Sarasota Magazine held its 11th Women of Influence event on Monday, Nov. 15 at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. And true to its beginnings as a powerful way to celebrate and connect inspiring women, the event brought together women leaders to mingle, catch up and browse the goodies in the foyer (like Dakota Biotech’s luscious skincare line LaFlore that uses live probiotics). But the main event of the evening was the panel discussion “Three Local Women Who Are Changing Our World.” The panel featured Fiona Crawford, president and CEO of The Roskamp Institute and a member of the team that identified the first genetic causes of Alzheimer’s Disease; author, scientist and arbornaut Meg Lowman, a National Geographic Explorer named the “Einstein of the treetops” by The Wall Street Journal; and Elizabeth Moore, an ardent land and nature conservationist and philanthropist, who is working to educate and save our natural ecosystems here and internationally. The panelists talked about their paths to leadership and their challenges, and inspired the audience of women how they, too, can have impact no matter what their interests or backgrounds.