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.Â
Â
#WhatWomenBring is THE event for women & men who believe that having more women in leadership is important to all of us. Join emcee Octavia Mitchell, WCBD News 2 TV anchor, and our honorees for a power lunch you won’t want to miss! Your ticket includes a one-year YWCA Greater Charleston membership, a $50 value. Â
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.
A formidable ally of Charleston-area women, LaVanda Brown has developed and implemented highly effective new programs and events designed to empower women, including What Women Bring, Y Girls Code tech clubs for girls of color, YWCA.GC's Career Success Series and Own the Room public speaking workshops for women of all ages, YWCA.GC's women's health program Choose Well, and more.Â
Brenda Lauderback has a long history of corporate leadership, having served in executive roles for Nine West and Target, Dayton’s, Hudson’s, and Marshall Fields. She has sat on corporate boards including Sleep Number, Wolverine World Wide, Big Lots, and Jostens, and nonprofit boards for the South Carolina Aquarium, Susan G Komen for the Cure, and more. She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Corporate Directors in America and featured in Forbes, Ebony, Essence, and Black Enterprise magazines.
An international ambassador who advocates for women’s rights across South Carolina and the globe, Jennet returned from a long career in international leadership across 40 countries to lead the Charleston Center for Women from 2001 to 2013. She currently serves as board chair of the South Carolina Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network and chair of the City of Charleston Commission on Women.
Erica has been recognized as the 2018 Outstanding Educator of the Year, a South Carolina Education Policy Fellow, a Racial Equity Leadership Network Fellow, and one of the Forty Under 40 by the Charleston Regional Business Journal, 20 Under 20 by Thomas Media Black Expo, and 35 Under 35 by the National School Public Relations Association. She sits on the boards of the Trident Urban League and the Charleston Leadership Foundation, and on the MOJA Arts Festival Community Committee.
Kat, a solopreneur, community racial justice activist, founder of ChangeAbility Solutions, and TEDxCharleston speaker, consults with individuals and organizations on purposeful positive change management, diversity, equity, and inclusion; facilitates planning and visioning; and provides training and leadership and staff development coaching.
Angela joined the Charleston Fire Department in 1998 as a firefighter. In 2003 she was promoted to assistant engineer and in 2004 to engineer, making her the first African American female to hold these ranks. She went on to work for the City of Charleston as a senior code enforcement officer. A CPR, AED, and First Aid instructor, she teaches these skills to churches and community organizations, and has counseled students at Burke High and young mothers at Florence Crittenton about their goals.
Dr. Ford has dedicated her career to combining community engagement with new ways to reduce health disparities. (In South Carolina, for instance, African American men with prostate cancer have a death rate three times higher than white men with prostate cancer.) In addition to her work at MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center, Dr. Ford is a public health sciences professor at MUSC and holds a SmartState Endowed Chair position in prostate cancer disparities research at South Carolina State University.Â
A Clemson grad, Helen joined the CACVB more than 30 years ago and enjoys lifting up and promoting the Charleston region. She also serves as board vice chair for the Charleston County Aviation Authority, sits on several statewide and national boards including the US Travel Association, and enjoys mentoring several outstanding women. Under her leadership, Explore Charleston will launch a website specifically featuring African American heritage, telling its story with accuracy and authenticity.
As director of marketing & communications for the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, Claire is a storyteller and ambassador for Charleston. For eight years she has directed communications for Charleston’s five-year economic development strategies, one of which won a top award from the International Economic Development Council. A connector who brings people together and ensures efforts to make a difference do not go unnoticed, she is a longtime mentor of other women. Â
A first-generation American who speaks four languages, Judge Forsythe was elected in 2016 by the South Carolina General Assembly to serve as a South Carolina Family Court judge. She serves Charleston’s underserved populations as a volunteer in her spare time, teaching English at a local community outreach center and serving as pro bono counsel to local law enforcement agencies and charter schools.
Lilyn leads Google's public policy, government, and community relations across the Southeast. Among other initiatives, she founded and implemented Google’s Rolling Study Halls program to give rural and low-income students access to resources they need to stay competitive, and contributed to Google’s founding and funding of the Racial & Social Justice Initiative at the Avery Research Center for African American History to engage the public and develop community outreach and public history resources.