Keynote speakers announced for next year's women's summit

An actress, an athlete and an author were revealed as next year’s keynote speakers for the 2022 Voice and Visibility Women’s Summit. 

While the reveal was moved to a virtual presentation, instead of in-person, organizers still expect to hold the event in-person. It's scheduled for March 4, 2022, at the Westin in Sarasota. Just in case, the team will only be selling virtual tickets and sponsorship packages for the next six to eight weeks while they  assess conditions. The virtual part of the event will launch that day and remain open for 30 days after. 

Hosted by the Sarasota Art Museum, the VVWS team revealed that next year’s speakers are:

• Ashley Callingbull, Cree First Nation actress, model and advocate.
• Scout Bassett, Paralympic track and field athlete.
• Tiffany Dufu, bestselling author of “Drop the Ball” and founder, CEO of the CRU

In addition, the team revealed a media project to be featured at the Summit. VVWS Founder Shannon Rohrer-Phillips produced the project. It stars feminist organizer Gloria Steinem, along with Aisha Nyandoro and Luz Corcuera, who will discuss race, gender and humanity.

The VVWS Program also will host a Latina Leadership panel featuring area journalist Mercedes Soler and Sarasota attorney Christina Unkel, one of the reveal hostesses. “Collaboration, inspiration and power networking has never been more relevant,” says Unkel in a statement. “We need diverse female leaders to come together and support one another and our communities now more than ever.”

The team recently secured three new corporate sponsorships from Bank of America, Star Financial and Lamborghini of Sarasota. “Bank of America is supporting VVWS because we share their commitment to promoting equality and inclusion in our company as well as the communities we serve,” says Jamie Kahns, market executive at Bank of America Sarasota-Manatee, in a release. “This year’s summit is a continuation of that mission, which promises to inspire and empower women in our community to grow as leaders, mentor others and change the world for the better.”