Women's Foundation of Arkansas

We are so happy to announce the most recent GRADUATES of our Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program, presented by Stone Bank. Last week all of our interns graduated from our program surrounded by family, friends, program supporters and sponsors, as well as new bosses and co-workers.

Over the course of the summer these ladies have worked incredibly hard with all of our partner companies, attended sessions focussed on:
- workplace professionalism and etiquette
- interviewing and career searching skills
- networking and interdisciplinary collaboration
- personal financial empowerment and saving for retirement,
- as well as overall confidence for success in any future full-time position.

As part of our Girls of Promise® initiative, presented by Acxiom, we are proud to share that with this graduating cohort, we now have over 65 young women who have benefited from this AMAZING opportunity starting their careers prepared and set up for success.

We are so excited to introduce 2024 Power of the Purse Co-Chair Shamim Okolloh! Read more about Shamim on our NEW blog today: https://womensfoundationarkansas.org/meet-our-power-of-the-purse-co-chair-shamim-okolloh/

WFA honored to have Shamim be a part of this amazing event and can’t wait for you all to meet her in person, Oct 2nd!! Make sure you secure your tickets and tables TODAY!! We are all so excited to see you at Power of the Purse, presented by Arkansas Children’s Hospital!

SAVE THE DATE! Celebrate five years of Save10 at our first-ever Save10 Mini-Conference, an evening dedicated to women's financial empowerment. Join us for a welcome from the Women's Foundation of Arkansas, a Save10 keynote address, and breakout sessions to choose from. As always, we'll have good food, good wine, and good conversation with other women who want to pay themselves first!
FREE FOR EDUCATORS with promo code SAVE10EDU

Date & Time: Monday, October 28 from 5-8 p.m.
Location: Club 27 in Downtown Little Rock
(614 President Clinton Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201)

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/save-10-mini-conference-tickets-872613369077?aff=oddtdtcreator

Our Tjuana Byrd Interns have been busy this summer! Last week Stone Bank , our presenting sponsor for the program, hosted a networking night to celebrate National Intern Day! Many of our company partners have also hosted a variety of professional development sessions to help prepare our interns for their future careers. We want to give a HUGE Thank You to , Falcon, Arvest Bank, and many other partners to make these experiences so enriching for all these young women!
Enjoy some of these highlights captured over the last few weeks 🤩

If you're interested in becoming a part of this program either as an intern participant or as a company sponsor partner, please reach out to our Director of Strategic Initiatives Maddie San Juan.

We LOVE to see our interns recognized for their hard work! So proud of these UCA students! 🩵💙🩵

UCA Students Among Women’s Foundation of Arkansas Fourth Cohort of Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas (WFA), in partnership with several Arkansas companies, has announced the fourth annual cohort of the Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program which includes three students from the University of Central Arkansas.

Do you have exceptional development and fundraising experience? Do you love help women and girls in Arkansas? We are looking for you!!

APPLICATIONS NOW DUE JULY 22

The Chief Growth Officer (CGO) plays a pivotal role in advancing the mission and visibility of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. The CGO will lead the development and implementation of comprehensive communication and marketing strategies to enhance brand awareness, engage stakeholders, and drive significant support for the organization's programs and initiatives from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Visit womensfoundationarkansas.org/careers
for the full position description and how to apply today!
AND please share with anyone who would be a perfect fit

The wait is over!! 🥳We are super excited to introduce Cohort 5 of our Women's Economic Mobility (WEM) Hub! 💙🧡🩷

This program is designed specifically to support Black women business owners across the state of Arkansas through technical assistance and an unrestricted grant.

Can you believe that we when this cohort graduates in December we would have granted 50 black women business owners a total of $250,000 in unrestricted funds?! 🎉

Over the next few months we will be introducing you to each of these women individually. Each of their businesses contributes significantly to the livelihood, advancement, and support of various communities around Arkansas. Visit their websites, their socials, and support their businesses👏

WEM Hub is supported by individual donors and organizations who are deeply invested in this mission, including AT&T, Bank of America, Entergy Arkansas, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and others.

