Businesswomen From The United States

"Graduating with a massive amount of debt is especially detrimental in the teaching profession. With salaries the way they are, it can take 10-plus years of aggressive payment to eliminate that debt. The Apple Core Initiative offers a $3,000 scholarship to help offset costs for teacher candidates who may go into the areas where we need them the most, which are also the areas that pay the least. We’ve also created multiple paths to matriculate through the education major. We have all four years planned out — including study abroad — but we’ve made it flexible. Students who change their major or concentration need to be able to do that without slowing down."

"My sister figured that out second semester, senior year — after student teaching. That’s why I think we need a restructuring of the entire program, so they’re getting teaching experience from the very beginning and can see if it’s something they really, truly want to do. Now, I went through four years as a political science major, thinking I wanted to go to law school. But my sorority started a tutoring center in Hendley Homes, and a fourth-grader told me after he passed his first multiplication test all year, “Didn’t you say you want to be a lawyer?” I said, “Yes! I’m going to law school in a couple months!” He said, “You shouldn’t do that. You’d be a better a teacher."

"But then you run the risk of not being able to provide for a family for a number of years. I do see what you mean in terms of how college is structured versus how high school is structured. Maybe, though, we need to rethink how high school is structured. If we start there, when they get here maybe they’ll be ready to start down a career path."

"We’re the profession that makes all others. If a parent tells me they don’t want their child to go into teaching, I have to ask, “Why?” They give excuses about the money, about how hard teachers work, and it’s true, it’s not glamorous. But the benefits outweigh all the negatives. Seeing a student from 20 years ago tell you all the great things in their life — I spent 25 years in the classroom, elementary school and middle school, before transitioning to the College of Education at USC, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything."

"Being able to experience what you think you want to do as early as possible is critical."

"How do you hear people’s perspectives, respect them, and also align a team that may have differing perspectives? We have a whole suite on that, and how you practice that, and how you build confidence and comfort in navigating that, realigning the team and really driving towards collective outcomes"

"In over 20 years of working, there’s not that much that has changed. All that we can continue to do is loudly and proudly and unabashedly share the level of value that we bring to the table. There’s a lot of conversation around people understanding that there is a value to it. But when I speak to people, there’s a thought that diversity is some type of charitable activity. Its no"

"Were at a little bit of a period of urgency to make this change, so we need beyond mentorship. We need real sponsors. People who are going to put their own name on the line. People who are going to say, ‘Nope. I’m looking at this payroll distribution and I see that Kay is not making as much as John and Jake. That’s not right. We know how much she works; we need to level-set this"

"“And I have always mentally thought through — What is my theoretical clipboard? — in the conversations I’m having in every room to make it very clear the level of value I bring to the table."

"I have something I call a clipboard effect. I used to be a party promoter in my 20s, and you could imagine if you’re a young woman and you’re going into nightclubs — I’m like 24 years old — and we used to do these big events, like a thousand people every week. It was something that — not for myself but for all the women that I worked with — I would say, ‘Carry a clipboard.’ And the way that you are carrying yourself to a certain degree — although it shouldn’t matter, is a little bit of a signal to say, ‘I’m here for work.’”"

"“I look for information everywhere I go. I really believe that everybody has something to learn and something to teach. So I probably have less, like, formal relationships, whereas I’m seeking out information with every relationship that I encounter."

"Sean goes out of his way just to level-set the room. There are so many times where he will introduce me and say, ‘She is the president of Combs Enterprises,’ and the men in the room will say, ‘Are you going to get some coffee?’"

"Very much to this day, I’m often and almost always the youngest person in the room, in my early 40s, and the only woman. And the only reason why I’m not the only minority ... is because Sean is often in the room with me"

"We’re seeing our workplaces need that more than ever."

"For me, it’s how do we use technology to help us become even better humans, to help us be able to give feedback across differences, to navigate difficult conversations, to provide performance feedback and expectations with accountability and care in a way that actually serves us all better, that creates more value for everyone, doesn’t cause harm."

"“What we’re doing is valuable and helpful for everyone, but might have even better outcomes for those who maybe historically haven’t felt included, haven’t felt like they belong, haven’t felt like they have an opportunity to continue to grow and thrive at the same rate as their peers, and so this is, again, really powerful work we’re doing."

"The work we’re doing is incredibly timely. It’s incredibly powerful. And with GenAI, we’re able to leverage faster development time. We’re able to leverage embedded measurement. We’re able to leverage personalized coaching and generated simulations to help people create space to practice, build those skills, and apply them in their daily life."

