I recently had the opportunity to speak at the AKA
Leadership Roundtable in Nashville, Tennessee, which was held on June 29, 2019,
and featured women leaders including Representative Sheila Jackson and
Congresswoman Fredricka Wilson, as well as leaders from Lockheed-Martin, Intel,
Morgan Stanley, and Toyota.
This was such an amazing opportunity to give back to a
community that I’m so passionate about. Not only was I able to give back and
empower other women who are on the journey I’m on, but I was able to connect
and network with women from all over who have the same mindset as me.
Alpha Kappa Alpha, or AKA, is the oldest and largest
college-educated minority women sorority, and I’m proud to be a member. I was
honored to be invited to their AKA Leadership Roundtable on June 29, 2019.
There were approximately 1000 guests in attendance at the roundtable, and I
took the opportunity to discuss scenarios and strategies for overcoming the
challenges of advancement that women of color so often face.
Some of the insight I shared on stage included topics such
as social media sharing and visibility, sharing knowledge with other leaders,
finding mentors, and breaking barriers in senior leadership.
The roundtable was more than just an open fire of questions.
While each woman on the panel was asked relevant questions, the questions were
allowed to turn into conversations. These powerful discussions revealed gold
for those in attendance. I really enjoyed how engaging and open this roundtable
was!
Each woman on the panel was asked questions about how they,
as black women, made it through the corporate power structure, how they’ve
built resilience, and how they found success; how they were able to be
successfully visible as black women; how to be a strong leader yet push for
change in the workplace; how to stay mindful of who’s at the top and who needs
to be there, and
The event offered really was an excellent platform for
sharing my own story and wisdom. I shared the strategies and mindset that have
brought me success at the AKA Leadership Roundtable, and I hope that my insight
provided a necessary shift for audience members who were seeking major success
in their personal lives and careers. With only 33 Fortune 500 women CEOs, there
are only a couple of black women CEOs at the helm of the most important
enterprises in the country. By sharing my knowledge with others, I hope that
I’m playing a role in helping inspire the next black Fortune 500 woman CEO to
make it to the top.
I’d like to thank the organizers of the AKA Leadership
Roundtable for inviting me to Nashville for this special event!