Women In Automotive A Women In Automotive®Social Event Hosted by Thu 15 Oct · 10:30 AM – 6:30 PMThu 15 Oct Accept

Los Angeles · October 2026

With Intent™

One day on the Petersen rooftop, for the women of California’s automotive industry.

  • Eight hours of speakers and working sessions, ending at sunset over Miracle Mile.
  • Networking built into the day rather than bolted on at the end.
  • Coffee, lunch and the terrace are included.

Featured Presenters

  • Veronica DunfordVeronica DunfordWomen In Automotive®
  • Jeannie PinonJeannie PiñonDLRdmv®
  • Meghan SimpsonMeghan SimpsonLAcarGUY
  • Alison RankAlison RankMy CIO Alison
  • Allan CooperAllan CooperMen in Automotive
  • Jimmy DouglasJimmy DouglasPlug
  • Mike BenavidesMike BenavidesVIN10 & iFuel
  • Megan DemareeMegan DemareeFoureyes
  • Ellen EsakovEllen EsakovDLRdmv®

The room

Four floors up, under 308 steel ribbons.

The fourth floor is glass on every side, opening onto a slate terrace. The ribbons you see from Wilshire carry on over the top of it, so the face of the building is the ceiling you sit under.

The terrace looks north to the Hollywood Hills and down over Miracle Mile, yours for the day, and the sun goes down over the Mile at 6:20.

  • 308Ribbons overhead
  • 4thFloor
  • 8Hours
  • 6:20Sunset
The Petersen’s fourth-floor terrace, empty, the ribbon canopy overhead and the glass wall of the pavilion on the right.
Looking straight up into the canopy, red steel bands alternating with brushed stainless against the sky.
The fourth-floor pavilion set for a session, glass on every side with the building’s ribbons visible outside.

Who should come

Wherever you sit in the industry.

We are creating space for women across California automotive to connect, be heard, and strengthen professional relationships.

  • Dealer principals, owners and general managers
  • Sales and fixed operations leadership
  • Finance, insurance and the business office
  • Marketing, people and operations
  • Manufacturer and supplier side
  • Title, registration and compliance

The day

Half past ten to half past six.

Thursday, October 15, 2026.

The agenda is still being added to as the day approaches, and is subject to change.

Check in on the first floor and take the lift to the fourth. Coffee and a light breakfast are on the terrace, and a Connect Card comes with your badge: meet someone who works in a dealership, meet someone who does not, introduce yourself to a speaker, and a few more besides. Fill it in through the day and you are in the fifth draw at the raffle.

Veronica Dunford, President of Women In Automotive®, opens the day.

Jeannie Piñon of DLRdmv® on what purpose actually changes about the way you work.

Meghan Simpson leads marketing for LAcarGUY, a family-owned group of ten Southern California dealerships across ten brands.

Pick a color, assign it an intention, and wear your commitment proudly. Each bead is a choice. Together, they’re your goals for the year.

Clarity, calling, and the people who change everything. Alison Rank invites women to step back from simply managing the lives they have built and get intentional about what they want to create next. Through story, reflection, and a simple framework for clarity, calling, and connection, this session explores how the future we choose is shaped not only by our vision, but by the people we intentionally bring and nurture in our orbit.

Take a moment to unwind on the balcony. Enjoy the Hollywood views and fresh air. Lunch is on us.

Industry professionals who run stores, groups, and teams on what it is worth to back the women in this business, and what they do about it. Allan Cooper, Jimmy Douglas, and Mike Benavides on the panel, with Dawn McCullough moderating.

Have your phone ready. This session runs on live polling, so your responses shape the conversation in real time. Work through your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats together, identify shared patterns, and gain clarity on where to focus next.

Ellen Esakov breaks down how intentional decision-making, not just hustle, shapes a sustainable career in a high-pressure, high-volume industry.

Build a symbolic house that represents the values, habits, opportunities, and goals that shape the life you’re intentionally creating.

Carlye Halvorsen draws the winners. Four prizes go to the room, and the fifth is drawn only from the Connect Cards that came back finished. Every prize is worth more than a hundred dollars. You need to be in the room.

Skip the traffic. Join us on the balcony for light drinks, music, and memories.

Veronica Dunford and Dawn McCullough close the day. The sun goes down over Miracle Mile at 6:20. Cheers to the women in the California auto industry!

If you are staying over

Three within walking distance.

We researched the closest rooms to the museum and provided them below. There is no room block, so please book directly with the hotel.

Before you come

The practical part.

Getting there and parking

Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, at Fairfax. The garage entrance is on Fairfax Avenue, not Wilshire, and accessible parking is on level P1. Parking is on DLRdmv® for the day. Details and instructions will follow before the event.
Open the garage in maps

Where to go

Check in on the first floor, then take the lift to the fourth. Signage from the lobby.

Food

A light breakfast and coffee to start, lunch in the middle of the day, and refreshments through the afternoon.

Access

The museum is fully wheelchair accessible and has wheelchairs to borrow. Need anything else? Email us and we will sort it.

What to wear

Business casual. The terrace is open air under a partial canopy. The roof cools quickly after five, so bring a layer.

Bringing someone

Forward this page to a colleague and she can take a seat of her own. We hold one seat per person.

Members and non-members

Women In Automotive® members attend at no charge, so long as you register with the same email address your membership is under. Non-members are $99. An American Express, Mastercard or Visa card is accepted at checkout.

Changing your mind

Registration can be passed to a colleague at no charge; tell Women In Automotive® so the list matches the room. Registrations are not refundable. Email events@womeninautomotive.org to transfer or cancel.

Photographs and email

We photograph and film the day and use the pictures afterwards; if you would rather not appear, tell the photographer or email Women In Automotive® first.

Share the day

#WomenWithIntent

Post from the terrace and tag what you share, so the women you met on the fourth floor can find each other afterwards.

Los Angeles · 15 October

Take a seat.

Open your invitation