We are so excited to share that we have received a $10,000 grant from the Arvest Foundation! Thank you so much Arvest Bank 💙 We can’t wait to put this grant to good use helping women and girls gain economic security in Arkansas!!

As a college student juggling classes, extracurricular activities and social commitments, financial planning can often take a back seat. However, for Arkansas State University student Kidist Brown, saving money has become essential to her college experience.

In this exclusive Q&A part of our Summer Financial Fitness Campaign, Kidist shares her insights on the importance of saving as a college student. She highlights practical strategies and the long-term benefits of financial discipline, proving it’s never too early to start building a secure financial future.

Head over to our website to read more! https://womensfoundationarkansas.org/saving-for-the-future-college-student-kidist-brown-shares-her-financial-journey/

🥳It's time to celebrate the new interns!! Please take a moment to congratulate them! 🤩🫶👏

We are so excited to announce the 2024 cohort of young women who were selected for our Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program, presented by Stone Bank. These young women will intern at Acxiom, Arvest Bank, Dassault Falcon Jet, Southwest Power Pool, Windstream and others this summer. The nine 2024 interns represent six Arkansas cities and four Arkansas universities:

Khuslen Altangerel of Little Rock, computer science at University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Lauren Gregory of Jacksonville, computer science at UCA

Nicola Hawthorne of Pine Bluff, computer science at UCA

Trinity Miller of Bryant, computer science at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB)

Zaria Moore of Pine Bluff, business administration at UAPB

Sabian Murry of Bryant, political science at University of Chicago

Michaela Pascall of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, computer science at University of Arkansas (UofA)

Ahtziri Saldana of Little Rock, civil engineering at UA Little Rock

Indu Sen of Bentonville, information systems and marketing at UofA

And, a HUGE THANK YOU to Judge Tjuana Byrd Manning and her husband for opening their home to host our interns and supporting companies for a welcome reception to kickoff this amazing summer program! 🩷

WE ARE HIRING!!
Looking for your dream job helping women and girls in Arkansas? ✨Join our team as the new Chief Growth Officer! ✨

The Chief Growth Officer (CGO) plays a pivotal role in advancing the mission and visibility of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. The CGO will lead the development and implementation of comprehensive communication and marketing strategies to enhance brand awareness, engage stakeholders, and drive significant support for the organization's programs and initiatives from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Visit womensfoundationarkansas.org/careers 📲 for the full position description and how to apply today!
AND please share with anyone who would be a perfect fit 🥰

Impact Alert!! Read more about how Excel by Eight Director Alison Williams uses our 2022 Arkansas Women's Commission Report findings to create real change for families in Arkansas!
Arkansas Excel by Eight

"AB: Helping Families Thrive with Excel by Eight Director Alison Williams" - Women's Foundation of Arkansas Share via: Facebook LinkedIn Email More “What should Arkansans know about Excel by Eight and its work on child care? A lack of access to child care has a direct […]

Don't miss your chance to apply for Cohort 5!!

The WEM Hub is designed to support Black women-owned businesses by providing technical assistance along with additional resources, including $5,000 in unrestricted grant funds to help scale their businesses. The application portal will be open until May 20th. HURRY! APPLY TODAY!

2024 Women's Economic Mobility HUB Program Application - Women's Foundation of Arkansas The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas (WFA) is seeking candidates for the fifth Women's Economic Mobility Hub cohort. The WEM Hub is designed to support Black women-owned businesses through providing entrepreneurial support along with additional resources, including capital.

NOW PRESENTING YOUR 2024 WOMEN OF THE YEAR!!
We could not be more excited about Power of the Purse this year and the opportunity to honor these AMAZING ladies - please take a moment to congratulate them. AND our 2024 Co-Chairs, Shamim Okolloh and Marnie Oldner, are ready to kick-off the celebration Oct 2, 2024 so make sure to secure your sponsorships, tables, and tickets today at WomensFoundationArkansas.org!

