Greetings WBENC Network,
I recently returned from Orlando, Florida where I met with the Extended Executive Committee of the WBENC Board of Directors, helping set the course for the future of this incredible organization. While this year is bringing several exciting changes in our programming and events, we remain firmly committed to our mission and delivering on the promises of our CORE platform – certification of women-owned businesses, opportunities and resources to help them thrive, and engagement with the network to sustain continued growth and success.
A huge thank you to board members past and present for your continued support of our organization. A special thanks to Theresa Harrison of EY for her leadership as Board Chair over the last three years, and a warm welcome to Barbara Kubicki-Hicks of Bank of America who assumed the role as of January 1, 2019. (Look forward to a blog post from Barbara later this year with her insights on becoming Board Chair and her vision for the WBENC network.)
For my part, I am very much looking forward to seeing you all next month in Houston, Texas for the 2019 Summit & Salute! The WBENC team is working full speed ahead to execute a flawless event for our network, with many new and exciting programs and educational opportunities including the WBENC Business Lab and the WBENCPitch tournament. Thank you to our presenting sponsors Accenture, Bristol-Myers Squibb, EY, Ampcus and ASAP Solutions for making this event possible. If you haven’t registered yet, visit summit.wbenc.org/registration and register today.
At Summit & Salute, we look forward to celebrating the 2019 Women’s Business Enterprises, a fantastic group of women entrepreneurs who represent the pinnacle of business leadership, innovation and success. (Meet the 2019 WBE Stars here.) We will also honor the 2018 America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprise’s, 60 top-notch corporations who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the inclusion of women-owned businesses in their supply chains. We are so proud of both of these groups and how much they are moving the needle for women entrepreneurs.
I also want to make sure everyone is aware that on Thursday, March 14, directly after Summit & Salute, we will be honoring my dear friend and a shining star of the WBENC family, the late Cheryl Snead, at the Cheryl W. Snead Memorial Women’s Business Development Fundraiser, a golf tournament to raise funds for a scholarship in her name. Learn more and register here.
What are you looking forward to most at this year’s Summit & Salute? Let us know in the comments below.
See you in Houston!
Pamela Prince-Eason
President & CEO
WBENC
