SALT LAKE CITY, UT (September 11, 2026) – Colonel Lisa Jaster, one of the first three women to graduate from the U.S. Army’s first integrated Ranger School, will deliver the closing keynote at the 50th annual Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon.
“For 50 years, this conference has celebrated women who lead, build and clear the way for others who follow,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Colonel Lisa Jaster carried that determination through one of the most demanding courses in the world, and her message of meeting adversity and rising above is one every leader can carry back to their own work. She is the right voice to close this milestone year and we are honored to have her join us.”
Jaster is a soldier, an engineer, a wife and mother, and a trailblazer. One of only three women to graduate from the first integrated United States Army Ranger program, one of the most difficult combat training courses in the world. She completed the training to become Ranger qualified, which 36% of male and female students fail within the first four days.
In her keynote, “Don’t Let the Quit In,” Jaster will share why battling her way through the six-month Ranger School at 37 mattered so much to her, how she stayed motivated in the darkest moments, and why, in her words, “Once you think about quitting, you let the quit in you.” This keynote is filled with humor and moving anecdotes that will inspire the audience to make it through adversity, break down societal barriers and succeed.
The Salt Lake Chamber will host the 50th annual Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon on November 11, 2026, at the Grand America Hotel. For 50 years, the Women & Business Conference has brought together women leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs and changemakers from across Utah to share ideas, build meaningful connections and advance women in business.
This milestone year celebrates the conference theme, Momentum, the energy that drives progress, creates opportunity and carries impact forward. The conference agenda highlights the ideas, experiences and relationships that help move individuals, organizations and communities forward.
Earlier this summer, the Salt Lake Chamber announced that Sandi Sumner Hendry, founder and CEO of Minky Couture, will receive the 2026 ATHENA Leadership Award. This award is the organization’s highest recognition for women in business and is presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in their profession, provides valuable service to improve the quality of life in their community and actively supports women in achieving their leadership potential.
During the luncheon, the Salt Lake Chamber will present the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award to Hendry, as well as recognize the following recipients of the Pathfinder Award, honoring leaders who have created new opportunities and advanced the success of women in business.
- Jill Borst, Head of the Salt Lake City Office, Goldman Sachs
- Carin Crowe, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area
- Abby Osborne, Vice President of Impact, Engagement and Enterprise Operations, Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee
- Victoria Petro, Salt Lake City Council Member and Executive Director, Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Sally Steed, Vice President of Sales, Deseret News
- Heidi Woodbury, Senior Vice President for University Advancement, University of Utah
This year’s conference is sponsored by WCF Insurance. BW Productions, CHG Healthcare and Enbridge are the event sponsors. The closing keynote sponsors are Clyde Companies, Inc. and the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. Intermountain Health, Mountain America Credit Union, Select Health, The Scout Guide Salt Lake and the University of Utah are exhibit hall sponsors. The women veterans sponsors are The Boeing Company, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation and Zions Bank.
For tickets and event information, click here.
Keynote Bio:
Lisa Jaster: Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve; Graduate, U.S. Army Ranger School Leadership and Peak Performance Expert
Army Colonel Lisa Jaster is a soldier, engineer, wife, mother and trailblazer. One of only three women to graduate from the first integrated U.S. Army Ranger program — one of the most difficult combat training courses in the world — Jaster was the first female Army Reserve officer to become Ranger qualified. She completed the training, which 36% of male and female students fail within the first four days, after refusing to succumb to exhaustion and repeatedly “recycling” through, or retrying, several phases of the multi-locational course. Jaster endured the training, which takes a minimum of 61 days and includes up to 20 hours of training per day alongside a strict diet, for a grueling six months. She graduated at age 37, while the average trainee age is 23.
Jaster, a fitness fanatic who continues to train in CrossFit and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has a hard-won understanding of the importance of perseverance, as well as a deeply ingrained respect for camaraderie stemming from a seven-year active duty career, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jaster faced difficult moments throughout her Ranger training and cites the day two other women in the program advanced ahead of her to become the first and second female Ranger graduates as especially trying. But according to Jaster, who is exclusively represented by the Leading Authorities speakers bureau and the Talent War Group for lectures, “There is no quitting.” Throughout her training, she drew strength from her family, keeping pictures of her two young children with her husband, Marine Lt. Col. (promotable) Allan Jaster, in her pocket and stealing glances between training assignments. With her contagious, energetic personality, Jaster delivers emotional speeches that share key takeaways from her time in the best leadership and operational training course the Army has to offer.
Prior to receiving her Ranger Tab, Jaster worked as an engineer with Shell Oil in Houston and as an Army Reserve individual mobilization augmentee with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Jaster initially was commissioned in the Army in 2000 after graduating from the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point and returned to the Army Reserve in 2012 after a five-year hiatus from service. She volunteered for combat training when she discovered the Army Ranger course was being opened to women for the first time in 60 years as part of a U.S. government experiment to see how women would fare in the notoriously brutal program. Currently, Jaster serves on the leadership team of Talent War Group as a senior consultant, advising corporations on how to recruit, train and retain talent within their teams. She is also a colonel in the Army Reserve serving on Joint Staff.
Jaster is also the author of “Delete the Adjective,” in which she shares captivating stories of her experiences in Ranger School while offering valuable lessons on breaking the barriers society places on you. The book is an Amazon bestseller in two categories.
Jaster is the recipient of numerous military accolades, including two Bronze Star Medals and three Meritorious Service Medals.
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About the Salt Lake Chamber
The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-serving business association. It represents the broad interests of the Salt Lake metropolitan area, its employers, Chamber members and employees. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champions community prosperity.
