The Spectrum Circle

Breaking Glass Ceilings in the Spirits Industry! We're thrilled to spotlight Jackson McCrea, a trailblazing supporter and sponsor of The Spectrum Circle. Co-founded by the visionary Sheila Jackson and the dynamic Natasha McCrea, Jackson McCrea is making history as the first Black women-owned whiskey brand in California. Their journey began from a simple conversation over dinner in 2020, bonding over a shared love for whiskey. Fueled by the passion to include women in an industry often dominated by men, Sheila and Natasha launched their premium rye whiskey in 2022. Their product—a 5-year-old Tennessee Rye matured in French oak Syrah wine barrels—stands strong even alongside established brands. Both founders have a strong background in empowering and elevating women. Sheila, through her production company and "The Good CEO" podcast, and Natasha, via her Love CEO Institute, have continuously worked towards expanding the voice and stories of women. "Owning a whiskey brand aligns with my ethos of designing the life I want," says McCrea. Their commitment not only produces exceptional whiskey but also shatters stereotypes, inspiring women across industries to break barriers and lead boldly. Let's raise a glass to Jackson McCrea for their exceptional contributions and for supporting The Spectrum Circle in our mission to empower and elevate women leaders! https://lnkd.in/g7Q8V8uE #thespectrumcircle #womeninbusiness #leadership #womensupportingwomen Natasha McCrea #techstars

Sights from the 2024 Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon. #thespectrumcircle #awards #spectrumcircleawards

Karen Maria Alston????, Founder and CEO of The Spectrum Circle, is delighted to announce Lindsay Kaplan, as the recipient of the Founders Award. Lindsay will be honored on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. Lindsay is Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Chief, responsible for developing and growing Chief’s brand identity as the largest network of senior women executives, designed to maximize their leadership impact. Lindsay’s oversight has helped elevate Chief’s mission and impact to senior executive women all over the country. She is also a member of Chief’s Board of Directors. Prior to founding Chief, Lindsay spent the majority of her career leading marketing for high-growth startups, including Casper, which transitioned from a mattress product company to a beloved global sleep brand under her leadership. Lindsay has been named a New York Times DealBook Groundbreaker, one of Business Insider's Most Innovative CMOs in the World, and one of Ad Age’s Leading Women. Chief has been recognized as one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. Lindsay is a graduate of Brandeis University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing. Congratulations to Lindsay, the distinguished Founders Award winner at the 2024 Spectrum Circle Awards. #thespectrumcircle #spectrumcircleawards #awardee #chief #founder #femalefounder #leadership

Karen Maria Alston????, Founder and CEO of The Spectrum Circle, is delighted to announce Carolyn Childers as the recipient of the Founders Award. Carolyn will be honored on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. Carolyn is the Co-Founder and CEO of Chief, an organization dedicated to creating the largest network of senior women executives, and serves on its Board of Directors. Under her leadership, Chief has achieved remarkable growth and recognition, becoming a pivotal platform for senior women leaders. Before co-founding Chief, Carolyn held the position of Senior Vice President of Operations at Handy, spearheaded the launch of Soap.com, and guided it through its successful acquisition by Amazon. Her earlier career included strategic roles at Victoria's Secret and Avon Products, and she started her professional journey in investment banking at Deutsche Bank. Carolyn's influential work has earned her a spot on Inc.'s Female Founders 100 List, and Chief has been celebrated as one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies and by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Boston College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. The Founders Award recognizes Carolyn’s outstanding leadership, genuine authenticity, and her unwavering commitment to enhancing opportunities for women. Congratulations to Carolyn, the distinguished Founders Award winner at the 2024 Spectrum Circle Awards. #thespectrumcircle #awardee #womenwholead #chief #founder #femalefounders #leadership

