Women’s empowerment conference set for May 17-18

Women who want to do better, be better, and help others get better will be converging on the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 17 and 18 for Celebrating the Superwoman in You, a women’s conference inviting women to rise up, stand up, and lift another woman up.

“I am passionate about the empowerment of women,” said founder Jil Greene. “Too many women find themselves in situations that they don’t know how to get out of. Sometimes, the right information, the right tool, the right connection can make all the difference in putting together a plan that can change a woman’s life. What we plan to do at Celebrating the Superwoman in You is provide that information, provide the tool, provide the connection so women can make the plan.”

The conference begins at 4:00pm on Friday, May 17. The event kicks off with a high powered networking session with some of New Orleans top women leaders in Corporate America, Business, Law, Education, Finance, Health and Community. It will also include live music & entertainment, dramatic productions directed by Jacqueline Fleming (actress from Abraham Lincoln, Contra­band, Woman Thou Art Loose), General Sessions and a late night pajama party where the women will participate in a dinner reception called “Real WYENing Conversations After Dark.”

Saturday workshops tackle topics that describe a Super Woman: A Super Woman: Makes Time for Her God, Mentors Others, Markets Herself, Masters Relationship (Marriage/Single), Minds Her Money, Maximizes Her Health, Motivates herself, Makes Her Mark (through Her passion and purpose).

Conference speakers include New Orleans own, Kelder Summers, radio host of Old School 106.7, Kim Bondy, former TV producer, VP of CNN, Judy Reese Morse, Deputy Mayor, Chief of Staff, City of New Orleans; Laver­ne Saulney, Regional Manager, New Orleans U. S. Senator Mary Landrieu; Dr. Tami Singleton, Chief, Hematology/Oncology, professor, Medicine and Pediatrics; Michelle Craig, Partner at Adams & Reese law firm; Jade Brown Russell, General Counsel Caesar’s Entertainment; Lisa Crinel, owner and CEO of three New Orleans area based companies devoted to assisting women who are sick or in recovery; Dr. Toya Barnes-Teamer, Vice President, Student Success at Dillard University, Kem Washing­ton, a CPA and Financial consultant; Therese Badon, Vice President of Development, UNCF; and a host of others including speakers from Atlanta, Birming­ham, Char­lotte and Dallas! Cee Cee Mich­aela, former Co-star of the hit comedy “Girlfriends”; Stacii Jae Johnson, CEO, Mama Said Prod­uctions, host of Atlanta’s WAEC Love 860 AM Black Girls Radio; Charity Jordan, Film Maker, creator of the breakout web series “Mommy Uncensored”; Alicia Johnson, software engineer for IBM and certified belief therapy counselor, co-pastor Brandi Gibson, Word of Faith Christian Center, Lestine Bell, a motivational speaker and author of You Were Meant To Be A Queen, Not A Fling; Mrs. V (Valencia Johnson), BET comedienne, and many more.

A special feature and new addition to this year’s conference is the men’s panel entitled “Men Who Get It.”

It’s about improving women’s lives,” said Greene. “It’s about empowerment. It’s about learning the lessons we need to teach our daughters and hearing the messages we need to give to empower them to move strongly into today’s world.”

To register, go to www.wyen.org. For more information, call Nayanka Nero at (504) 444-8017 or send an email to thew­yen@gmail.com.

This article originally published in the April 15, 2013 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.