A BIG thank you to for their recent donation supporting our Women's Economic Mobility HUB! The WEM Hub is designed to support Black women-owned businesses by providing technical assistance along with additional resources, including $5,000 in unrestricted grant funds to help scale their businesses. We always LOVE to share the moment when our cohort members complete the program and receive their checks from the previous alumna. We are so grateful to AT&T for their continued support of this program!

If you or someone you know sounds perfect for this program - there is still time to apply for Cohort 5! Due May 20th!

Well, that was a BLAST! Last week members of our team, board of directors, and a few guests got to sponsor the Women's Leadership Symposium to give so many women in leadership positions the opportunity to network, learn, and collaborate with each other! We had so much fun meeting new friends and inviting more women to our WFA community 🥰🥳🫶

Soirée Women's Leadership Symposium

Today we had the incredible honor of presenting the Dr. Mary Lowe Good Legacy Scholarship to Abby Brown of Lakeside High School!

This scholarship is awarded each year to a graduating high school girl who participated in the EAST Initiative and represents Dr. Good’s legacy of supporting girls in STEM. Congratulations Abby and thank you to EAST Initiativefor hosting us for this special event at the Governor’s Mansion.🎉

In honor of April being National Financial ✨Empowerment✨ Month, we spoke with WFA Board Member Brice Sisco, sales manager at Arvest Bank – Central Arkansas, about how he teaches financial independence to his four children. Keep scrolling to read our Q&A with Brice as he shares his favorite financial tips, tricks and resources.

Visit our website to read more: https://womensfoundationarkansas.org/teaching-your-child-financial-empowerment-a-conversation-with-brice-sisco/

Today is National Teach Children to Save Day! WFA was honored to make a grant to help put an book in every elementary school across the state. This week Anna Beth was in Texarkana to share a copy, and Becky visited with students at Wakefield Elementary. A big thank you to all of the partners on this project: , , , for making this opportunity possible for children across our state. Encouraging girls to be bankers, leads to more women in finance, leads to pathways for higher paying careers and future economic security for women and girls across the state!

We are so excited about this!! ⭐️📖🏦💛

⭐️ Exciting News: Statewide Distribution ⭐️

Thanks to a partnership with Economics Arkansas and with support from Encore Bank, First Community Bank, U.S. Bank and Women's Foundation of Arkansas EVERY elementary school in Arkansas will receive a copy of Ella The Banker.

That’s 559 schools in 75 counties.

We are incredibly grateful for our dream and a financial literacy tool being accessible to all children across the state so they can have early exposure to banking and careers in banking.📚🧡

Mark your calenders!! It's Official! - 2024 Power of the Purse will be October 2nd 11:30AM - 1PM. Stay tuned for all the details including introductions of our 2 FABULOUS co-chairs and the AMAZING women to be honored this year. We can't wait 💙🩵🤍

Calling all black women business owners in Arkansas 📢 ‼ Our Women's Economic Mobility (WEM) HUB Applications are OPEN NOW for Cohort 5!

The WEM Hub is designed to support Black women-owned businesses by providing technical assistance along with additional resources, including $5,000 in unrestricted grant funds to help scale their businesses. The application portal will be open April 15th - May 20th.

Apply Now at https://womensfoundationarkansas.org

Congratulations to our Board Member Cherisse Jones-Branch! We are so excited for you and all the students who will be impacted by your accomplishments in this new role. 🤩

Jones-Branch Appointed as Dean of College of Liberal Arts and Communication Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch has been named dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication (CLAC) at Arkansas State University, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Calvin White Jr. announced today.

Girls of Promise Conference is TOMORROW!! We wanted to thank our presenting sponsor Acxiom for their generous support creating this opportunity for 8th grade girls across the state to learn about STEAM careers! Additionally, a huge thanks to all of our Champion sponsors! We couldn't do any of this without these amazing companies.

Alright girls, T-27 Hours until Kickoff with Meteorologist Carmen Rose !!?!?!

We are so excited to introduce our NEW Program Coordinator to the team! Please take a moment to congratulate and celebrate her!

