Women Impact Virginia
Women Impact Virginia Summit at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center on Wednesday, October 4. Registration open now!
WOMEN IMPACT VIRGINIA SUMMIT
FALL 2025
LOCATION TBA
Each fall, the Women Impact Virginia Summit shares stories of personal success and struggle along with tips and tools for building confidence and influence at work and in the community. Through engaging speakers, interactive workshops, and meaningful conversations, participants will dive into a range of topics, including leadership development, career advancement, work-life balance, diversity, and inclusion.
WOMEN IMPACT VIRGINIA: Rooted in Rural
As lead up to the upcoming Women Impact Virginia Summit, Reynolds Homestead hosted a regional event on July 10 entitled Women Impact Virginia: Rooted in Rural. The program invited women from across the region to come together in community to network, learn from one another, and explore the unique assets and challenges of our region. The program aimed to showcase the skills and tools needed to find success as a woman in leadership in the rural context.
2024 Panel Speakers
Martinsville native Kiana Dillard, wears many hats – Work-Based Learning Coordinator, pageant queen, small business owner, mother, and most appropriately - advocate and champion for women in rural Virginia.
Kiana's journey exemplifies the power of embracing your full self – both literally (as Ms. Full Figured Virginia 2023) and figuratively. She ignites entrepreneurial spirit in young girls through the PrettyPreneur Expo and the co-ed MHC Excellence Scholarship, while fostering self-love as a mentor to young women.
As the Work-Based Learning Coordinator at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Kiana empowers the next generation through talent pipeline development opportunities for educators, students, and enterprise.
Join Kiana at the Women Impact Virginia Summit as she shares her story of overcoming imposter syndrome and building a life of purpose. Prepare to be disrupted. Kiana will shatter the myth of the selfless leader. Join her as she explores the power of self-investment and ignites a movement of empowered women, rooted in rural Virginia.
Santana Lawson, Learning and Development Manager, Primland, Auberge Resorts Collection, grew up in Mount Airy, NC. A small town girl from Mayberry USA, now teaches Hospitality Skills and helps develop Culture Standards for one-of-kind ultra luxury properties around the globe.
Santana has been in the Hospitality industry for over 20 years and joined the team at Primland in 2012 as Lead Mixologist. In her time here, she has held roles as Food & Beverage Manager, Human Resource Assistant, and now leads L&D. She has had some great experiences here in Southwest Virginia, including joining the Leadership Patrick County group for the 2019-2020 season, is a local chapter member of NRV SHRM and earned her SHRM-CP here in 2023.
Tamika Tali is a Full Spectrum Doula in the SWVA area. She holds certifications as a Breastfeeding Specialist and a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, and focuses on offering comprehensive support to women throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. By empowering expectant parents to align their birth preferences with their values and teaching them self-advocacy, she aims to enhance the birthing experience.
Identified as a woman caregiver in the realm of birth work, Tamika extends holistic care, including prenatal massages, labor support, and nutritional guidance to mothers-to-be. Committed to community support, she strives to reduce maternal mortality rates among Black women during childbirth. Since completing training in December 2022, she has assisted twenty-two families through childbirth, equipping them with essential resources, and ensures clients receive equal access to resources and education to support them on their breastfeeding journey and receive the necessary care.
When reflecting on her journey, Tamika believes that serving as a Doula is a calling orchestrated by a higher power. While previously unaware of the term, her innate inclination toward supporting mothers during childbirth became evident through personal experiences, including a misdiagnosis by a physician that led to mastitis surgery and postpartum depression. This challenging period fueled her dedication to assisting other families through their childbirth experiences, witnessing not only the growth of children but also the transformation of parents.
Her involvement in the birthing community has been a source of immense fulfillment, offering a platform for empowerment and camaraderie among fellow birth workers. The sense of community and shared purpose within the community resonates deeply with her, reinforcing her passion for the invaluable role of a Doula.
Olivia is a native of Southwest Virginia. She holds a master’s degree in Community & Organizational Leadership and bachelor’s degrees in Mass Communications and Public Policy & Community Service from Emory & Henry College. Olivia has more than a decade of experience in broadcast journalism, working at local and national news outlets throughout the country. Additionally, Olivia served the Southwest Virginia region as Director of Marketing for Friends of Southwest Virginia prior to joining the Office of the Attorney General.
Olivia is involved in several volunteer service initiatives, including serving as a court-appointed special advocate and assisting the Isaiah 117 House to serve foster children in the region. In her free time, Olivia enjoys running, live music, and traveling.