Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD) - Columbus

Our calendar honoree reception was such an amazing evening being able to celebrate these women. We can't emphasize enough how proud we are of our 2025 Calendar Honorees! As always, Tracy Townsend, WBNS-10TV News Anchor, was terrific as the mistress of ceremonies! The evening would not have been possible without our volunteer calendar committee and event day volunteers who worked together like a well-oiled machine! Honorees front row: E. Gayle Saunders, Kristin Harper, Yahaira Rose, Ameena ‘Dr. K.’ Kemavor, Kiko Yee, Habiba Bankston, Seneca D. Bing; Back row:K. Zulene Adams, Tracie Cleveland Thomas, Tonya Tiggett, Sherrice Sledge-Thomas, Marilyn Brown Volunteer front row: Shy McClendon, Alexa Acosta*, Stacee Roy*, Dana Ross; Second Row: Pam Cunningham, Stefany Wendeln, Jeanne Sikora; Third Row: Karen Wilson, Sarah Weaver, Maggie Ellison, Kate Gilbreath, Tami Chapek; Back Row: Jaime Truslow* (Co-Chair), Lynna Durain, Kathryn Johnson*, Vicki Frost* (Co-Chair) #WELDUSA #Reception #Celebration #ColumbusOhio

These outstanding leaders are on the move!! WELD thanks the individuals listed for their support of our mission and their commitment to be their best at the leadership table! #WELDUSA #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerDevelopment #NewMembers #ColumbusOhio

Here’s to forging your own journey, breaking barriers, and inspiring others to do the same. #Trailblazer #Leadership #ForgeYourPath #WELDUSA

Are you a high-achieving woman feeling overwhelmed and unfulfilled? It's time to prioritize your well-being and reclaim your power. Learn to lead and live with intention, unlocking your full potential and designing a life that ignites your passion. Discover how to transition from burnout to brilliance, cultivate mindful leadership, and create a sustainable lifestyle that supports your overall well-being. Key takeaways: - Strategies for managing stress and burnout - Techniques for building resilience and mental toughness - Practical steps for creating a balanced and fulfilling life - Tools for rediscovering your passion and purpose - This talk will inspire and empower you to take control of your life and create a future that reflects your true potential Learn more here: https://ow.ly/4evG50TZVN8 #WELDUSA #WomeninCorporate #ColumbusOhioEvent #WomenInLeadership

Celebrating the incredible achievements of our Pathway to Management – Women of Color program graduates! These inspiring women have journeyed through challenges, developed their leadership skills, and built community together. We’re so proud of each graduate who is now equipped with the tools to lead with purpose and impact. This is just the beginning—your talents and determination are unstoppable! Here’s to your success, resilience, and the bright future you’re creating! #PathwayToManagement #WomenOfColor #LeadershipJourney #CelebratingSuccess #ColumbusOhio

Join us as we welcome Paul Zak, Chief Immersion Officer and Co-Founder of Immersion, to WELD! In this exclusive session, Paul will explore the brain science behind emotional fitness—the key to boosting health, happiness, and longevity. Attendees will: - Learn the difference between emotional fitness, wellness, and mental health - Discover how emotional fitness enhances happiness - Understand the role of organizational culture in emotional wellness & team performance Last day to register is November 18th! Don’t miss this chance to learn actionable steps and get access to a free app to support your emotional fitness journey! Register now! https://lnkd.in/g3wWhC9u #WELDUSA #Webinar #EmotionalFitness #WELDLeadership #TeamWellness

Yesterday, we wrapped up the final module of the Pathway to Management – Women of Color program with “The Healthy Leader”! ?? What an incredible panel to end this journey! Thank you to our inspiring panelists for sharing insights and to our graduates for embracing every step of this path. Here’s to a future of healthy, empowered leaders! #WELDUSA #PathwayToManagement #WomenOfColor #TheHealthyLeader #LeadershipWellness

WELD (Women for Economic and Leadership Development) and Otterbein University, as co-sponsors of the 15th Annual National Leadership Conference, are seeking speakers to present on topics surrounding our 2025 theme - Unleashing Potential: Motivate, Magnify, Multiply. This year's theme, "Unleashing Potential: Motivate, Magnify, Multiply" focuses on encouraging attendees to unleash their full potential, this event focuses on motivating personal growth, magnifying leadership qualities, and multiplying positive change within organizations. Participants will leave equipped with tools to transform their careers. Learn more here: https://ow.ly/g7HR50U5GYl #WELDUSA #ColumbusOhio #OtterbeinUniversity #CallForSpeakers #WomenInLeadership

Thursday evening, we celebrated the accomplishments of 12 extraordinary women, our 2025 Women WELDing the Way calendar honorees. This diverse group of women was selected because of their high impact as community and business leaders, both in their organizations and industries, and because of their unwavering commitment to work collaboratively, fiercely and undeterred in their dedication to advance women’s leadership. These women model the strength and courage to lead through most challenging storms, to persevere through setbacks and to guide this world to a better vision where we all have a chance to succeed, provide for our families and leave no one behind. Our honorees exemplify the calendar theme Igniting the Sponsorship Connection in every way. They have long track records of taking action to propel WELD’s mission to advance women’s leadership to strengthen the economic prosperity of the communities we serve. The calendar concept was created because WELD founders looked around the community and saw only a rare few women in top leadership. The excuse given was it was due to the lack of qualified women. FULL. STOP. We have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to women who are outstanding business and community leaders. WELD and numerous other women’s organizations have identified, elevated and promoted these women. They are not hard to find. They just need to be given the chance to lead. We hope that you will gird yourself with a membership in WELD and/or support the myriad of organizations doing the work to address gender and racial inequities in our communities and in our world. Women who join WELD gain access to best in class leadership development and confidence building skills, expanded business and community connections and opportunities to pay forward their success. --------- First row: Marilyn Brown, Non-Profit Consultant, Marilyn Brown Consulting LLC; Kristin Harper, CEO, Driven to Succeed LLC; E. Gayle Saunders, APR, Founder and CEO, The Saunders Company; Yukiko (Kuwata) Yee, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Second row: Tonya Stalnaker-Tiggett, Founder, Chief Career Strategist, Tiggett & Co.; Sherrice Thomas, Chief People and Culture Officer, Community Shelter Board; Tracie Cleveland Thomas, MBA, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Transformation, KeyBank; Yahaira R. Rose, Director of Martin de Porres Center and Founder of Proyecto Mariposas Third row: Habiba K. Bankston, Executive Director, Dress for Success Columbus; K. Zulene Adams, CEO and Co-Founder, Z Promotions; Seneca D. Bing, M.Ed., Director of Family and Community Engagement, Columbus City Schools; Ameena "Dr. K." Kemavor, Ph.D., L.P.C.C.-S., Vice President of Advocacy and Engagement, ADAMH Board of Franklin County #WELDUSA #Calendarhonorees #womeninleadership #ColumbusOhio

Thursday evening, we celebrated 12 incredible women who are paving the way as our 2025 Women WELDing the Way calendar honorees! These leaders were chosen for their powerful impact in their fields and communities, for lifting others, and for their dedication to advancing women’s leadership. They embody this year’s theme, Igniting the Sponsorship Connection, using their influence to elevate and empower others. WELD was founded on the belief that the issue isn’t a lack of qualified women, but the need for opportunities. We’re surrounded by amazing women leaders—they’re ready to lead if just given the chance. We invite you to join us in supporting WELD’s mission or aligning with organizations fighting gender and racial inequities. Together, let’s empower each other to lead and grow. #WELDUSA #WomenWELDingTheWay #IgniteSponsorship #WomensLeadership