Women’s Forum 2026 Ends on a High Note with Service, Leadership and Celebration

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Thursday and the final day of Women’s Forum, attendees got started bright and early to give back. The North Carolina Professional Women in Pest Management chapter hosted a volunteer event to support the Cabarrus Victims Assistance Network (CVAN), an organization in Cabarrus County, N.C., that provides shelter and safety for women and their children who are experiencing domestic violence. Attendees packaged personal care items that will further support these women and their children. Some participants wrote letters of support to those receiving help from CVAN.

To wrap up Women’s Forum 2026, a lively keynote, “Make Difficult People Disappear,” was delivered by Monica Wofford, CEO, Contagious Companies. Wofford explained that while it’s natural for people to have colleagues they find difficult, it’s also important to consider the differences in personalities these team members bring to the table and how they benefit businesses.  

Instead of making people physically disappear, Wofford taught participants about the importance of changing their mindsets about their “difficult” colleagues to reduce stress and conflict. People should reflect on whether their colleague(s) is actually hard to work, or if their personality and work method is just different, Wofford explained.

As Women’s Forum 2026 concluded and people look forward to the event next year in Las Vegas, attendees were able to reconnect or meet for the first time, learn about leadership and celebrate women in the industry. 

“I think that the women that have been here have been such a wonderful group of strong women of every part of the pest control industry, and that’s been my experience from the first year I attended to this year,” Julie Tesh-Clark, chief communications officer, Pest Management Systems, told PCT. “It’s just incredible to see all these women that have worked so hard and done so many great things for our industry get recognized for their contributions.”