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Columbia MD, USA Gets Ready for She-EO 6.0

She-EO” is a powerful and inspiring event for women who are aspiring to leadership in the world. Styled in the classic talk-show format, every She-EO event parades a stellar cast of accomplished women in business, politics, the social sector, entertainment etc who share intimate and life-transforming experiences garnered in their often-arduous journey to the top. Since it was established in 2017, She-EO has served as a unique platform for women of African and Asian descent to network, build relationships, strengthen their skills and gain rare insights required to excel.

Previous events have been held in London, Washington, Lagos, Newark and Connecticut. In July 2018, the Mayor of Baltimore presented a very special Mayoral Salute to She-EO in recognition of their efforts to inspire and empower diaspora African women. She-EO 6.0 is set to take place on October 19, 2019 at Doubletree by Hilton, Columbia MD, USA. The line-up of speakers includes Council Lady Zulfat Suara, the first Muslim lawmaker in Tennessee and the first Nigerian-American elected to public office; Lydia Nylander, Senior Policy Advisor Analyst in USAID’s Government; Raheemah Abdulaleem, Career Senior Associate General Counsel in the Executive Office of the President and many more.

Also Read: She-EO 8.0 Abuja: Bigger, Better, Bolder

Tope Fajingbesi Balogun with the Mayor of Baltimore

Founder, She-EO

Tope Fajingbesi Balogun

Tope is the creator and host of She-EO by Ganiyah, the author of the amazon.com best-sellers, Love in Cancun, Soulful Whispers and What Color is Your Money? She is the coordinating trustee of United for Kids Foundation.  Prior to launching She-EO, Tope hosted Impact Africa, a radio program that inspired listeners to participate actively in African development. Tope speaks to global audiences with a mission to inspire. She delivered a powerful address at Hillary Clinton’s final presidential campaign rally in Grand Rapids Michigan on November 7, 2016. She was also the keynote speaker at the Grand Rapids City High School 2017 graduation ceremony on June 6, 2017. Tope merges her hobbies (traveling and writing) with a deep love for, and commitment to her faith and home country – Nigeria, by visiting regularly, speaking to various audiences and blogging about living on purpose at www.ganiyah.com. Tope is an alumnus of the University of Lagos in Nigeria, Emory University in Atlanta and the University of Oxford in the UK. She is also an internationally chartered accountant and a United States of America certified public accountant. Tope is currently an Agribusiness lecturer and advisor in the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

She started She-EO because it’s a platform she wished she had when she went through some of the biggest challenges in her career and first marriage.

“She-EO” 4.0 in Lagos, Nigeria

Cross-section of a previous event

Why is the program only available to women?

It is only available to women because of the sensitive nature and peculiarity of the issues being discussed. We want to make sure women are free to share and receive information without fear of judgement.

How would you measure the impact of the initiative so far?

The feedback from past participants and speakers has been really great, and the demand from women in various cities has been overwhelming.

What challenges have you faced along the way?

The biggest challenge has been funding in the form of sponsorships. She-EO is a very expensive and time-consuming venture that needs a lot of community, media and institutional support. Besides funding and shortage of capacity, the other problem is that we are not able to meet the demand from various cities from every single corner of the world.

What’s the most fulfilling part of your work with “She-EO”?

Seeing women get breakthroughs is the best part of this for me. Hearing from women who have made changes and choices, which they felt were impossible makes me committed to this difficult cause.

Panelists at a past She-EO event

Where do you see “She-EO” in a couple of years?

I hope to see a She-EO that is expanded to include women of African descent from all walks of life, regardless of location and income status. I hope we can have comfortable and truthful conversations via a “She-EO television show” that is televised and accessible to women worldwide. I also hope that we can have retreats where women can relax, recharge and reconnect in safe spaces across the continent.

What should attendees expect from “She-EO 6.0”?

Attendees should expect an upgrade. The conversations will be deeper, and the questions will be bolder. We will dive into topics we haven’t done in the past. We will speak about suicide, domestic violence, politics, rape, business failure and so many sensitive areas. For the first time in the U.S., we will have a man on the hot seat tackling serious gender issues. It is certainly going to be an upgrade.

Thank you.

Oluwatomi Otuyemi

Oluwatomi Otuyemi, a Geology graduate from Crawford University, has 5 years experience in corporate corporate communications. He has a passion for storytelling, and investigative reporting.

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