The Board of Directors of The Spectrum Circle is pleased to announce, Precious L. Williams, as awardee for the Innovation in Small Business award. Precious will receive her award on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. Precious L. Williams is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion, 5x #1 bestselling author and sought after international professional speaker. Besides training entrepreneurs, business leaders, and professionals, she is also a TOP Fortune 100 corporate sales trainer, teaching them how to take their sales, media, or elevator pitches from TRASH to straight CASH!??Precious is a world-class speaker/trainer for global brands including BMW, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Blackstone, Verizon, SiriusXM, HubSpot, Conde Nast, Harvard University, Columbia University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, George Washington University, Intuit Quickbooks, Yelp, and more.?As an international professional speaker, she is also hired to Keynote global conferences, summits, and events. Congratulations, Precious L. Williams, The Spectrum Circle Award?Winner?for Innovation in Small Business. #thespectrumcircle #spectrumcircleawards #leadership #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #womeninbusiness #womenwholead

The Board of Directors of The Spectrum Circle is pleased to announce, Katie Boston- Leary, PHD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, as awardee for the Innovation in Health award. Katie will receive her award on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. Dr. Katie Boston-Leary is the Director of Nursing Programs at the American Nurses Association overseeing the Nursing Practice and Work Environment Division and Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation. She was also the Co-Lead for Project Firstline, a multi-million-dollar grant collaborative with the CDC for training on Infection Prevention and Control. Katie is also the co-chair for the DEI committee for the Healthcare Leaders Network Delaware Valley, an ACHE affiliate. Katie is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She is a board member on St. John’s University Health Programs, Hippocratic AI and Ingenovis Health and an editorial advisory board member with Web/MD Medscape, Nursing Management, Nursing 2023 and ACHE. Katie serves as staff on the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing and is also part of the National Academy of Science and Medicine’s National Plan to Address Clinician Well-Being supported by the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. Katie authored two chapters in The Sage Encyclopedia of Multicultural Counseling, Social Justice, and Advocacy, the first encyclopedia focused on racism and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Katie also led as an ANA a National Nurse Staffing Think Tank and Task Force, which published actionable recommendations to address the nurse staffing crisis. She is also a 2023 International Council of Nurses Global Nurse Leadership Institute Scholar. Katie has also testified on panels and roundtables on Capitol Hill on the nurse staffing crisis and regulatory burden on hospitals and nurses. She was identified in August 2019 Health Leaders Media Journal as “One of Five Chief Nursing Officers Changing Healthcare”. She also won the ICABA TD Bank 2023 Woman of Impact award. She has conducted research on care delivery models and time allocation with Quint Studer, Joslin Insight and McKinsey. She is a well-known speaker nationally and internationally with many publications and podcast guest invitations. She completed her PhD at Walden University in Health Services, obtained a dual degree MBA and MHA from the University of Maryland Global Campus and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bowie State University in Maryland.??She is a board-certified Nurse Executive and obtained a nurse executive leadership certificate from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Congratulations, Dr. Katie Boston-Leary, The Spectrum Circle Award?Winner?for Innovation in Health. #thespectrumcircle #awardee #leadership #innovationinhealth #health

