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dana e. fitchett
The last phrase of our mission–self-defined success–is everything to me. Regardless of the political context or contemporary views, what matters most at the end of the day is self-determination, especially for Black women.
SHEILA E. LEWIS
Having stepped out of corporate America and created my own path with my two companies for the past 25 years afforded me the chance to look at things very differently. And my sense about being a Black female business owner changed when I had a company where I had employees.
Yvonne Williams-Castellanos
Every day Black women are asked to exploit ourselves for the benefit of others—to make slaves of ourselves and completely deny ourselves for the benefit of other people. And BlackFemaleProject firmly rejects this notion and says, “No, we’re not going to do that. We are going to uplift ourselves and affirm ourselves and our humanity for our own happiness and joy.”
Sandra Varner
I think the mission is reflective of who we are as Black women in the work space and every other space that we occupy. It’s central to our identity, our work, and our collective mission of being supportive of each other while fostering positive, uplifting, beneficial environments where we all thrive.
Ellie Tumbuan
There’s the reality of justice—that Black women deserve that. It’s also about understanding that, when Black women win, everybody wins. Period. Because of the known and unknown histories of what Black women have gone through in the workplace, the healing, the recognition, and the valuing of Black women need to not just be reconciled but prioritized.
Afiya Williams
I believe in the mission because I am a Black professional woman with my own unique experience. I know we need more spaces in this world that do just this. I believe in the mission because of the Black women that I know who have called in what they need in terms of either support or awareness.
Debrah Giles
My industry is philanthropy, and my expertise is youth development and cultural arts. I’m a program director at East Bay Community Foundation, where I lead our strategy around racial justice and equity, centering cultural arts.
Vaneese Johnson
Vaneese Johnson, The Boldness Coach™, is a certified executive coach, brand strategist, and award-winning small business consultant with more than 25 years of experience.
Olivia Christian
Olivia Christian has been working as a brand strategist for more than 15 years. Her clients include global brands like Google, Visa, and Amazon as well as nonprofit organizations providing life-advancing support to women, children, and vulnerable communities throughout the US.
Dr. Wendi Williams
Psychologist, advocate, and educator, Dr.Wendi Williams, applies her work at the intersection of education and psychology to her scholarship and leadership praxis.
Charmaine McClarie
C-suite advisor, keynote speaker, executive coach, and executive presence authority who helps leaders have their best year ever. She has worked with leaders in 27 industries across five continents.
Fern Stroud
My areas of expertise are tech, Black folks, and community. We do a lot of community building, get BlackFemaleProject into spaces, and provide a platform both online and at community-based events like Black Vines, Black Joy Parade, and Pride.
Dr. Tameka McGlawn
My area of expertise is educational leadership. Under that lives this range of assets, talents, attributes, and experiences that are not one-dimensional.
Karen Lewis
I own a communications and branding agency. My business partner, my team, and I mostly do public relations and media relations for social impacters and disruptors.
Charmaine Mercer
At present my industry is philanthropy, but I would say my expertise is evolving. There was a time when I would have said my expertise is in education, but in the last two years, I’ve combined the root of my vocation, which is learning, and used that in a different context in a way that is helping philanthropy change.
Laura Martinez
My area of work has always been in education and education-adjacent nonprofits, but currently I work at an organization that does workforce development around supporting underserved communities and introducing them into the tech sector.
Cathy Barragan
I think everyone should be dedicated to uplifting the voices of Black women and providing a space where they can be heard and seen. The world is a better place for it.
Ché Abram
I believe in the mission for BlackFemaleProject because it is the nurturing space I needed as a Black woman and as a part of America’s workforce.
Tanya M. Diggs
I’m a connector. I’ve worked in marketing, in branding, and for ad agencies. I’ve led PR teams and I've led experiential teams that do events.