Entrepreneurial Women of Impact Awards

The awards are a joint collaboration between the Women Presidents Organization (WPO) and Women Elevating Women (W.E.W.) to recognize the outstanding professional achievements and community service efforts of women of color entrepreneurs based in North America. Honorees are selected by WPO and W.E.W. for recognition. 

The 2025 Entrepreneurial Women of Impact application is now open. The deadline to apply is August 5, 2025. 

2025 Entrepreneurial Women of Impact Awards

To be eligible, applicants must be:

  • An entrepreneur with ownership in a privately-held, for-profit business
  • A Woman of Color* based in North America
  • The business must have generated at least $500,000 (USD) in revenue in 2024
  • Fit into one of the three application categories ($500k-$1M, $1M-$10M, $10M+)
  • Not a previous winner of the award

In-person attendance is strongly encouraged for all honorees selected. 

*Woman of Color is defined as any nonwhite woman whose ethnic identities intersect with one or more nonwhite ethnic group.

2024 Honorees

  • Nisha Balwani, RCI Technologies (Redondo Beach, CA)
  • Vanessa Best, Precision HealthCare Consultants (Baldwin, NY)*
  • Tanya Biggers, Big Star Transit, LLC (Miami, FL)*
  • Dr. Barbara J. Brown, CapitolHill Consortium for Counseling & Consultation, LLC (Washington, D.C.)*
  • Melanie Cook, Veritas Management Group (Alpharetta, GA)*
  • Sanquinetta Dover, DoverStaffing, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)*
  • Cory A. Elliott, CMT, LLC (St. Louis, MO)*
  • Tia Ellis, Wildflower Insight (Frisco, TX)
  • Kyra Rénel Hardwick, The Kyra Company, LLC (Houston, TX)
  • Milan Harris, Milano Di Rouge (Atlanta, GA)
  • Dr. Apoorva Katragadda, EmerStat (Sunnyvale, CA)
  • Valarie King-Bailey, OnShore Technology Group (Chicago, IL)*
  • Angel Li, RISE Education (Chicago, IL)*
  • Arion Long, Femly (Baltimore, MD)
  • Rozie Makhani, SQN Associates, LLC (Chicago, IL)
  • Ronnette Meyers, JLAN Solutions (Washington D.C.)
  • Isabella Pina, Inspired Solutions, Inc. (Haymarket, VA)*
  • Nannette Ray, TNR Advisors & Management Consultants, LLC (Katy, TX)
  • Avis Yates Rivers, Technology Concepts Group International (Bluffton, SC)
  • Seema Sanghavi, Cooks Who Feed Inc. (Welland, Ontario)
  • Andreina Viera Silva, Arka HR, Inc. (Boston, MA)
  • Dr. Chris Wachira, The Wachira Group (Oakland, CA)*
  • Teresa Watson, Watson Enterprise Group (Atlanta, GA)
  • Diedre L. Windsor, Windsor Group LLC (Bethesda, MD)*

*WPO Member

The History of the Entrepreneurial Women of Impact Awards

Previously known as the Women of Color Achievement Awards, the Women Presidents Organization (WPO) had partnered with 100 Black Men of America for over a decade to salute successful local women entrepreneurs. All award recipients were identified by a local chapter of 100 Black Men, in conjunction with the corresponding local chapter of the WPO. The WPO and 100 Black Men of America partnership enabled both organizations to acknowledge a distinguished group of influential women business leaders. As of 2023, a total of 26 cities have celebrated these awards.