Black Enterprise will present its highest honor in recognition of the achievements of black women when it presents the Women of Power Legacy Awards at the 2019 Women of Power Summit on Feb. 28, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Women of Power Summit is the nation’s No. 1 executive development and leadership conference for women of color, annually attracting more than 1,000 corporate executives, professionals, and businesswomen from across the country. The Women of Power Summit, hosted by ADP, will take place Feb. 28–March 3, 2019, at The Mirage Hotel and Casino.
Honorees to be recognized at the 2019 Women of Power Summit Legacy Awards Gala, hosted by PepsiCo, include the following outstanding achievers:
Chaka Khan is a songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and activist. Khan has influenced generations of recording artists and has amassed 10 Grammy Awards. Affectionately known around the world as Chaka, she is revered by millions of fans as well as peers for her timeless, classic, and unmatched signature style and musical ability. Throughout her legendary career, Chaka has released 22 albums, has produced over 2,000 catalog song placements, racked up 10 No. 1 Billboard charted songs, seven RIAA-certified gold singles, and 10 RIAA-certified gold and platinum albums. Despite her busy schedule, Chaka has always made time to support and uplift her community. She has a deep commitment to women and children at risk, which led her to establish the Chaka Khan Foundation in 1999.
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie (Barbara Graves honoree), serves as the 117th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Her historic election represents the first time in the 200 plus-year history of the AME church that a woman obtained the level of Episcopal office. McKenzie was appointed by former-President Barack Obama to serve on the inaugural President’s Advisory Council of the White House Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Alice Walker, a prolific writer in multiple genres, Walker is a canonical figure in American letters. Her writing has been translated into more than two dozen languages, and more than 12 million copies of her books have been sold. Walker is an American novelist, poet, and activist. She wrote the novel The Color Purple, for which she won the National Book Award for hardcover fiction and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. She also wrote the novels Meridian and The Third Life of Grange Copeland, among other works.
Cynthia Marshall was named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America by be in 2015. Marshall is a quick thinker, straight talker, and highly respected leader who was senior vice president, and human resources and chief diversity officer at AT&T before she retired in 2017 to launch her own consulting firm, Marshalling Resources and most recently becoming CEO of the Dallas Mavericks—the first African American female CEO in the NBA. Cynthia is a passionate advocate for education as the key to unlocking future economic and personal opportunities for all students. She served as a co-chair of the General Assembly’s Committee on Dropout Prevention, and has been named a “Friend of Education” by the State Board of Education in recognition of her untiring efforts on behalf of North Carolina’s students and schools.
“For 14 years, the Women of Power Summit has been at the forefront of beating that drum for that change by arming women of color with the hard skills, proven strategies, vital connections, and internal fortitude to not only level up themselves, but to help advance and accelerate each other’s careers,” said Caroline Clarke, Chief Brand Officer, Women of Power. “This year, in Vegas for the first time, we’ve aligned with tremendous corporate partners to create a program – an experience – that will transform the life, the path, the purpose of every woman it touches. Come to Vegas, and bet on that!”
Summit topics will include mastering leadership, negotiating salaries, personal branding, strategies for the C-suite, and classes such as executive coaching. Confirmed speakers include former senior adviser to the Obama administration, Valerie Jarrett; founder and CEO of Curls Beauty Brands, Mahisha Dellinger; founder of Nomadness Travel Tribe, Evita Robinson; political commentator at CNN, Symone D. Sanders; president and CEO, Adtalem Global Education, Lisa Wardell, and more.
The host sponsor of the 2019 Women of Power Summit is ADP. Presenting sponsors include Accenture, Dell, PepsiCo, Pfizer, and Toyota. Platinum sponsors are Macy’s and Walmart; and Corporate sponsors are Bank of America, FedEx, Google, and Southwest Airlines; and Strategic Partner, The Islands of the Bahamas.
For more information on the speakers and agenda of the 2019 Women of Power Summit, go to www.blackenterprise.com/wps. For updates via Twitter and other social media sites, check the hashtag #BEWPS.
Black Enterprise, your ultimate source to build Wealth for Life, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, BE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. Every month, Black Enterprise magazine provides 6 million readers with information on entrepreneurship, careers, and financial management. A multimedia company, BE also produces television programming, business and lifestyle events, web content, and digital media.
