In 2023, 39.1% of all U.S. businesses were owned by female entrepreneurs. The number of women elected in congressional leadership has increased by 15% in the past 20 years. Today, women make up 28% of the 118th U.S. congress. That said, of the 193 member states of the United Nations, only 13 of those leaders are women. There is still much work to be done. Join the Council and Texas Woman’s University in observation of International Women’s Day on March 12. The Council will host a panel discussion featuring Dallas’ very own Nina Vaca, chairman and CEO of Pinnacle Group, and Hattie Hill, President & CEO of Hattie Hill Enterprises, to discuss women who lead in such a way that encourages other women leaders. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Rama Yelkur, dean of Texas Woman’s University’s College of Business. ABOUT THE PANELISTS Hattie Hill has spent more than three decades developing successful global diversity and inclusion and gender equity strategies for corporations, nonprofits and foundations across 70 countries, including IBM, Southwest Airlines and McDonald’s. Partnering with Fortune 500 CEO’s, she’s driven significant cultural change by prioritizing the importance that businesses and people place on diversity. Her belief that talent and culture is the new corporate currency and her desire to see people of all backgrounds and gender enjoy amazing success is what motivates her passionate pursuit of equity. Her prophetic sensitivities and experience over the past 30 years have profoundly impacted the way that many of today’s organizations approach diversity and inclusion and gender equity. Above all, Hattie is adept at discovering the root of the problem and providing a practical, strategic resolution. Nina Vaca embodies the American Dream as a pioneering Latina entrepreneur, philanthropist, and global leader. She founded Pinnacle Group in 1996 and has since served as its Chairman and CEO. Under her leadership, Pinnacle has experienced rapid growth, evolving from a one-woman IT staffing firm into a leading provider of workforce solutions across various industries such as telecommunications, financial services, transportation, and technology. Pinnacle expanded nationwide in 2007, entered the Canadian market in 2009, and is now expanding internationally to Europe, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, and beyond. The company has been recognized in the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest-growing companies 13 times and was named the fastest-growing women-owned/led company by the Women Presidents’ Organization in 2015 and 2018. ABOUT THE MODERATOR: Dr. Rama Yelkur, dean of the College of Business at Texas Woman’s University, leads with a wealth of academic and consulting experience. She has held leadership roles at St. John Fisher University and Saginaw Valley State University, fostering global competence among business students and establishing partnerships worldwide. With extensive expertise in marketing, she has published in top journals and conducted international corporate training. Dr. Yelkur also boasts three decades of consulting in sports marketing and advertising, notably with Kimberly Clark and the NFL. Actively engaged in various boards and professional organizations, she is committed to leadership development and holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Mississippi State University, an MBA from PSG College of Technology, and a BSc. in Mathematics from Ethiraj College for Women, India. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate