ICA Leadership

Dr. Pepper Pastor

Adaptive Leadership for the Beauty Industry

Empower yourself with actionable insights and strategic foresight to propel your salon business to new heights of success. Embrace continuous learning and adaptability as catalysts for sustainable growth in a dynamic industry landscape. By crafting a narrative that highlights the practical benefits and actionable insights derived from the learning content, you can effectively market the outlined strategies to potential participants or business stakeholders.

Participants can expect to:
• Learn the tools to accept and embrace uncertainty.
• Recognize that change is inevitable and develop flexibility for yourself and for your business.
• Create a strategy focused on awareness and preparation.

Dawn Graeter

President and CEO
Southern Security Federal Credit Union

Dawn Graeter, President and CEO of Southern Security Federal Credit Union is an extremely accomplished, trailblazing finance executive who has led Southern Security to triple-digit growth since she took the helm in 2011. As one of the few female bank CEOs in the Greater Memphis area, Dawn has over 35 years in the finance and banking industry and has held almost every position there is as she worked her way from teller to CEO.

Dawn’s focus on the foundational pillars of people, community, and technology have ignited record-breaking results year after year and includes specific efforts for teamwork-building, employee relations, a genuine grassroots community outreach effort, and adopting technology solutions to provide greater functionality and service to customers. These efforts have increased the Southern Security full-time workforce by 37 percent and increased the annual net income of Southern Security by 127 percent poising Southern Security for even greater growth in the future. Dawn’s successes have not gone unnoticed as she was voted one of Power Poll Memphis’ Most Power People in 2023 and named a Superwoman in Business by the Memphis Business Journal in 2012. Also, named University of Memphis Outstanding Alumna in 2019. Dawn and her team are proud that Southern Security has been named Best Credit Union by the readers of the Commercial Appeal for six years running.

Dawn works tirelessly to support professional and community organizations close to the industry and community she loves. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Confluent Strategies, which specializes in consumer credit, commercial and mortgage credit reporting, background checks, employment screenings and association management. She also serves on the board for the Tennessee Credit Union League whose mission is to promote and support the success and advancement of credit unions in the State of Tennessee. Dawn correspondingly serves on the board for Share One which serves credit unions across the country with a comprehensive core processing system named New Solutions. As a credit union service organization (CUSO), Share One designed New Solutions directly alongside credit union clients.

Recently, Dawn was asked to serve on the Le Bonheur National Leadership Council, on the Youth Program’s Inc. Captain’s Club, charitable foundation and host organization of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and the Board of Carnival Memphis, all benefiting local children and children’s charities.

Dawn previously served as chairman of the board for HopeWorks, an organization that offers jobs and support to the under-resourced and recently incarcerated working in conjunction with the Shelby County Department of Corrections Hope 2 Hire program. Her work with HopeWorks is what she is most proud of, helping train adults for vocational careers and life outside of the Department of Corrections system. Dawn has a real drive to help adults help themselves, to be able to provide for their families, and find a skill or career they are proud of every day.

Dawn has served on various nonprofit boards over the years including Leadership Millington, Millington Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mid-South American Heart Association’s Executive Leadership Team. Dawn also served at the Greenshoe Gala, benefitting Shelby Farms.

Dawn gives back to her alma matter, the University of Memphis as she is serving as an Executive in Residence for the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, on the 901 Women’s Athletic Advisory Board, has served as a member of the University of Memphis Alumni Association from 2000-2003, serving as treasurer from 2002-2003. She continued her service as the University of Memphis Alumni Association President from 2004-2005 while also being a member of the Board of Visitors for the U of M. Dawn was a participant in the U of M Women’s Leadership Council and was chairman for Homecoming Golf Classic for the Alumni Association.

Southern Security Federal Credit Union and its employees support Mid-South Employee Resource Network, Big Brothers Big Sister of the Mid-South, Youth Villages, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, YWCA, American Heart Association, Keesha Warrior Princess, Collierville Education Foundation and many other local charities through monetary donations and volunteer efforts.

Karen Gordon

Karen Gordon is the president of Karen Gordon Hair Loss Solutions. She has been a licensed cosmetologist for 40+ years and is a Hair Color Specialist and Certified Trichologist, WTS. Karen has a Master’s Degree in Applied Business from De Paul University.

Karen is extremely active in both the hairdressing and trichology communities. She is a past- president of Cosmetologists Chicago (CC), a non-profit trade association with more than 8,000 members. They own and produce America’s Beauty Show (ABS), one of the country’s largest shows for licensed hairdressers, barbers, estheticians, and nail professionals. Karen has been an educator at ABS for more than 10 years, attracting large crowds as she speaks on business practices and trichology.

Karen is also a member of Intercoiffure America/Canada, the North American chapter of one the world’s most prestigious hairdressing organizations, based in Paris. She has served two terms on the board of directors. In 2022 she was awarded the Ordre of the Chevalier at an award ceremony in Paris for her contributions to Intercoiffure. She is a regular presenter at their ateliers on the topics of hair loss and trichology.

As a leading trichologist in the United States, Karen has served on the advisory board of the World Trichology Society as the Director of Cosmetology, USA. Her goal is to be the liaison between trichology and the hairdressing world. She does four presentations a year for their members on different topics relating to scalp disorders and hair loss and has been a featured speaker at two of their world conferences.

Karen is a past board member of the International Association of Trichologists (IAT).

She was the co-creator of the Hair+ Summit, produced by Modern Salon magazine.

She is the Education Lead for Takara Belmont’s Yume Head Spa division, training and certifying hairdressers in Japanese head spa techniques.

In 2023, Karen was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Midwest Hairstyling Awards for her contributions to the industry.