Women Driving Auto Retail
For those leading change and moving the industry forward.
WDAR at NADA Show 2027 brings together industry leaders and automotive retail professionals with a shared purpose: advancing women. This popular event features structured and informal networking, and inspiring speakers.
- When: Wednesday, February 17 | 8:30-11:45am
- What: Breakfast, industry talks and networking
- Where: Orange County Convention Center
- How: Add your ticket when you register for NADA Show.
Tickets cost $159 for dealers and managers, $209 for exhibitors and sponsors. Please note this is an optional ticketed event, it is NOT INCLUDED with your Show registration.
Stop Telling Me Why It Can’t Be Done: How Leaders Turn Vision Into Results
Throughout her career, Constance Schwartz-Morini has made decisions that shaped businesses, expanded brands and created long-term growth. Many of those decisions began the same way: with reasons they wouldn’t work.
She learned that progress doesn’t come from ignoring constraints. It comes from leaders willing to examine them, challenge them and build a disciplined path forward.
As co-founder and CEO of SMAC Entertainment, Constance has helped guide high-profile transformations by pairing bold vision with clear judgment, sustained execution and the right teams. The principles behind those successes apply to any organization focused on growth, performance and accountability.
Join us as we explore how leaders can move from idea to implementation — turning ambitious thinking into disciplined, realistic and sustainable results.
Learn to:
- Evaluate bold ideas without ignoring obstacles and risks.
- Recognize when hesitation is protecting the business — and when it’s holding it back.
- Turn a strong vision into structured action.
- Build alignment across teams before results are visible.
- Know when a change or pivot is necessary to sustain success.
- Pass on short-term perceived “wins” in favor of more meaningful outcomes.
- Find valuable lessons in setbacks and failures.
Driving Success Through Mentorship
Strong mentorship helps employees grow, develops stronger leaders and builds thriving dealership cultures. Hear from industry leaders about the role mentorship can play in career advancement, retention and leadership development, and gain practical ideas for creating meaningful mentorship opportunities within your organization.
Join Carla Cosenzi, John Mitchell Jr. and Krystal Roberts for a candid panel discussion about how dealership leaders can create opportunities for others to grow and succeed, the mentors who shaped their careers, and the lessons they’ve carried forward.
Meet the Speakers
Sandy Angello, 2027 NADA Chairman
Sandy Angello is vice president and dealer operator of Pohanka Automotive Group of Salisbury in Salisbury, Md. She has over 40 years of experience in the automotive industry, during which time she strategically guided Pohanka Automotive Group’s substantial growth in multiple locations. Angello serves as the 2026 NADA Vice Chairman and represents Maryland's franchised new-car dealers on the board of directors of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
Carla Cosenzi
Carla Cosenzi is president of TommyCar Auto Group, a family-owned automotive group in Western Massachusetts. After her father's unexpected passing, she stepped into top leadership when she was 29 years old. In honor of her father, Cosenzi has established several charity events and scholarship funds. She has received multiple awards, including the 2026 Massachusetts TIME Dealer of the Year, for her strong business and community leadership as well as for creating opportunities for women in the automobile industry.
John Mitchell, Jr.
John Mitchell Jr. is executive manager and vice president of Mitchell Nissan Inc. in Enterprise, Ala. Mitchell grew up in the automotive industry. His father, John Sr., started the dealership, and John Jr. has worked there since he was in junior high school. Mitchell serves as chairman of NADA's Public Affairs Committee and represents Alabama's franchised new-car dealers on the NADA board of directors.
Krystal Roberts
As president of Advantage Buick GMC Cadillac in Hodgkins, Ill., Krystal Roberts is a second-generation automobile dealer and the third female African American GM dealer in the United States. During her 23 years at Advantage, she has increased female representation to 25% of employees, led the company to become a top 200 Chevrolet dealership and served on multiple business-related boards – often as the first woman leader. In 2025, Roberts received the Ally Sees Her Award, which recognizes significant achievements of women of color within automotive retail.
Constance Schwartz-Morini
Constance Schwartz-Morini is co-founder and CEO of SMAC Entertainment, the talent management and production company she founded with Michael Strahan in 2011. For more than three decades in sports and entertainment, she has guided the careers of Strahan, Deion Sanders, Erin Andrews and other prominent figures while developing businesses, partnerships, and film and television projects. She previously worked for the NFL and managed Snoop Dogg. In 2025, The Hollywood Reporter named her to its inaugural list of top sports agents and managers in Hollywood. More recently, she debuted her own podcast with Strahan, Hustle Like You’re Broke.
SPONSOR THE 2027 EVENT
