Virtual Speaker Series - Defining Thought-Leadership

Being recognized as a thought-leader is the holy grail for many. But what exactly is a thought-leader? How does one become achieve this much-sought after status and successfully maintain it? How has thought-leadership changed during the age of heightened racial awareness?

This presentation will go into detail as to:

• Defining thought-leadership
• How to become a thought-leader
• The ‘burden’ of being a thought-leader
• A case history featuring Dr. Uche Blackstock, a thought-leader in racial health disparities, will be featured.

Speaker: Jennefer Witter

Bio: Jennefer Witter is the chief executive officer and founder of The Boreland Group Inc. (TBG), a 20-year-old boutique public relations firm headquartered in New York City. The agency specializes in women-led and minority owned businesses as well as grassroots non-profits. It was selected by TheStreet.com as one of five national, black owned businesses “making a buzz”. Jennefer was named one of the nation’s “10 most successful black CEOS and entrepreneurs” by MadameNoire Magazine, and her company was recognized as one of 12 black-owned businesses to be “loved by its community and beyond” by ThriveGlobal.

Jennefer is an active public speaker, with presentations to military, trade and academic organizations on implicit bias; inclusive leadership; gender-based workplace conversation; personal branding; inclusive and thought leadership; public speaking; and networking. Venues include: TedX Albany; Tishman Speyer; The Pentagon; The Brookings Institution; Pennsylvania Conference for Women; the Virginia Business Conference; Bel Brands; The Sea Service Leadership Association’s Annual Symposium; Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Program; The Durst Corporation; Columbia Business School; and Columbia, American, Stony Brook and Fordham universities. Jennefer has also presented at York Correctional Facility on personal branding to incarcerated women working on developing businesses that they could start upon release. She is a signed speaker with Never Stop Learning, a New York City-based speakers bureau, where the bulk of her talks have been on unconscious bias.

Jennefer is the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Quick Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed,” published by Amacom/HarperCollins. She has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, MTV News, the Associated Press, Bloomberg Radio, MarketWatch Radio Network and WJLA. Her articles have appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, Medium, HuffPost and numerous small business publications. Previously, she was the public relations expert for Inc.com TV and a contributor to AOL Small Business.

Jennefer is an active member of Ellevate Network, a global networking organization for professional women, and serves as the Chapter Leader for the NYC Chapter. She sits on the advisory board for Women inPower, a 92nd Street Y led venture that seeks to support and promote senior level professional women to C-level positions. In addition, Jennefer serves on the benefit committee for the 92nd Street Y’s “Extraordinary Women’s Awards,” which honors women making significant social contribution through their work. She is a mentor to many women in various professional fields.

Jennefer was formerly a vice president at Ketchum, an award-winning global communications firm. There, she launched a sub-practice that generated one million dollars in revenue in its first year. She represented numerous corporations from Silicon Valley start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, including IBM and FedEx.

Jennefer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications (Print Journalism) from New York City’s Fordham University. She received a Regents Diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School. one of the country’s premier STEM schools, graduating with an A average. Jennefer holds a certificates in DEI and racial equity from, respectively, Cornell University and Northwestern University.

Please RSVP by March 6, 2023