"Some of our practice simulations that we just launched as part of Pivotal Practice are really focused on these critical kinds of power skills, things like asking open-ended questions, reframing, affirming… with your team daily can help people who may not typically feel included, that they belong, or feel seen, can help them feel like their contributions are valued, that their perspective is helpful, and that could be the difference or the unlock between arriving at the best solution or missing it completely"

"“I’ve always sought to think about how can technology be used at scale to overcome some of what we’ve seen has held so many in our community back, and really, all of us. I think this idea of how do you scale access, how do you scale opportunity, is something that is really inspiring to me."

"I think this notion that systems and structures haven’t been set up equitably for everyone is definitely a part of those stories and those experiences"

"I definitely am surprised that I would be honored in this way, and among so many leaders I admire and respect… [I’m] grateful to be recognized for the work we’re doing at Praxis Labs and the impact we’re making. There is a lot more work to be done, but [I’m] grateful for the contribution to have made it to this list of 50 incredible leaders."

"AFROTECH™ is such a mainstay in the Black community, in the Black tech community, I remember I went to some of the earliest conferences, and it was a time where I felt like I belong, where I could see leaders who I aspired to be like, and wanted to follow their journeys and their careers and learn from them. To be honored as a part of the 50 means so much"

"If you want to accomplish your dream, the dream must stay consistent. You can’t go after a different dream every day"

"I remind myself that I have a bigger boss that I’m accountable to every minute of my life."

"Life is about choices. I keep the end goal in mind and choose to live a life of balance."

"When leaders invest holistically in people, that investment sends the message that “my leader cares."

"If you unite amazing people and achieve amazing results, eventually those above you will want to know the leader who enabled those results"

"No matter what I’m doing, I’m in the people business. You do not become a CEO on your own"

"Sometimes you have to get into that mindset and dream like a kid,put you into a better goal setting stage for your business.”"

"A lot of entrepreneurs think they have to do it all by themselves and when they are in times of trouble, they won’t ask for help. It is important to ask for help when you need it because there are people who support your mission and support what you do and so it is definitely important for you to go and ask them for help if you need it"

"The more passionate you are about what you do, the more fun you will have while doing it and then also, the better you will do it, the easier it will be and the more successful your company will be"

"The first time I sold it, I thought, ‘This is only going to be a one-time thing. I am going to do it once, get the money, donate some and then save some and then use the rest to buy this awesome toy that I wanted.’ I do not remember what it was!”"

"It seemed like no many how many lemons I squeezed, we would always sell out"

"I know that if we all go out in this world looking at the possibilities of things instead of just the problems, our future will be a whole lot brighter.”"

"Being kind will be considered cool"

"Official Barbara Walden Cosmetics Website – Internet Archive"

"Our skin is different from white skin. For one thing, there is a wider variety of skin colors among blacks. Do you know that we have undertones of browns, oranges, reds and golds—and even purple—in our skin? But never pink, which is the most common undertone in white skins and white makeup."

""Once ham, always a ham.”"

"I was particularly interested in attending this series of talks because I personally love hearing about the journey that successful business people have taken to get to the positions they’re in now."

"“The timing was right in the early 1970's. Black women were getting better jobs, had more money to spend and were interested in their looks.”"

"“I didn't mind playing maids, but the dialogue was ridiculous.”"

"“They wanted pretty girls; they didn't mention color. Three hundred girls applied, I was the only black chosen.""

"“There was no makeup that worked on my skin. Dark pancake made me look purple. It streaked. It was awful.”"

"“I am a hypersensitive introvert determined to do things that require vision and boldness. I do things that frighten me, and my anxiety is sometimes at 11.”"

"I am a witness to the powerful impact of philanthropy and understand that these efforts, large and small, help move the needle for so many and can improve the trajectories of families and entire communities."

"“Who am I speaking for that I don’t speak to?”"

"Courage is a renewable resource. None of us is perfect. There are times when we fail to walk boldly into our destinies. But often, we get second chances, we must move forward with courage."

"We’re looking for “Good People, Bad Asses.We want the baddest of the bad as it relates to your area of expertise, your knowledge, what you do well – but at the heart of that, we want good people; people who are humble and kind, no matter their title."

"Know what drives you, and if you truly believe you are on the right path, keep going. But stay open to the possibilities, even those that scare you."

"“I am deeply committed to bringing underserved populations into the critical energy dialogue and promote energy efficiency as foundational to our energy futures. Women will play an important role in this effort as we continue to be leaders in energy education and awareness.”"