BSU Women's Forum-1st Annual Virtual Expo

The BSU Women’s Forum will be hosting its 1^st Annual Virtual Women’s Expo at Bowie State University on March 4 and 5 during Women’s History Month. This event will be open to all women on campus, alumni and community partners. Our goal will be to acknowledge and recognize the work of all women locally, nationally and globally. This will be a historical moment for BSU Women’s Forum; as we continue to celebrate, and, honor our first female President at Bowie State University, Dr. Aminta H. Breaux and many other women who have contributed to the rising of women in leadership.

Click here to register.

Schedule of Events

8:30 am - 9:00 am
   Check-in, Marketplace, Mix and Mingle, Networking

9:00 am - 9:15 am
   Greetings, Welcome, Occasion/Overview, Introductions

9:15 am - 10:00 am
   Kick-off - Women Leadership Panel

Women Leadership (Entrepreneurship)

Panelist (s): Dr. Nicole Davis, Sasha Butler, Garine Dalce

The good, bad, and ugly for starting a business or building a career. The BOSS mentality and the attitude that goes with it. Shattering the glass ceiling to create the pipeline for others to use. What helps to advance a woman in her leadership journey. Being a trendsetter in a male dominate field. Taking a dream and making it a reality. Finding the work-life balance as you continue to build your career.

10:00 am - 11:30 am
   Breakout Sessions

Overcoming Burnout & Virtual Fatigue through the Arts (Mental Health)

Facilitator(s): Arianna Ross and Valencia Wood

Description: During this session you will learn how to use the arts to build a framework by using your imagination through exploration and practice. Creating techniques and strategies to avoid burnout. Learning how to care for your social and emotional well-being. Gaining a deeper understanding of oneself by exploring and shifting your mindset. Using creative ways to give yourself permission to use creative play and thinking to have fun. This session is all about having fun and allowing your creative mind to wonder

Sparking Innovation: Big Picture Thinking (Entrepreneurship)

Facilitator(s): Diya Wynn

Description: New Technology is evolving as we must be prepared to get ahead of the curve. People who are able to step outside the boundaries of traditional thinking generate new ideas … solve nagging problems … make better decisions … get bottom-line results. With this idea-sparking session. You’ll learn to overcome negative beliefs and thinking habits that stifle creativity and replace “old” thinking with new and powerful ways to unleash your creative potential. When you do, you’ll see how your new skills lead to innovations that lower costs, streamline procedures, increase productivity and power up job satisfaction.

A MOMs TIME...Time out and refection for moms (Leadership)

Facilitator (s): Nicole Wilson and Tanya McInnis

Description: For centuries, busy moms and women alike have heard these admonishments, but most find it difficult to heed this advice. Life's demands take over, and most can only hope to carve out a second for the proper rest and rejuvenation their bodies so often need. Consequently, when challenges and trials come, busy moms and women already feel defeated, and they struggle to face these seemingly insurmountable problems head-on. During this session you will gain tools and strategies on how to push through the odds no matter what because being victorious is possible.

11:30 am - 12:30 pm
   Keynote Speaker

Jennifer King, First Black Female Assistant Coach, NFL
She is a seven-time All-American quarterback and wide receiver for the Carolina Phoenix women’s tackle football team and a former member of Guilford College women’s basketball and softball teams. She holds a master’s degree in sports management from Guilford College.

12:30 pm - 1:45 pm
   Breakout Sessions

Leading through Change and Uncertainty: How to deal with Grief (Mental Health)

Description: Grief is a highly individual process, as unique as the people experiencing it. Everything from our personal histories and culture to personality traits and temperament affects how we experience and cope with a major loss in our life. Understanding that grief is a process and it is something that takes time to work through. We all have experienced lost at some point in our lives. How did you deal with it? This session will help to provide different tips and strategies to help you navigate through your own grieving process in a compassionate, constructive, and healthy way.

Unconscious Bias, We All Matter (Social Justice)

Facilitator(s): Natasha Rodriguez

Description: We cannot change what we don’t understand or, worse yet, don’t acknowledge. At a time in our history when the topics of racism, privilege and inequality have been thrust into the spotlight of our national (and global) awareness. Having biases isn’t about your character. It doesn’t make you a racist, sexist, homophobe or any other kind of “-ist.” It just makes you a human being. During this session you will learn about creating a learning environment that is emotionally safe. Creating a culture where team members genuinely care for and have each other’s backs by welcoming new people, new ideas and new ways of thinking.

Still I Rise, Unapologetically. The myths of sisterhood (Leadership; Social Justice)

Facilitator(s): Erica Thompson and Dr. Omari Itomi

Description: What comes to mind when you think of sisterhood? Do you feel excited? Or does the word make you grimace? Do you feel uncomfortable or awkward? I know there are a lot of negative feelings toward the concept of a ‘sisterhood’ or simply being in a community with other women. Sisterhood is one of the key principles of unbound living. As unbound women we can often feel different, weird and isolated. During this session you will learn about myths centered around sisterhood and how to rise above them in order to be trendsetters, transformative leaders and visionaries for the future.

1:45 pm - 2:00 pm
   Closing Remarks