CHESAPEAKE BEACH, Md. — The Women to Women Summit invites women who want to elevate their careers to join the 11th annual summit on Aug. 20 at Rod ‘N’ Reel Resort. The event, hosted by the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce’s Women to Women Committee, encourages women to come together to connect, grow and prosper.
Interested women can register until July 30 for early bird registration at a discount. Regular registration will continue from July 30 up until the event. This year’s theme is “Accelerate Success: Community, Connections & Collaboration” and features speakers and programming designed to teach women critical business-building and technical skills.
The speakers are:
- Kelly Schulz, CEO, Maryland Tech Council (keynote speaker)
- Stephanie Rolle, director, Nonprofit Institute, College of Southern Maryland
- Nikki Phillips, founder, Professional Communication Training
- Dr. Jasmine Russell-Peter, CEO, 5W Solutions LLC
- Edna Primrose, president, Differenza
At the summit, women will have the opportunity to create real community and relationships while learning the skills they need to succeed in business. According to event organizer and Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Kathryn Maney, it’s not just open to the women of Calvert — as many as 186 women from across Maryland have attended in the past, and it has remained a popular way for women to meet like-minded entrepreneurs and build connections with “people who get it.”
The event is organized by the Chamber of Commerce’s Women to Women Committee, which was formed about 15 years ago by a group of like-minded women. The committee works throughout the year to build connections through networking events and by supporting nonprofits.
The Women to Women Committee is only open to women, but the group invites all to their monthly Express-O meetings, a networking event held at a rotating set of businesses.
As for the summit, Maney says they plan the event around what’s “on the radar” and what women are talking about in the business community. This year’s summit will focus on tech and communications.
“This event is unlike anything else we do,” Maney said. “We want women to have the tools to succeed and have the connections to know who they can turn to.”
The connections created at the summit are one of the top reasons the event is so popular, Maney said. She’s watched women at the event build lasting professional and personal partnerships. With so many women looking to make their way in business, having those connections can help people find balance, help their families and succeed in a meaningful way.
“In business, no one ever truly does it alone,” Maney said. “Success happens through collaboration, through partnership. You never know who you’ll find at the summit. It might be someone you can turn to for support who really gets it, or it might be more professional — like one person does roofing and another does windows and they find a way to work together.”
Maney also says knowledge sharing is especially important as women grow in their careers. “We all want each other to succeed because we all understand how difficult it is to do what we do and to find the balance,” she said. “It’s a no-judgment zone.”
Building community through education and collaboration is the common theme of all 11 summits — and giving back can happen at any level. No matter where you are professionally, Maney says, you have something to learn and something to offer.
Learn more about the Women to Women Summit and the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce.
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