Women of Flexo conference explores work-life balance

The theme for the fourth annual Women of Flexo (WoF) conference was ‘Unwind & Rewind’, with the first day emphasizing work-life balance and the second day focusing on technical education. WoF is the Flexographic Technical Association’s community group for professionals who want to support women in the flexo industry. 

Taking place at Clemson University from March 17-18, the event provided an opportunity for women in the industry to network, hear from speakers, and tour Clemson University’s Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics.  

This year’s theme was a personal one for Rachel Acevedo, founder and CEO of Ace Media & Marketing and chair of WoF’s recruitment and engagement committee, which organized the conference.  

Acevedo says: ‘About two years ago, I was completely burnt out, and so all of last year, I really did a lot of introspection. I focused on me, on saying no, setting boundaries and so on. I realized that I’m not the only one who needs to deal with this, and I can’t do it alone. When I came up for chair, I knew that that’s what I wanted to do; I just wasn’t sure what to call it. I just knew it was going to be on wellness, protecting your boundaries and saying no.’ 

The 2026 WoF conference was the largest iteration yet, with about 100 participants. There was more international representation this year, as well as greater diversity among attendees. ‘There’s so many different, diverse people here, and I love that for us,’ Acevedo says. 

This was the first time the WoF conference was held at a university. Prior to this year’s edition, the meetings have taken place at supplier facilities, but the growing popularity has made that difficult. ‘As we grow, we realize that it’s harder to get into those spaces, especially with so many women,’ Acevedo says.  

The venue shaped programming at the conference, with participants touring the university’s Sonoco Institute and attending a presentation by graphic communications senior lecturer Michelle Fox on the university program. Additionally, during the tour, attendees saw WoFstickers, which had been created by Sonoco Institute student interns, and manufactured on an Omet press.

At the conference, WoF also recognized its first Woman of the Year, with Jennye Scott, vice president, creative services, at Amcor, receiving the award at the end of the first day. 

Conference sessions 

The first day began with a workshop led by Heather Buchholz, global marketing director at Archroma. Attendees were divided into groups to examine a particular challenge of their choice, such as communication misalignment, burnout and decision fatigue, or work-life balance, that lead to common workplace issues. After completing the workshop, the groups shared their findings. Many of the groups had explored work-life balance and concluded that they needed to establish better boundaries and say ‘no’ more often. 

Allison Toles, vice president at Fine Line Graphics, led the next session on mentorship. She joined the conference virtually, as nationwide flight issues had prevented her from attending. She encouraged the audience to think of mentors as a board of directors, where each mentor provides guidance for different challenges or for different seasons of life, rather than one single perfect mentor. 

The final session of the first day was a panel on perfectionism with Great Northern’s Alyssa Denney, Apex International’s Farrah Nuzzo, Container Graphics’ Brandy Marlow and Miraclon’s Michele Laird-Williams. Each panelist gave a presentation, with topics covering tools for prioritization and perfectionism in leadership. 

The second day began with a session on flexographic fundamentals with Allie Ayers, technical application specialist at DuPont. Ayers provided an accessible explanation on different technical components of flexography, including presses, doctor blades and plates.  

Then, attendees separated into groups once again to participated in an interactive packaging activity, touring the Sonoco Institute, and attending a presentation by Clemson University’s Michelle Fox.  

Keynote speaker 

The final session of the conference was a keynote speech by Kristen Shields, president of Graymills, about her career, the challenges she’s faced and the lessons she’s taken away.  
Shields began by sharing how, when she first started her career, she pictured herself creating Super Bowl ads on Madison Avenue. She didn’t have any intention of working for the family business, but the job market in the late ‘80s wasn’t strong when she graduated, so she took a job working for her father.  

In 1990, she had a transformative experience when her father asked her to step in for him when a calendar conflict suddenly prevented him from traveling to South America to speak at FTA conferences in three countries. She was still new to the industry, but this experience would require her to speak on stage in front of industry professionals, answering technical questions through an interpreter. She was scared at first, but as the trip progressed, she found herself capable of answering the questions, building professional relationships and contributing to the industry. 

‘That experience taught me a lesson I have never forgotten,’ Shields says. ‘Don’t wait until you feel confident. You act, and then confidence catches up.’ 

Throughout her career, Shields faced challenges both professionally and personally that she grew from. When her son was born prematurely with health issues, she learned an important lesson about balancing family needs with work while still remaining a leader and developing her career. In other words, ‘stepping back does now mean stepping out,’ she says. 

‘I stepped back from external visibility, and my identity shifted,’ Shields says. ‘It did not stop growing. I shifted to internal leadership, branding, marketing, systems, technology –the work that builds the foundation. I stayed strategically engaged, even when I was not front and center.' 

2020 was particularly hard for Shields. It began with the pandemic, when she had to make decisions in unprecedented times and navigate the process of ensuring Graymills could remain open as an essential business. That same year, the company terminated its relationship with an independent contractor, who retaliated and sued the company, leading to a prolonged legal battle that would last four years. The year then ended with difficult medical news: In December of 2020, Shields was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Because of the pandemic, many people did not know about her diagnosis. 

Shields recently had her five-year checkup and received a clean bill of health. 

‘When life forces reprioritization, health becomes the priority,’ she says. ‘Your career can continue later, but you have to be well enough to live.’ 

Shields ended her keynote with several lessons for the attendees: say yes before you feel ready, decide how to present yourself and lift up others. 

‘There will be moments when your hand shakes. Raise it anyway,’ Shields says. ‘There will be rooms where you feel you don’t belong. Sit down at the table anyway. There will be seasons when your role changes, when you step back, when life makes decisions for you. Keep growing anyway, because the industry is watching, your team is watching, your family is watching, and, most importantly, you’re becoming the person your younger self would have been proud to meet.’