18th Annual Women in Business Unsung Hero Luncheon

Join the Aurora Chamber of Commerce as they celebrate extraordinary women who have identified as making a difference in our community!  Contact Rachel Gruber (Send an Email) and Register Now

The Chamber is excited to announce that Diane Simard, Senior Vice President/Board Member of Bye Aerospace and Cancer Survivor Advocate, will be the Keynote Speaker for the 18th Annual Women in Business Unsung Hero Luncheon.

Recognized as one of the 100 “National Top Women in Business to Watch” by bizwomen.com, Diane Simard is a business strategy accelerator and angel investor in six emerging technology companies ranging from solar/electric aircraft to medical devices to cybersecurity. She also serves as Sr. Vice President and is a board member of Bye Aerospace, an engineering R&D company applying clean energy solutions to innovative aircraft designs, including the Sun Flyer electric flight trainer.

After completing treatment for Stage III breast cancer in late 2015, Diane founded the Center for Oncology Psychology Excellence (COPE) at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology to help graduate-level clinical psychology students learn how to work with cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. She continues to advocate for improvements to the overall treatment process for cancer, and serves on the Board of Advisors of QalibreMD, which has developed accurate baseline standards for quantitative patient imaging.
A passionate advocate for accessibility to higher education, Diane previously served on the Dean’s Board of Advisors for Colorado Women’s College at the University of Denver, where she was a guest lecturer and panelist on entrepreneurship.  She is a Director Emeritus on the Community College of Aurora Foundation Board (Past Chair) and previously served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, where she was the first female to chair the Chamber’s Defense Council. In addition, she was one of 12 advisors to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a Presidential appointment where she represented Region 8 on the Executive Committee for the National Advisory Council.

Diane was the Ray of Hope Cancer Foundation’s 2017 honoree and was named the 2016 Outstanding Woman in Business in Technology and Telecom by theDenver Business Journal. She has received the Bob Cardenas Award for her support of veterans and the military, Aurora Chamber Woman of the Year and Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction awards. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and was an honor graduate in business from Central (Nebraska) Community College.

Diane is authoring a book about how her breast cancer experience ultimately helped bring joy and purpose back into her life. The working title of her book isChampagne with You.
For more information, go to www.DianeMSimard.com.

Sponsorships and tickets are currently available.​ Consider donating a door prize or contribute to the goodie bags that each attendee.

• Logo and/or name on event registration page, eblasts about the event, and on the Website
• Tabletop at event
• Banner displayed at event
• Podium recognition at event through welcome or introduction of speaker
• Present award to overall winner
• Logo in program
• Advertisement in the back of the program
• One VIP reserved table for 10

AWARD SPONSOR  $3,500

• Logo and/or name on event registration page, eblasts about the event, and on the Website
• Tabletop at event
• Recognition that each award is sponsored by your company
• Present award to 2 finalists
• Logo in program
• One VIP reserved table for 10

CORPORATE SPONSOR  $1,500

• Logo and/or name on event registration page, eblasts about the event, and on the Website
• Tabletop at event
• Logo in program
• One VIP reserved table for 10

TABLE SPONSOR  $400

• One Corporate table for 10
• Name in program
• Tabletop at event

GOODIE BAG SPONSOR  $0

• Provide promotional items to place in goodie bags for all attendees (250)
• Name in program