The Board of Directors of The Spectrum Circle is pleased to announce, Kelli Richardson Lawson as awardee for the Innovation in Media award. Kelli will receive her award on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. At the core of Kelli Richardson Lawson's remarkable journey as an Emmy Award-winning creative visionary and entrepreneurial business leader lies a profound devotion to family values, joy, and empowerment. With over three decades of experience, Kelli has consistently championed change, impacted lives, and invested in communities of color. Her unwavering commitment to creating a world filled with joy and possibility shines through in her work and resonates deeply with those she touches. Guided by the power of family, Kelli founded The House of JOY and The SonRise Project, organizations that embody her core values and aspirations. House of JOY, formerly known as JOY Collective, is a Black and woman-owned cultural insights, marketing, and creative agency that thrives on uplifting brands while fostering meaningful connections. Through House of JOY, Kelli has built bridges, sparked conversations, and led groundbreaking campaigns for esteemed brands like Dove, Progressive, Ad Council, BET, OWN, Disney, AARP, and more. Driven by her deep compassion for addressing mental health and addiction issues, Kelli established The SonRise Project, a non-profit organization that supports Black families facing these challenges. Anchored in her family values, Kelli hosts weekly calls, providing a nurturing and inspiring space to connect, share experiences, and offer support. These calls become a lifeline, fostering understanding, compassion, and resilience in the face of adversity. The SonRise Project also extends its impact through specialized calls focused on aging parents and "Survivor Stories," where Black teens and young adults bravely share their journeys of triumph over suicide. Recognizing the life-changing potential of this initiative, the Oprah Winfrey Network collaborated with Kelli to create The SonRise Project podcast series, amplifying its reach to a nationwide audience. Kelli's extraordinary contributions extend throughout her illustrious career in media. As a trailblazer at BET, she revolutionized the marketing organization, spearheading award-winning creative campaigns and orchestrating monumental events such as the BET Awards and Hip-Hop Awards. Recently, she has received the Ad Club of New York Innovator Award, ADCOLOR Rockstar Award, PRWeek Purpose Awards “CEO of the Year,” NAMI Montgomery County’s 2023 Hero of the Year, and the Waymaker Making a Difference Award. Kelli proudly traces her roots back to Cleveland, Ohio and Howard University, where she received her education. As a 37-year Diamond Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Congratulations, Kelli Richardson Lawson, The Spectrum Circle Award Winner for Innovation in Media. #thespectrumcircle #leadership

The Board of Directors of The Spectrum Circle is pleased to announce, Maimah Karmo, as awardee for the Innovation in Non-Profit award. Maimah will receive her award on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. Maimah Karmo is the Founder/CEO of the Tigerlily Foundation Tigerlily Foundation and an eighteen-year survivor of breast cancer.???On February 28, 2006, at 4:45 p.m., Maimah was diagnosed with Stage 2 triple negative breast cancer. She had no family history and was 32-years old.??While undergoing her second round of chemotherapy, she made a promise to God that if she survived, she would create an organization to educate, empower, advocate for and support young women affected by breast cancer.??After her second treatment, Tigerlily?Foundation was born.??Tigerlily provides breast health, educational, empowerment wellness and transformational programs to young women; and works to end disparities of age, stage and color.? After working with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to develop the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act, she received the?Congressional Black Caucus Leadership in Advocacy Award in 2010?and was appointed to the Federal Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women in October 2011, a committee established by the Affordable Care Act, on which she works to develop initiatives to increase knowledge of breast health and breast cancer for women under the age of 45 and those at heightened risk for developing the disease.???In 2015, Maimah advocated with Members of Congress to ensure that young women had access to breast screening.??Tigerlily Foundation flew young women to Washington, D.C. to meet with 74 members of Congress.??The visit resulted in doubling the House and Senate support for the Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screening (PALS) legislation.??The bill was signed into law within a month, protecting the lives and rights of millions of women. Maimah has worked with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to launch national campaigns and has served as an Ambassador for National Women’s Health Week, an initiative of the Office of Women’s Health A first-generation immigrant from Liberia, who has experienced disparities first-hand, she is a leader in the women’s health field, creating and implementing national health initiatives for women and girls, with a goal of eliminating disparities of age, stage and color.? Most dear to her heart is her 21-year-old daughter, Noelle.??Noelle and Maimah dote on their Morkies, Honey, Sugar and Cinnamon.? Visit?www.tigerlilyfoundation?to learn about how you can support young women – before, during and after breast cancer, and collaborate to end disparities of age, stage and color. You can find Maimah on Instagram @maimah Congratulations, Maimah Karmo, The Spectrum Circle Award?Winner?for Innovation in Non-Profit. #thespectrumcircle #awardee #breastcancersurvivor #leadership #womenshealth #womenwholead

