With a focus on LeadHERship Reimagined: Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, and Influence, the seventh annual Women’s Symposium is spotlighting how women leaders are driving change at the intersections of technology, culture and power.
This year’s gathering will showcase stories of resilience, innovation, and influence that redefine what it means to lead in the modern era. The event will highlight the transformative role of women in ensuring innovation remains equitable, inclusive, and impactful. Hosted by the D.C. chapter of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), the symposium is designed to empower, connect, and equip women leaders across industries.
This year’s symposium reflects the urgency of the moment: as artificial intelligence reshapes industries, women leaders are stepping up to ensure that innovation remains equitable, inclusive, and impactful.
“I see a tremendous need for women to lead at the intersections of leadership, innovation, and influence — particularly in spaces where diverse voices have historically been underrepresented,” said Iris Drayton-Spann, managing director at Stanton Chase, an event sponsor. “Women bring a unique blend of lived experience, resilience, and vision that can transform organizations and communities. Leadership is not only about decision-making but about creating environments where others can thrive. As an African American female executive, I believe our presence at these tables is valuable and essential for meaningful, sustainable change.”
For Dr. Danesha Chisholm, the stakes are especially high in critical fields like infrastructure, finance, research, and technology. “Women leaders bring a unique ability to blend strategy with empathy, resilience with risk management, and innovation with inclusivity. In finance and infrastructure, that means strengthening systems for resilience and equity. In research and technology, especially in the age of AI, it means leading with foresight so that discoveries and innovations serve all communities rather than amplifying inequities. True leadership is not just about occupying seats of influence, but about expanding those seats and equipping the next generation to thrive in a future shaped by both human and technological intelligence.”
Podcast host and seasoned marketer Camille Sanders echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the wide-ranging impact of women in positions of authority. “Everywhere, but especially in spaces where decisions shape the future: technology, policy, education, and global business. Women bring perspective, empathy, and resilience that organizations need. When more women are in leadership, innovation becomes more inclusive, and influence has a broader impact.”
The symposium also brings forward conversations on how AI is changing the daily reality of work. Marcella Wollon-Williams with Legacy Builder Group shared her perspective that AI “has helped me significantly reduce both costs and time by functioning as various team members within my business. This has freed me to focus on higher-value activities, such as deepening my connection with my audience. It has also opened doors to platforms I might not have considered before, like podcasting, allowing me to expand my reach and share my message in new ways.”
Beyond the technology itself, the symposium centers on the ripple effects of women’s leadership.
“Events like the Women’s Symposium offer so much value to every individual who attends and to every community and workspace and household connected to the individual women who attend,” said Lanee Blaise, executive producer and screenwriter. “When we build up women, we set a movement in place that results in families thriving, entrepreneurs thriving, positive influence shifts, policies changing for the better, creativity and the arts expanding, science and technology having a wider scope, and everything under the sun being brighter and better.”
The Women’s Symposium is more than a gathering; it is a call to action. It reminds us that LeadHERship Reimagined means embracing innovation, advancing equity, and amplifying influence in ways that shape a more inclusive future. For the DC Black MBA, this event is another step in the ongoing work of cultivating spaces where women lead boldly pioneering change across industries and communities.
The event is being held at the College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center with sponsorship by Raymond James, Stanton Chase, The Washington Informer, and Royal Neighbors Chapter 20163.