You're invited to join the conversation with women leaders from 10 different industries for a candid discussion about how they got where they are, the challenges they've faced, and their ideas for your career growth.
#WhatWomenBring is THE event for women & men who believe that having more women in leadership is important to all of us. Join panel moderator Joan Robinson-Berry, Boeing South Carolina vice president & general manager, emcee Octavia Mitchell, WCBD News 2 TV anchor, media honoree & TV anchor Carolyn Murray, business honoree & chief technology officer Mary Beth Westmoreland, and others for a power lunch you won’t want to miss! (Click to see more about the event on WCBD News 2!) Your ticket includes a one-year YWCA Greater Charleston membership, a $50 value.
Octavia Mitchell anchors the popular local NBC programs News 2 Today and News 2 Midday. Each week, her Cool School segments highlight positive programs in local schools. An Emmy award-winning journalist, she has been a member of the Count on 2 team since 2002 and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the National Association of Black Journalists.
Joan Robinson-Berry has been honored as a leader by Women’s Enterprise magazine, NAACP, members of Congress, and many other global organizations. She has been named one of the Most Powerful Women in Business by Black Enterprise magazine and featured by Charleston Business magazine as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Charleston.
A formidable ally of Charleston-area women, LaVanda Brown has inaugurated highly effective new programs designed to empower women, including Y Girls Code, Backpacks to Briefcases and Own the Room career workshops for women of all ages, the YWCA Indaba Series, which among other things has shown women of color a path into politics, and more.
Mary Beth Westmoreland, a mentor to many women, is a proud sponsor of Camp Blackbaud, at which students work with some of the firm's brightest engineers, designers, and leaders for two days, gaining firsthand STEM experience. In 2017, she was named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology by the National Diversity Council.
LaTisha Vaughn-Brandon works every day ensuring that children in the Tricounty have access to hands-on, engaging STEM curriculum through after-school programs, summer camps, workshops, and classes. "All children deserve to have the best possible educational experience," she says, "which will allow them to reach their fullest potential as human beings."
Carolyn Hunter owns three local McDonalds franchises. She began her career in 1977 as a grill operator, and later met a black owner who inspired her to pursue ownership. In 1989 she purchased her first franchise. Today she encourages women and her employees to accept more responsibility, increase their income, and enjoy a brighter future.
The daughter of a public school teacher and small business owner, Senator Mia McLeod has spent her career advocating for public education, tougher domestic violence laws, and more diversity and inclusion, among other issues. She was the first woman to represent her SC House district and today is the first woman to represent her county in the SC Senate.
In 2012, Dr. Reshma Khan founded a clinic to serve the medical needs of the uninsured and indigent population of the Tricounty area regardless of race, religion, gender, or ethnicity. The clinic also offers a hunger prevention program, back-to-school giveaways, a clothes closet, and education for the community and medical students, helping them attain career goals.
Listed among Imbibe magazine’s 75 People to Watch in 2018 and Charleston's 50 Most Progressive is the duo known as the curly-haired Cocktail Bandits. They have been featured by NBC BLK, Essence magazine, Sirius XM Radio, and more. They promote female empowerment through advocacy for the food & beverage community from a feminine perspective.
A cultural anthropologist who has worked at The Field Museum and Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, Dr. Williams Lessane serves as co-principal investigator for the Race and Social Justice Initiative. Her New York Times editorial “No Sanctuary in Charleston” gave insight into African American life after the Mother Emanuel massacre.
Carolyn Murray co-anchors the 5 PM, 5:30 PM, 6 PM, and 11 PM newscasts for WCBD News 2. During her 30-year career, she has earned two Emmy Awards, four Emmy nominations, and many Associated Press and SC Broadcasters Association awards... and interviewed President Bill Clinton, Coretta Scott King, Oprah Winfrey, US Rep. John Lewis, and others.
Known for her energy and passion to help women achieve higher levels of success, Mary Jo Romeo is a dynamic presentation coach for Own The Room as well as co-founder of UP Business Communications. She has held senior management roles with Mom365, BabyCenter, The Weather Channel, and Working Mother, Parents, and American Baby magazines.
Creator of the first Hispanic theater group in the Charleston area and the first Hispanic multicultural center in South Carolina, Maribel Acosta Gonzalez is the 2014 co-recipient of the SC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Visionary Award honoring extraordinary leaders who improve the lives of many and act for the good of the community.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION with Joan Robinson-Berry, Octavia Mitchell, LaVanda Brown, and a panel of Charleston's top women leaders who are changing the face of women in business in Charleston across 10 different industries. Ask them your burning question, no matter what it is – and prepare to GET REAL. #WhatWomenBring #ReadyToGetReal