Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran announced as Women’s Leadership Conference Keynote Speaker

Longmeadow, MA— Bay Path University is proud to announce that real estate legend, investor, best-selling author, entrepreneur, producer, and Shark Tank shark Barbara Corcoran will be the keynote speaker at the 27th Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC), taking place in Springfield on Thursday, April 4, 2024. 

“Our conference theme this year is “Break Through,” and Barbara Corcoran embodies this powerful concept of digging deep, pushing yourself beyond obstacles, and breaking through,” shared Bay Path University president Sandra Doran. “If you’re a fan of Shark Tank, you’ve seen her dynamic blend of business acumen, storytelling, and humor. Her drive, work ethic, and the lessons she’s learned along the way will undoubtedly resonate with our attendees.” 

Corcoran has been an investor/shark on ABC’s four-time Emmy award-winning show, Shark Tank for 10 seasons, investing in over 80 businesses to date. She chronicled her rise from waiting tables in a New York diner to heading a $5 billion real estate company in her bestselling book, “Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business!” She’ll bring her personal brand of  no-nonsense wisdom and supportive advice to the more than 1,600 attendees who are expected to attend this year’s WLC. 

The WLC will also feature lunchtime speaker Amy Purdy, a three-time Paralympic medalist in snowboarding for Team USA. Throughout her life, Purdy has taken on obstacles and broken through, making her way into the upper echelons of athletics, onto the dance floor of Dancing with the Stars, and onto the NY Times best seller list as the author of On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life. She co-founded Adaptive Action Sports for athletes with disabilities and is the host of the critically acclaimed podcast “Bouncing Forward!”  Her work has led her to be labeled a “hero” by Oprah Winfrey and has made her one of the most in-demand motivational and corporate speakers on the globe.  

This year’s conference will also feature breakout sessions led by business experts and authors, including Yvonne Camus. Camus is the former COO of SPINCO, Canada’s largest indoor cycling brand and the only female to outperform the Navy Seals in the multi-terrain adventure race, Eco-Challenge. In addition, the WLC will welcome Sylvia Baffour, an author, podcast host, and emotional intelligence coach recently ranked by HubSpot among the Top 15 female motivational speakers. Additional keynote and breakout session speakers will be announced soon.

Now in its 27th year, Bay Path University’s Women’s Leadership Conference has brought more than 27,000 attendees together, along with prominent speakers, such as Barbara Walters, Queen Latifah, Dr. Maya Angelou, Robin Roberts, Tyra Banks, and Gloria Estefan. The conference will take place on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.  For further information on the conference, sponsorship information, and ticket sales, please visit baypath.edu/wlc. 

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About Barbara Cocoran

Barbara Corcoran, Founder of The Corcoran Group & Shark and Executive Producer on ABC’s "Shark Tank"

Barbara Corcoran’s credits include straight D’s in high school and college and 20 jobs by the time she turned 23. It was her next job that would make her one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country: She borrowed $1,000 and quit her job as a waitress to start a tiny real estate company in New York City. Over the next 25 years Barbara would parlay that $1,000 loan into a $5 billion real estate business, building the largest and best-known brand in the business. 

Corcoran is the author of the best seller “Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business!” Corcoran is a motivational and inspirational speaker. She is a frequent small business and real estate contributor on every major network. Corcoran has been an investor/Shark for the past ten seasons on ABC’s four-time Emmy award-winning show, Shark Tank, investing in over 80 businesses to date. Follow Barbara on Twitter and Instagram @BarbaraCorcoran.

About Amy Purdy

Amy Purdy has defied the odds throughout her life and overcome a near-death experience to accomplish some extraordinary things. 

Amy grew up with a passion for snowboarding and dreamed of traveling the world, and despite obstacles that perhaps should have stopped her dead in her tracks, that passion carried her not only to the upper echelons of athletics, but onto the dance floor of Hollywood and well, well beyond.

Amy is a NY Times best-selling author who has been published in ten different languages around the world, she has toured with none other than Oprah Winfrey, she has been featured in a Superbowl commercial narrated by the legendary Muhammad Ali, and she is a 3-time Paralympic medalist, making her one of the most decorated adaptive snowboarders in the history of Team USA.  

Amy Co-Founded Adaptive Action Sports for athletes with disabilities, and she is the host of the critically acclaimed podcast Bouncing Forward! Amy has partnered with both the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee to promote health, diversity, equity, and inclusion through sport. 

About Bay Path University

Bay Path University was founded in 1897. Bay Path’s enrolled population of over 3,000 includes traditional undergraduates; adult women at The American Women's College, the first all-women, all-online accredited degree program in the country; and women and men master’s and doctoral students. Bay Path’s goal is to give students confidence in the fundamentals of their chosen field, the curiosity to question the ordinary, the leadership to show initiative, and the desire to make a difference.