WREN welcomes A’ja Wilson as Keynote Speaker for annual summit

December 17, 2018

Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN) will be hosting their third annual state-wide summit on April 1st, 2019 at the Columbia Museum of Art in downtown Columbia.

This year WREN welcomes keynote speaker A’ja Wilson, former Lady Gamecock, current WNBA Las Vegas Aces player, 2018 Rookie of the Year, FIBA World Cup Gold Medalist, founder of the A’ja Wilson Foundation, and equal pay and women’s empowerment advocate.

“If we continue on our current path, women will not receive equal pay to men until 2059,” says WREN CEO Ann Warner. “Given this, we knew A’ja Wilson would be the inspirational voice to encourage South Carolinians to build individual and collective commitments to closing the gender and racial wage gap and accelerate women’s economic empowerment in South Carolina.”

By bringing in partners and speakers from across the community and public and private sectors, WREN’s 2019 Summit will help attendees build personal skills and will mobilize and expand a collective movement to make South Carolina a better state for all who call it home. Outside of informative workshops and sessions, it is ultimately an opportunity to bring diverse people together for a common goal to increase women’s economic empowerment.

The 2019 WREN Summit leads up to Equal Pay Day, a date that symbolizes how far into the year women on average must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. At the Summit, participants will gain access to content like salary negotiation and leadership development workshops, while also being a part of a larger dialogue that navigates the ways in which individuals can contribute to the economic empowerment of women and families across the state.

 

2019 WREN Summit Planning Committee includes:

  • Dr. Deborah Billings, Community Activist
  • Monaé Bispham, Claflin University
  • Dr. Heather Brandt, University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health
  • Shennice Cleckley, Women’s Business Center of SC at Columbia College
  • Valerie Ekue, South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
  • Tamika Gadsden, Charleston Activist Network
  • Anita Garrett, The Weathers Group
  • Mahkia Green, India Grits Lab
  • Lawanda Holliman, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, SC Chapter
  • Tiffany James, The Comet: Central Midlands Transit
  • Monifa Lemons, The Watering Hole
  • T. LillyLittle Water, South Carolina Indian Affairs Commission

 

  • Chynna Phillips, Sister of Charity Foundation of South Carolina
  • Megan Plott, Historic Columbia
  • Roshanda Pratt, The Rosho
  • Terris Riley, South Carolina Statehouse
  • Jennet Robinson Alterman, WREN Board Chair
  • Joelle Ryan Cook, Columbia Museum of Art
  • Jessica Sharp, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
  • Nathaniel Naomi Simmons-Thorne, Center for Social Equity
  • Tammaka Staley, Love on Purpose
  • Sarah Sullivan, Richland Library
  • Ashley Thomas, The Hive Community Circle
  • Kimberly Tissot, Able SC
  • Ali Titus, College of Charleston
  • Kathia Valverde, PASOs
  • Lendale Vazquez-Martinez, DACA United SC
  • Mike Young, PASOs

 

 

More speakers will be announced in the coming months. If you interested in learning more or participating in the 2019 WREN Summit, contact Dr. Eme Crawford [email protected] or visit www.scwren.org.

 

 

WREN, the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, is a South Carolina-based network created to build a movement to advance the health, economic well-being, and rights of South Carolina’s women, girls and their families. WREN provides a strong, collective voice for South Carolina’s women and girls. WREN is a non-partisan, non-profit organization.