Bri Clark, a native of North Little Rock, has extensive experience working with companies in Central Arkansas on broadcast and digital marketing campaigns. She is deeply committed to empowering individuals to reach their full potential through targeted business strategies.

Previously, Bri worked at the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, where she played a crucial role in establishing strategic partnerships by organizing and hosting their Women Empowering Women series. It was during this time that her dedication to supporting women's economic growth in both personal and professional spheres took root. Bri has emerged as a staunch advocate for providing resources to women, particularly women of color, in line with our mission of bridging the wealth gap for women throughout Arkansas.

In her new role as Programs Coordinator, Bri will bring her passion, planning, and exceptional communication skills to oversee WFA's programs and initiatives. She will be responsible for planning, managing, and executing recruitment and outreach strategies as well as general project management for all of our programs and initiatives. If you have any questions in general regarding the Women Empowered or Girls of Promise® Initiatives, please contact her at [email protected].

Wrapping up Women's History Month, we introduce you to WFA Board Member, former WEM Hub entrepreneur, and CEO of Therapeutic Focus LaTeasha Gaither-Davis! Be sure to read the entire Q&A blog series highlighting the women making history today on our website to learn more about her journey to success in Arkansas.

While Women’s History Month is often a time spent looking back on the trailblazing women who paved the way, we celebrate it by highlighting the women making history today. Today, we introduce you to one of these women – Feleicia Walton, owner of Sweet Home Elderly Services in Camden. Visit our website to read our Q&A with Feleicia as she shares insights from her journey, illuminating her challenges, triumphs and future goals for women in Arkansas.

https://womensfoundationarkansas.org/celebrating-womens-history-month-a-conversation-with-feleicia-walton/

Here are our "Not-So-Obvious Top 5 Moments of Quarter 1!!" As always, we have stayed busy traveling across Arkansas, and we are so grateful to share some of our Top 5 moments that deserve a permanent spot on our social media ;) Swipe to see what we've been up to lately:

1. Flora Jeans Garden Party Happy Hour - we hosted a night of laughter, learning, and community in Little Rock and got to meet so many new faces AND support a women-owned local business. We had the best time!

2. Tour of Historic 9th Street's Dreamland Ballroom - During Black History Month in celebration and reflection, our team toured Dreamland Ballroom to learn about the Taborian Hall - once a central fixture of economic progress and entertainment in the African-American community in the early 20th century. We highly recommend you learn more about this local historic site and how it has shaped our community!

3. Hail Fellow Well Met Happy Hour - In our tour of NWA, we happily hosted a happy hour in Johnson area to invite more women into our circles and talk about how we can advance economic security of women and girls throughout the state. It was so much fun!

4. The Advancing Equity Awards Gala - As previous winners of the award, a few members of our team had the honor to attend the The Clinton School of Public Service Center on Community Philanthropy's Advancing Equity Award Gala in February and enjoyed fellowship with other influential organizations working towards a better Arkansas.

5. An Evening Discussion with Author Danielle Dreilinger at ESSE Purse Museum - After our amazing presentation The Lessons Between the Lines: Danielle Dreilinger's "A Secret History of Home Economics" during the day, our team hosted an evening discussion for our Disruptors and Advance donors diving into the history of Arkansan women influencing the world as we know it.

Thank you everyone for joining us so far this year! We can't wait to share what we have in store coming up - make sure you are signed-up for our newsletter so you don't miss any of the amazing opportunities!

🥁🥁🥁 Drum Roll Please... Our Global Money Week blog series comes to an end with none other than Shamim Okolloh, Vice President of Community Outreach at Encore Bank. As always, here are some of our favorite highlights from the post and follow the link to our website to read the whole Q&A!

Can we give a big shoutout to all the women in banking in Arkansas who work to significantly impact the economic security of women and girls in the state!? Tag your favorite woman in banking and give them a shoutout in the comments 👏

https://womensfoundationarkansas.org/celebrating-global-money-week-a-conversation-with-shamim-okolloh/