ATHENA Speaks Series
ATHENA Speaks is a women's empowerment guest speaker series presented in partnership with the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership. Women are changing the landscape in many organizations and their needs can be met through women leaders sharing and collaborating. ATHENA International has a clear vision--to achieve balance in the voices of leadership worldwide and communities like Erie by developing, supporting, and honoring women leaders. ATHENA Erie and the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership have come together to collaborate on reaching the community of women and men who are ready to support and sustain these important changes. ATHENA Speaks is intended to develop, support, and honor women leaders; lifting up the current and future generations of women leaders by amplifying their voices.
ATHENA Speaks: On Telling Your Story - Wednesday, March 11
Bofta's big takeaway points for crafting your personal story were:
Claim It!
Always open your story with owning who you are with a confident "I am..." Go beyond just your job title. What do you do? What is your purpose?
Bridge It!
Break down your transformation in a clear, distinct way that helps people understand where you were before, where you are now, and how you got there.
Future It!
Talk about where you're going, what you need to grow, and what you want to do in the long run.
Women are often faced with opportunities to tell their story for the purpose of taking on more responsibility at work, gaining a seat on a board, or asking for a promotion or raise. In order to be seriously considered for these opportunities, highlighting strengths, experience, and expertise is crucial. However, many women at one time or another have been told not to brag about themselves or talk too much about their accomplishments or risk being viewed as self-centered and intimidating. This phenomenon has made women apprehensive to share their own stories in a meaningful and impactful way, which ultimately results in their elimination as a viable candidate for positions of leadership.
Join keynote speaker, Bofta Yimam, for a powerful session that will teach you how to craft an authentic pitch that highlights your qualifications and experience while replacing fear and apprehension with confidence. Ms. Yimam will then moderate a panel discussion with local women who’ve successfully told their own stories and risen to new heights in their careers as a result.
Keynote Speaker: Bofta Yimam
Bofta Yimam is an Emmy® & Murrow Award-Winning Journalist, DC-based National News Correspondent, International Speaker and Executive Coach. She was recently honored with the Asian-African Chamber of Commerce & Industry International Leadership Award and the Black Business Review’s Top 40 Under 40 Professionals Award.
From teenage depression to an award-winning broadcasting career to building a successful business from scratch, Bofta works to teach others that anything is possible. She firmly believes that adversity has its advantages and there’s incredible power in owning your story — that’s what her clients learn to embrace, too. Bofta helps change agents and industry transformers increase their confidence, develop their compelling story, deeply connect with audiences and syndicate their message. Read more about Bofta.
Panelists:
Tesha Nesbit-Arrington, Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Community Outreach, Erie Insurance
Marybeth Smialek, Director of Regional External Affairs, First Energy
Dave Zimmer, President, ERIEBANK
Claim It!
Always open your story with owning who you are with a confident "I am..." Go beyond just your job title. What do you do? What is your purpose?
Bridge It!
Break down your transformation in a clear, distinct way that helps people understand where you were before, where you are now, and how you got there.
Future It!
Talk about where you're going, what you need to grow, and what you want to do in the long run.
Women are often faced with opportunities to tell their story for the purpose of taking on more responsibility at work, gaining a seat on a board, or asking for a promotion or raise. In order to be seriously considered for these opportunities, highlighting strengths, experience, and expertise is crucial. However, many women at one time or another have been told not to brag about themselves or talk too much about their accomplishments or risk being viewed as self-centered and intimidating. This phenomenon has made women apprehensive to share their own stories in a meaningful and impactful way, which ultimately results in their elimination as a viable candidate for positions of leadership.
Join keynote speaker, Bofta Yimam, for a powerful session that will teach you how to craft an authentic pitch that highlights your qualifications and experience while replacing fear and apprehension with confidence. Ms. Yimam will then moderate a panel discussion with local women who’ve successfully told their own stories and risen to new heights in their careers as a result.
Keynote Speaker: Bofta Yimam
Bofta Yimam is an Emmy® & Murrow Award-Winning Journalist, DC-based National News Correspondent, International Speaker and Executive Coach. She was recently honored with the Asian-African Chamber of Commerce & Industry International Leadership Award and the Black Business Review’s Top 40 Under 40 Professionals Award.
From teenage depression to an award-winning broadcasting career to building a successful business from scratch, Bofta works to teach others that anything is possible. She firmly believes that adversity has its advantages and there’s incredible power in owning your story — that’s what her clients learn to embrace, too. Bofta helps change agents and industry transformers increase their confidence, develop their compelling story, deeply connect with audiences and syndicate their message. Read more about Bofta.
Panelists:
Tesha Nesbit-Arrington, Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Community Outreach, Erie Insurance
Marybeth Smialek, Director of Regional External Affairs, First Energy
Dave Zimmer, President, ERIEBANK