2023 Pitch Academy: WBEC Metro NY & Greater DMV

2023 Pitch Academy: WBEC Metro NY & Greater DMV

Wednesday, July 26, 2023
12:00pm–1:00pm ET

Excited about the national 2023 WBENCPitch Momentum Competition but don’t know where to start? Looking for tools, resources, and advice from Women Business Owners just like you? Join us at the 2023 WBEC Metro NY and Greater DMV Pitch Academy for a one-hour session on all things pitch.
Led by Leadership Executive and Strategic Advisor Karen Wawrzaszek and Entrepreneur and International Speaker Bofta Yimam, Women-Owned Businesses (WBE) will have the opportunity to learn from experienced storytellers and prepare for the upcoming WBENCPitch Competition.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEldeqoqzIsGdNQHMxFg4Kb079GkLF7XX6M

Presenter Info

Karen Wawrzaszek is a Leadership Executive and Strategic Advisor to Entrepreneurs, Family Offices, Private Foundations, and Non-Profit organizations with more than two decades of experience. She is a recognized thought leader in ESG, Impact Investment, and Philanthropy. Karen has led the regional business efforts and the impact investment efforts for established family offices such as the Pitcairn and Rockefeller Family Offices in Washington, DC. She launched the impact-oriented investment platform for a $5B RIA – which resulted in an attractive sell to a larger firm. She served on the Responsible Investment Advisory Board and Philanthropy Practice Management Board for BNYMellon Wealth during her tenure as the Regional President.

Karen is passionate about her clients and connecting them to strategies that help them on their journey to integrating purpose driven capital. She accomplishes this by leveraging innovative planning and investment techniques that incorporate the private and public markets, diligence and monitoring tools, and governance and education frameworks. She is a subject matter expert on impact and mission-oriented investing and philanthropic planning and is sought out to write articles, speak on podcasts and at conferences, including the UN Global People’s Summit and the UN Ideagen’s Sustainability Conference.

Karen is active and passionate about community service. She founded Pomona Society, a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on economic empowerment for women and families in Washington, DC,. Through this organization, Karen mentors female founders to help them prepare their business plans and raise capital. She has provided workshops focusing on communication skills for pitching for capital to female entrepreneur members of WBEC.

Karen serves as an Executive Committee Member and Investment Chair of the Meyer Foundation, Chairman of the Board for Teach for America DC, and a Board Member and Chair of Finance for Global Impact. She is a Global Advisory Council Member of Beyond the Billion, an organization dedicated to improving venture capital funding for women and a committee member for 50/50 Women on Boards and an outside adviser to ImpactCred, a female-led startup. Prior Board involvement includes the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Black Girl Ventures, and Eastside Domestic Violence of Seattle, WA.

Karen was named a Washingtonian Top Financial Adviser in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 and is a graduate and featured member of Leadership Greater Washington’s Signature Program and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Wichita State University. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor.

Bofta Yimam is an Entrepreneur, Emmy® & Edward R. Murrow Award-Winning Journalist, International Speaker and the Founder of StoryLede®.

StoryLede is the go-to fractional marketing agency that weaves in storytelling to help position your company as an industry leader so you can share your irresistible message and amplify your influence — leading to higher impact and revenue. From Story Design to Visibility on LinkedIn, StoryLede specializes in helping industry leaders transform their knowledge and expertise into compelling content marketing and presentations.

After working as a TV Anchor/Reporter, Bofta took her passion for storytelling and empowerment to help business owners become dynamic marketing magnets.

For more than a decade, Bofta reported live on the morning and evening news for top TV outlets, including CBS National News, EuroNews and BBC. From the White House and the historical 2020 election to the Covid-19 response, Bofta has covered a plethora of stories that have appeared across the country. She also previously worked as the Capitol Hill Correspondent for The Black News Channel, where she covered policies and legislation dominating Washington with a special focus on the impact to people of color. From the NAACP to Gabrielle Union-Wade and Hollywood directors, Bofta has anchored shows and interviewed a wide range of change agents who are leveraging their voice to make a difference.

Bofta is the first Ethiopian-American newscaster to receive an Emmy award and a sought-after speaker who has spoken to distinguished audiences in London, Africa, and across the U.S.

She is certified as a Women-Owned Business (WBENC) and Minority Business Enterprise (NMSDC). Bofta is also part of a select group of speakers who have earned the professional speaker designation by the National Speakers Association (NSA). In 2023, she was nominated as the NMSDC Regional Supplier of the Year and also received the Women Enterprising Women of the Year award.