2023 Speakers
We are thrilled to announce our 2023 Keynote speakers!
We’re confirming an amazing lineup of experts and trailblazers for our 2023 conference breakout sessions as well. Speakers for our 2023 U&I Women’s Conference will appear below as they are confirmed. Stay tuned to this page and to your email for more speaker announcements!
Laura S. Nieto
Laura S. Nieto serves as Director of Community Outreach at Southwest Airlines, where she leads the Company’s corporate giving and stewardship strategy. Founded on the principles of loving People, building resilience and living responsibly, Laura oversees Southwest’s strategic community investments, employee engagement and volunteerism, foundation giving, sustainability programs and social impact initiatives.
She and her team work to ensure Southwest is a trusted partner by nurturing authentic relationships and championing causes that help communities thrive. Laura has a passion for developing innovative programs that engage and empower diverse communities. Under her leadership, Southwest has been recognized as an industry leader and outstanding corporate citizen.
Laura graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.A. in public relations and was named a 2016 Distinguished Alumni. Laura is recognized as a Top Latino Leader in Texas by the Texas Diversity Council and is a graduate of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Leadership Dallas program. She serves as a board member of the Texas Women’s Foundation.
Laura achieved her goal of becoming a Six Star Finisher by completing the six World Marathon Majors. She is a Texas native and resides in Dallas with her husband and daughter.
Debbie McGuire
Debbie grew up in Duncanville, Texas. Graduated in 1989 and started college at SFA. After three semesters, she transferred to UTA where she met Joey McGuire in 1992. They were married in 1994. They have two beautiful children. Raegan was born in 1996 and Garret in 1999. Raegan lives in NYC and is a fashion designer at AMUR and getting married in May. Garret is the new wide receivers coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Debbie’s favorite child, Charlie, has four legs and is the ruler of their home. She loved volunteering at her children’s schools and attending all the things. Her children grew up loving sports from their first breath and very rarely missed a high school game of their daddys. In their 29 years of marriage she might have missed 8 games total – 3 were when Raegan had sorority commitments her freshman year here at Tech and one was our first game against West Virginia covid year at Baylor when fans were not allowed.
Before moving to Lubbock, she worked in the family business for the past 30 years. She still does a little work but Texas Tech Football is more of a full-time job for me now. When she is not at practices, dinners, or functions for Texas Tech, she loves long lunches and dinners with our football wives. She loves to travel and hates to shop and would rather go to a sporting event than a mall any day! Her parents are her best friends and she talks to her dad a minimum of 3 times a day but usually 5. Her favorite time of the year is Christmas and she spends all of November and December watching Hallmark Christmas Movies! She is am determined to learn how to play Mah Jongg and take up tennis in 2023.
Dr. Kathy Rollo
Kathy Rollo Ed.D, is in her fifth year as superintendent of Lubbock ISD and has been an educator for more than 30 years. She is a Lubbock native, and her career in public education has always been devoted to the very school district that cultivated her love for teaching.
Dr. Rollo earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Texas Tech University. She taught at Hunt, Martin, and Waters elementary schools, before being named an assistant principal at Rush and Haynes elementary schools. She served as principal at Murfee Elementary for ten years. In 2009, she was selected as the first executive director to establish and lead Lubbock ISD’s professional development department. She forged new partnerships and provided tools and training for educators and administrators to increase the depth of teaching and learning in the classroom. She championed a more sophisticated use of data to guide instruction.
Dr. Rollo was promoted to associate superintendent for elementary schools in 2013. Following a short stint as an instructor in the Texas Tech College of Education, she was named superintendent of Lubbock ISD in February 2018.
Dr. Rollo has in-depth experience in every aspect of public education and follows three pillars to guide her management philosophy: value data, love people and develop leaders. In addition to her work in the district, she is a dedicated community servant, serving on the boards of several organizations. She has received numerous awards for her professional and community service. She is married to Robert Rollo, and they have three adult sons, all graduates of Lubbock ISD.
More speaker information coming soon!