The Board of Directors of The Spectrum Circle is pleased to announce, Monica Hammond, as awardee for the Innovation in Corporate Leadership award. Monica will receive her award on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. Monica is Senior Vice President of Customer Success for Verizon Consumer Group (VCG), responsible for executing superior service and delivery for 100M+ consumers, and utilizing her deep understanding of frontline and customer needs to drive improvements in customer experience and continue to evolve our Service+ program. Monica has experience across Business and Consumer at Verizon, having managed sales, operations and customer service. Most recently she led the Customer Service - Mobile organization that houses our internal front-line employees who support mobile customers. Prior to that, Monica served as Vice President - VCG Mobile Customer Service, where she advanced organizational strategy, drove industry-leading results and strengthened internal alliances in support of a world-class customer experience. Additionally, she held roles including Vice President, Business Government Customer Operations for Verizon Business Group and Executive Director of Center and Online Operations for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. Monica’s distinctive ability to inspire leadership capability in others is rooted in her strong drive and commitment to the betterment of both women in business and young girls. As creator and sponsor of ‘Women of Influence’, a program designed to empower women within Verizon, she provides the opportunity for participants to unlock their own leadership potential that sets them on a course for continued success. She also established and leads the Women in Tech Program, dedicated to identifying and nurturing the next generation of female technology leaders through specialized training and workshops. Monica and her family established The Miles Family Foundation to provide education, financial literacy, and digital equality for vulnerable and diverse populations. Monica sits on the Board of Directors for Envision Lead Grow, a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty by sharing the power of entrepreneurship with girls and young women. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Greater Washington Urban League that focuses on increasing the economic and political empowerment of historically vulnerable and diverse populations. In 2020, Monica was awarded the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) Women of Excellence Community Champion Award for her achievements and contributions. Monica earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia State University and a VLSS Master Black Belt and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Development from Bowie State University. Congratulations, Monica Hammond, The Spectrum Circle Award?Winner?for Innovation in Corporate Leadership. #thespectrumcircle #leadership #awardee #womenwholead

The Board of Directors of The Spectrum Circle is pleased to announce, Natalie Madeira Cofield, as awardee for the Innovation in Entrepreneurship award. Ms. Madeira Cofield will receive her award on Friday, May 17, 2024, at The Spectrum Circle Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC. Natalie Madeira Cofield?is an award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, economic development executive, and nationally regarded expert for small business and has been named one of the most powerful women in business by Entrepreneur Magazine. Natalie Madeira Cofield is a former presidentially appointed Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration where she advised on the deployment of $1.2 trillion in funding, and was the co-architect of the SBA’s Community Navigator Pilot Program, which provided $200M in funding to ecosystems and entrepreneurs throughout the country during the greatest economic crisis in modern history. As the head of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at SBA she was responsible for managing a grant-making budget of $70 million and funding the largest expansion of the Women’s Business Center network in the history of SBA at 146 Centers in expanding the network to every state in the US. From Google to the National League of Cities, Natalie’s speeches, courses, and advisory services have helped to shape programs and efforts of some of the most regarded global brands, and educational and government institutions. Once inspired by reading the business plans of her mother when she was 11, Natalie is the founder and former CEO of Walker’s Legacy, a digital platform to empower women through entrepreneurship, and its adjoined nonprofit arm, the Walker’s Legacy Foundation, which was established to empower income limited women through financial literacy and economic security. In this role, Cofield established a $25,000 funded scholarship for enterprising women at her alma mater, Howard University. In 2019, Cofield was named the inaugural?Entrepreneur-in-Residence?for the?District of Columbia?leading Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 202Creates Program providing entrepreneurship advice to creative economy businesses within the District of Columbia. In 2023, Cofield received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the Board of Trustees of Shaw University and served as the 2023 commencement speaker for the institution. She serves on the corporate board of directors for Harbor Bankshares Corporation. An avid traveler, Cofield has visited more than 47 countries and counting. Congratulations, Natalie Madeira Cofield, The Spectrum Circle Award?Winner?for Innovation in Entrepreneurship. #thespectrumcircle #awardee #leadership #femaleentrepreneurs #womenwholead #spectrumcircleawards #impact