HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE . . . Sister -for-Sister Conference & Women of Color Luncheon

The Sister-for-Sister Conference began in 1998, and is now an annual conference held in the spring. The conference was the brainchild of member Rosetta Miller Perry, publisher of The Tennessee Tribune and Contempora magazine and founder of the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. The conference attracts national and local speakers who inspire and inform participants as the conference fulfills its goal of empowerment of women. Member participation and support is a key element to the success of the conference.

The Women of Color Luncheon was added in 2004 as an opportunity to expand networking to women of diverse backgrounds.

1998 — Brooke Stephens, author, Talking Dollars, Making Sense. The closing luncheon speaker was Shirley A. R. Lewis, PhD, president of Paine College.

1999 — Margaret Hodges Rush, president of the South Carolina Black Chamber of Commerce, inspired us with her Alphabets for Life speech.

2000 — Delores L. Crockett, Fields Operations Manager for the Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, Regional Administrator of Region IV. The closing luncheon speaker was Eleanor Newhouse Graves.

2001 — The Reverend Renita J. Weems, PhD, author and associate professor of Hebrew Bible, Vanderbilt University. The closing luncheon speaker was Hattie B. Dorsey, president/CEO, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Inc, and former national president, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc.

2002 — The Reverend Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder, New Covenant Christian Church, Nashville; Closing luncheon speaker Brooke Stephens, author of Talking Dollars Making Sense, and financial consultant.

2003 — Michelle McKinney Hammond, HeartWing Ministries of Chicago, Illinois.

2004 — Betty Marshall, vice president/Divisional Merchandise manager, Sam’s Club; closing luncheon speaker Tennessee House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tem, Honorable Lois Deberry.

2005 — Salute to Davis-Galloway Empowerment Award Nominees; and Valerie Montgomery-Rice, MD, executive director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry and dean of the School of Medicine.

2006 — The Honorable Hazel R. O’Leary, president of Fisk University, and former U.S. Secretary of Energy.

2007 — The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, and 21st national president, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

2008 — Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, 117th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

2009 — Barbara S. Talley, speaker, poet, author and publisher of many value-based living products.

2010 — Anna McCoy, founder of Woman Act Now!, author, life coach, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, financial educator, talk show host and preacher.

2011 — Iris Cooper, owner of Just Ask Iris! and co-founder of Glory Foods, Inc.

2012 — Roslyn Ridgeway, CEO/Founder, DeRoz Entertainment

2013 — ShirleyAnn Robertson, Robertson & Robertson Financial Services, Schaumburg, Illinois, Women of Color Luncheon keynote speaker. Empowerment workshop by Sandra Finley, President/CEO League of Black Women.

2014 — Valerie Montgomery-Rice, MD, Dean and Executive Vice President, Morehouse School of MedicinePresident Elect, keynote speaker for the Women of Color Luncheon. Leadership Development Workshop by Connie L. Lindsey, Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Responsibility Northern Trust, President, National Board of Directors Girl Scouts, USA.

2015 — Caroline Clarke, Executive Editor of Black Enterprise magazine, host of Black Enterprise Business Report, and author of Take a Lesson: Today’s Black Achievers. Leadership Development Workshop: Agenia Clark, CEO, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, facilitator; Cathy Bender, Senior Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch, Alice Randall, Author, Professor, Vanderbilt University, Joycelyn Stevenson, Esq. President-Elect, Nashville Bar Association.

2016 — Carolyn Hardy, Chism Hardy Investments, LLC, CEO and Henderson Worldwide Investments, CEO, keynote speaker for the Women of Color Luncheon. Leadership Development Workshop: “The State of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.” Panelists: Richard Jackson, American Baptist College; Adrienne Latham, MA, Fisk University; A. Dexter Samuels, PhD, Meharry Medical College; and Alisa Mosley, PhD, Tennessee State University.

2017 — Mignon Francois, Owner, The Cupcake Collection

2018 — Michelle Thornton Ghee, Senior Vice President of Media Sales, BET Her Network

2019 — Michelle Thornton Ghee, Executive Vice President of Business Development for Endeavor Global Marketing, part of the Endeavor Network, which includes talent agency WME, fashion, and sports pioneer IMG, UFC, among others. Author of Stratechic 2.0: Her Plan. Her Power. Her Purpose.

2020 — Event Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

2021 — [Virtual Event] Ayris T. Scales (Opening Speaker) CEO, Walker’s Legacy Foundation and Managing Director, Walker’s Legacy, president, Metropolitan Washington DC Chapter; Brittany Cole (Keynote Speaker) Author, Thrive Through It: Guide to Redefining Resilience in Life and Business.

2022 — [Virtual Event] Chandria Harris (Opening Speaker) CEO, HireCultures; Kirbee Miller, Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Kirbee + Co and Yanka Smith-Bartley, JD, Chief DEI Officer and Counsel (Keynote Speakers)

NCBW’s interests encompasses women with backgrounds in all sectors of the business, political and professional community, including educators, lawyers, physicians, corporate executives, business owners, bankers, financial advisors, healthcare administrators, ministers, advertising, marketing, communications, fundraising, higher education administrators and public officials.