February 26, 2026
Lighting The Path For 20 Years Of The Women Of Power Summit, As Shared By One of The Women Behind It
Black Enterprise's Deputy Chief Content Officer, Alisa Gumbs, talks the 20th anniversary of its famed Women of Power Summit.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Women of Power 2026 Summit, no one is more excited than the women behind the barrier-breaking event.
Alisa Gumbs has been working on the annual occasion since 2015, now leading its programming for a fifth year. As the Women of Power Summit reaches this milestone, Gumbs reflects on all it has become over the years.
“The summit is women who are all incredibly amazing in their own right and incredibly accomplished, and they’ve come together to work on themselves and to pour into each other in a way that is just so generous with their experience, wisdom, and their lessons,” she tells BE.
Gumbs was a copy editor for Black Enterprise magazine when the Women of Power Summit held its first gathering. As she soared in her career with the publication, now serving as Vice President and Deputy Chief Content Officer at BE, so did the annual event. Graduating from attendee to organizer, Gumbs feels honored to carry the tradition into a new era.
She added, ”We’re creating a safe space in order to help other women navigate the challenges and the obstacles that we all face, and really make it to wherever they’re trying to make it to, mostly in corporate America.”
Every year in March, the same excitement that she felt her first time walking the Summit’s mainstage hits her. With more than 2,000 trailblazing women at all levels of their careers expected this year, Gumbs wants to raise the stakes and the impact felt amongst its esteemed cohort.
This begins with its guests of honor, including the 2026 Legacy Award nominees. This includes honorary Oscar Award winner Angela Bassett, Spelman College Interim President Rosalind Roz Brewer, and wealth management magnate Carla Harris. These selections, alongside Luminary Award honorees such as Angela Rye and Bozoma Saint-John, are not taken lightly, especially on this 20th anniversary. Every year, they reflect the expanding mission of the Women of Power Summit, with the Luminary nominees “lighting the path” for other women to find their way.
“We are hoping that, you know, a new generation and a wider audience of people can see and appreciate them as honorees. They have, in many cases, grown up with Black Enterprise or been involved in the Black Enterprise universe in some way, shape, or form. And it’s meaningful for them to be recognized, you know, by their own right.”
The Summit remains committed to offering professional development workshops as part of its multi-day festivities, including wellness activities and direct coaching sessions across finance and career. The jam-packed schedule has evolved with the times, helping its attendees navigate changes from pandemic-era work environments to layoff waves and AI technologies.
Gumbs continued, “Here we have women who are incredibly accomplished, who are well compensated, and we want to make sure that, you know, we’re speaking to the whole person, and that you know we’re tending to their financial health, their physical health, as well as their mental and emotional health.”
However, this 20th year will leave no avenue in women’s leadership unexplored. From a sponsor’s expo to headshot activations to tens of mainstage conversations and breakout sessions, attendees will have ample opportunities to leave fulfilled and prepared for their career journey.
“It is absolutely essential that, you know, we talk about what is going on with Black women in the workplace, and that we help prepare each other, because the experts on the stage, they’re all of us as well. We always say that the woman sitting next to you in this seat probably has as much to offer you as the woman on the stage. “
In recent years, the conference has become multigenerational, an element that its organizers have encouraged with its freshman class orientation. These “first timers” will have the special opportunity to meet and connect at the conference as familiar faces with more in common than they realize.
“That multigenerational thing is one of the things that we’re leaning into for the 20th anniversary. We’re doing something special for first-timers this year: kicking off the event with a freshman class orientation. Women who are coming for the first time can come together, can get a head start on making new connections, and expand their networks. That’s one of the amazing things about Women of Power: the networking.“
Beyond the knowledge, it is the community that has endured for decades that makes the Women of Power Summit so critical. Women at the event will not only learn from industry leaders but also join forces through AI development labs, power luncheons, and global discourse on careers abroad.
With a growing list of premier sponsors from Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, and UnitedHealth Group, the Summit has become an anticipated event for women in business, tech, entrepreneurship, and beyond. Now, it hopes to carry forward another 20 years of its dynamic engagement that not only sparks but also advances conversation.
“As the Summit matures, we are looking at all the ways that make sense to expand it. Whether that’s bringing younger women, different industries, or international women into the fold, we want to talk about our BE Global Initiative, which really focuses on the diaspora and the fact that Black people are everywhere, doing great things.”
At the forefront, however, is championing women at all levels of their leadership and careers. As a space to decompress and “breathe,” as Gumbs sees it, the Women of Power Summit offers more than inspiration; it offers an unwavering dedication to spotlighting and supporting women and their ambitions, no matter their background.
“We really want to be where the women are and where the women need us to be. Wherever there are women doing great things, but are not getting the credit or the shine that they deserve, we’ve gotta shine a light on their success. When Black women are in the spotlight, it gets hot. So to have the women who have walked in those paths be able to come back and share what they’ve learned so you don’t have to learn it the hard way, is what Women of Power is really all about.”
This year’s historic Women of Power Summit will take place March 11-15 in Las Vegas, with registration still available for all to witness.