognition

An evening dedicated to honoring the icons of the 80s. We will share the stories of women who paved the way, including a special tribute to those no longer with us.

Thursday, April 23: The Evolution

A full day of learning and connection on sales skills, leadership skills, and mentorship. Gain insights from legendary sellers + great male allies on how the profession has evolved and where it is going next. We'll have sales students in attendance plus those in role now, mid-level leaders, and executives all focused on growing revenue in an ever changing time. 

Featured Guests and Partners

We are proud to bring together some of the most influential voices in the industry to guide this experience:

• Event Producer: Lori Richardson, CEO, Score More Sales and President, Women Sales Pros

• Emcee: Jen Mueller, Author, Speaker, and Sideline Reporter, Seattle Seahawks (with stories about the latest Superbowl win!) 

• Speakers: 

Todd Caponi, Author, "Four Levers Negotiating" 

Sylvia Acevedo, Author, "The Trailblazer's Playbook"

• Supporting Communities: We are proud to host information tables with representatives from Women in Sales, Wednesday Women, Women Sales Experts, #GirlsClub, Legacy Executive Club, WISE, and more. We will also showcase new sales books some of our friends of this project (and honorees) have written!

Evening Reception 4/22

5:30   Doors Open; mingling, networking, visit museum upstairs

          Heavy appetizers 

5:40   Bar opens for mocktails, wine, beer 

5:55   Displays

6:15   Dr. Dover to say a few words

7PM  Introduce honorees who are present

7:30  wind down; done by 8PM 

Day of Learning for 220 attendees 4/23

Davidson Auditorium 

Single track with 2 breakout sessions 

Program

7:30-8:30     Continental breakfast with protein

8:30           Welcome - Alice Heiman introduces Jen Mueller, Dr. Howard Dover  

8:45            Speaker Sylvia Acevedo - The Trailblazers’ Playbook 

9:10        Todd Caponi, Author, Speaker -  Women in Sales in History         

9:25        Mentorship Intro           

9:35        Cherilynn Castleman - Too Good To Be Ignored: What Four Decades in Sales Taught Me About Competence, Caring & Confidence          

9:50           Break   

10:05          Trailblazer Tales - meet our honorees

10:20        Angela Garinger Bennett, AI Insights

10:45        Shari Levitin, Shari Levitin Group, Let's Talk Story

11:15        Jill Konrath Sales Trailblazer Award w/ winner and talk by winner      

11:45         Colleen Stanley  

Noon          Lunch and Networking

1:00           1st “Speed Mentor” Session 

1:20           2nd "Speed Mentor" Session

2:00           Jen Spencer, Lead Anyway - How You can Be a Leader

2:30           Becc Holland, Flip the Script, 15 Minutes of Clean Candor (and explain breakout  session) 

2:40           Break

3:00           Panel Moderated by Prof. Semira Amirpour Tales of Success in Sales

3:30.          Small group breakouts- learning takeaways from today (Main room)

4:00           Wellness and Sales (Main room) 

4:30           Targeted Introductions and New Referrals 

Sponsorship Opportunities

We are honored to be supported by our sponsors: SalesHood, Accelevents, Luster, Booth, M3 Training, Pavilion, UserTesting, Linda Richardson, Buttermedia, Lou Bortone Video Marketing and venue host UT Dallas.

Is your company interested in getting involved next year? We are already planning the 2027 event honoring women who started selling in the 1990's.

For sponsorship inquiries: Please contact us through the organizer link on this page, or schedule a call here.