TWU Bold LeadHERship Roundtable program provides training to women leaders

Feb. 22, 2022 – Houston – Texas Woman’s College of Business and the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership both are dedicated to advancing women leaders, and through their new partnership program, the TWU Bold LeadHERship Roundtable, they are continuing to do just that for Houston women leaders of color.

The TWU Bold LeadHERship Roundtable, sponsored by the College of Business, the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership and the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, is a six-month cohort program to prepare women leaders of color to lead with purpose and authenticity as they blaze paths for diversity, inclusion and equity in their companies. It is designed for women of color in senior-level leadership positions across various industries in Houston, Texas. Participants will discuss ways to own their voice, project confidence, rise above barriers, accelerate their career and help other diverse women advance in organizations.

“We want our programs to be relevant to the communities we serve,” said Dewaynna Horn, PhD, associate dean for accreditation. “The Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Erika Kelly, DEI expert at Morgan Stanley, specifically identified a need for leadership development for women of color in Houston. This first cohort was organized in consideration of the needs expressed. Since Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we wanted to provide leadership development to focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) for senior-level female executives. Many companies and industries are trying to improve in the area of DEIB, and women leaders could contribute tremendously.”

The 19 participants, all recommended by board members of the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, began the program in February, and include:

• Kimberly Baker, Insperity
• Angela Dickson, PhD, TechnipFMC
• Shanta Harrison, PhD, HP Executive, Solutions, LLC
• Olivia Hayes, Texas Woman’s University
• Shiny John, Sirius XM-Pandora
• Dana L. Jorsling, Kinder Morgan Inc
• Rasheedah Jones, C&S Wholesale Grocers
• Erika Kelly, Morgan Stanley
• Monica Lewis, Monica Lewis School of Etiquette and Lewis Tea & Co
• Heidi Obie, Jacobs Engineering Houston
• Lawrencina Oramaula, Texas Woman’s University
• Nisha Pillay Modak, Morgan Stanley
• Vanessa Reed, Comerica Bank
• Mary Rodriguez-Avila, BakerRipley
• Maribel Salazar, University of Texas Police at Houston
• Courtney Taylor, Veritex Community Bank
• Bindu Varghese, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Sugarland
• Shayla White, Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce SBA Women’s Business Center
• Janae Winfield, Chevron’s Corporate Affairs Strategy Division

At the end of the program in August, the participants will have a peer advisory board consisting of members of the cohort and develop a Personal Leadership Advancement Plan for the next three years. 

Though this spring marked the first cohort program, in fall 2021, the College of Business and the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership sponsored the TWU Bold LeadHERship Speaker Series, which created dialogue about the opportunities and challenges for women in leadership. The series was open to all women managers and executives as well as TWU students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends.