PHOTOS: Women's Summit in Maplewood

Maplewood Village was the scene of an extraordinary gathering of women learning how to maximize their entrepreneurial endeavors and careers on Wednesday, at the inaugural Women's Summit held at Highland Place/Crane's.

SLIPPA (Strategy Leadership Institute in Private & Public Affairs) and umojawa co-hosted the event, which brought together more than 60 women from around the state for a full day of innovative workshops and networking, aimed at preparing women to mobilize their skills, expertise, and leadership talents.

"Today's summit was a success on every level," said Stephanie Jelley, CEO of umojawa. "umojawa's partnership with Dr. Tendai Ndoro of SLIPPA brought together a truly diverse group of women leaders on every level -- cultures, languages, and business disciplines -- to our community. We demonstrated that...Maplewood can be an alternative to New York City events. Innovation begins at home." 

The summit was sponsored by Laina Avant of Kaci Taylor, an online retailer that sells motivational t-shirts for girls and young women, and Roxanne Formisano of Keller Williams Towne Square Realty, based in Bernardsville.

In addition to Jelley and Ndoro, guest speakers included Lisa Duggan, founder/CEO of The Modern Village; Robin Young, CEO of Women Behaving Wealthy; and Randy Rabney, founder of The Conscious Plate.

Ndoro, CEO of SLIPPA/EDCTrainers, said "This was an inspiring event that tied together women of diverse backgrounds with an appetite for leading, growing businesses, and making connections with other women."

"I've been to so many conferences," said Duggan. "This one was absolutely worth my time. I got value out of every session!"

The women enjoyed both breakfast and lunch prepared by Highland Place/Crane's.