Women of Influence (U)

Explore our top female keynote speakers who share motivating insights on leadership, resilience, empowerment, and creating meaningful change. Book one of these transformative voices and inspire college audiences at your next event.

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Women of Influence
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Women of Influence

Camille Vasquez

<p>As an NBC News Legal Analyst and renowned attorney, Camille Vasquez is sought after for her critical insights and perspective on today’s most high-profile legal cases. </p><p>Many people around the world were consumed by the high-profile nature of the Johnny Depp defamation case, but it’s the behind-the-scenes stories that are both riveting and enlightening.

Princess Sarah Culberson

<p>Princess Sarah has an extraordinary journey that has been featured on CNN, GMA, BBC, and numerous other media outlets. Her story inspired the book she co-wrote, <em>A Princess Found,</em> which is being adapted into a live-action movie with Disney. With over 15 years of experience in education, Princess Sarah has presented and created curriculum for schools, universities, and corporations.

Julissa Calderon

<p>Julissa Calderon is an actress, writer, producer, and director from Miami. She is best known for playing the dynamic role of Yessika Castillo, a strong-willed activist, in the MACRO/Netflix series, <em>Gentefied</em>.

Maria Ressa

<p>Maria Ressa is an award-winning journalist and the co-founder, CEO of Rappler.com, an online news organization in the Philippines.</p><p>Maria’s courage and work on disinformation and ‘fake news’ culminated in being awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” Her numerous awards include being named <em>Time’s </em>2018 Person of the Year and listed among its 100 Most Influential People of 2019.</p><p>Maria advises organizations and

Sherrilyn Ifill

<p>Sherrilyn Ifill is a civil rights lawyer and scholar. From 2013-2022, she served as the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality. She recently served as a Ford Foundation Fellow and as the Klinsky Visiting Professor for Leadership & Progress at Howard Law School.

Caitlin Dickerson

<p>Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Peabody Award, and Edward R. Murrow Award, Caitlin Dickerson engages audiences on the power of journalism, telling stories of remarkable resilience and hope from around the world.</p><p>From Ukraine to Romania to Guatemala, Caitlin Dickerson has spent years covering refugees and other humanitarian crises for some of the nation’s foremost news outlets.

Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch

<p>The former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and bestselling author of the memoir <i>Lessons from the Edge </i>shares insights on the region and the current crisis as well as experiences from her 33-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service.</p><p>Marie Yovanovitch served three times as U.S. Ambassador, most recently in Kyiv as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. Previously, she served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008) and the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011).

Gayle Jessup White

<p>American history is in Gayle Jessup White’s blood. A direct descendant of both Thomas Jefferson and those enslaved at his famous Monticello estate, her story is a real-life version of <i>Roots</i> – a 40-year struggle to prove that her family’s belief about its links to the author of the Declaration of Independence were true. Along the way, she unearthed not only a fascinating family saga, but sharp and searing insights into America’s conflicted past and the unsettled future.

Autumn Rose Williams

<p>Autumn Rose *Miskweminanocsqua (Raspberry Star Woman)* Williams was born and raised on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, New York. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications and a Minor in Business.