March 7, 2016
Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever Talks How Exceptional Black Women Lead
Exceptional leadership doesn’t happen by accident.
Perhaps no one knows this better than Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever. Having risen from a small-town girl to founder and CEO of a top Washington, D.C., consulting firm (which regularly engages with the White House, as well as with key leaders in the U.S. and around the globe), Dr. Avis is no stranger to grit, the spotlight and successfully overcoming odds.
She represents a refreshingly brilliant, fearless and iconic brand of leadership that is, quite simply, compelling.
[Related:Coca-Cola Teams Up With Women’s Organization to Offer Entrepreneur Boot Camp]
Career reinvention strategist, diversity consultant, and women’s empowerment expert are but a few key monikers that highlight her captivating wheelhouse of expertise. She’s the founder of the Exceptional Leadership Institute for Women, a global personal and professional development firm that helps established and aspiring entrepreneurs and executives experience accelerated success while building a holistic life they love.
She’s also the president of Incite Unlimited, a Washington, D.C.-based boutique consulting firm specializing in diversity consulting, communications strategy and the development and implementation of impactful research.
Dr. Avis formerly served as the youngest ever executive director of the National Council of Negro Women, a historic membership organization touching the lives of over four million women of African descent worldwide. She’s had the honor of being the keynote speaker to the inaugural president of the United States’ Young African Leaders Summit and was a featured speaker before the World Bank.
She currently conducts workshops and training on women’s career and entrepreneurial success on behalf of U.S. Embassies across the globe and helps corporations better design and implement strategies to maximize the power of diversity and inclusion at work, as well as for the marketplace of today and tomorrow.
For individuals, she coaches one-on-one in small groups, and through on-line courses, to help her clients ‘Master the Art of the Career Shift.’ In so doing, she helps women shift their careers in three distinct areas: (1) ascending to leadership within their current professional space; (2) safely and effectively transitioning to a new career; or (3) making the ultimate shift, from employee to successful entrepreneur. Dr. Avis is also a regular contributor to TV One’s NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, PBS’ To the Contrary, Sirius XM Radio’s The Agenda, and the Huffington Post.
BlackEnteprise.com caught up with this exceptional author and businesswoman to discuss all things leadership excellence and to get some exciting highlights from her new book, which premieres this month.
BlackEnterprise.com: You are an exceptional black woman with an impressive track record of professional success. What inspired you to write a book about how other black women lead, rather than a personal biography?
Jones-DeWeever: I’m a firm believer in the power of collective wisdom. So while I’ve been fortunate to have some amazing experiences in my own career, and have certainly woven my perspectives and insights throughout the book, I knew I wanted more. I felt it was important to include a broad range of women, each who’ve achieved extraordinary success across a variety of careers.
A ‘sistah mind’ group of sorts. Seventy black women gathered together with the expressed intent of sharing key experiences, insider-knowledge, and lessons learned along the way, in order to help other black women achieve success more swiftly and one day, to lead.
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