Women of Color Trailblazing DC Business

Join us for a night of networking and sharing--- Celebrate DC's Women of Color! Bites and drinks included in the donation.

AGENDA

5:30-6:15 Networking 

6:15-7:15 Panel

7:15-8PM Networking
MODERATOR: Roxanne Bellamy, Roxanne Bellamy & Co

SPEAKERS:
Rahama Wright - Founder @sheayeleen @yeleenbeauty

Shermica Farquhar- Founder @sokatribes 

Cee Smith - Co-Founder @femmefataledc 

Pauline Idogho- Founder @mocktailclubdc

RAHAMA WRIGHT

Rahama Wright is a social entrepreneur bridging beauty, policy, and international development. A former Peace Corps Volunteer, she founded Shea Yeleen, a social impact beauty brand creating living-wage jobs for women in Ghana. Her products are sold at Whole Foods Market, MGM Resorts, and Macy’s, with features in O, The Oprah Magazine, The Washington Post, and MSNBC.

To address manufacturing barriers for BIPOC beauty founders, she launched Yeleen Beauty Makerspace, the first shared manufacturing facility in the U.S. beauty industry. She also founded the DC Pop-Up, a retail collective supporting women- and minority-owned businesses.

Wright co-chairs the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa and serves on the U.S. Trade Representative Trade Advisory Committee on Africa, advocating for inclusive economic growth. A global speaker, she has presented at the United Nations, World Bank, and Global Entrepreneurship Summit. An avid traveler, she has worked in 36 countries and holds a BA in International Relations and Political Science from SUNY Geneseo.

SHERMICA FARQUHAR
Shermica Farquhar is a seasoned executive with diverse experiences crossing industries and functions – from leading the regional expansion of a charter school network to restructuring teams for Fortune 500 companies and guiding executives through organizational change. But as a multidisciplinary artist, dance is her first love. She is trained in modern, salsa, hip hop, Afro-Caribbean, and West African disciplines and is a certified instructor of the groundbreaking Afro-diasporic Talawa Technique. 

A Trinidadian-American with family roots in carnival mas-making traditions, Shermica harnessed this rich heritage and founded the Soka Tribe, a cultural organization that empowers others via the freedom, joy, and power of Caribbean carnival culture. In six years, Soka Tribe has performed and taught across 15 cities, 5 countries, and countless stages, including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and as part of its REACH Center opening ceremonies. Soka Tribe has also performed in the legendary DC Funk Parade and the embassies of Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados.

Shermica has served on the Mayor's Advisory Commission on Caribbean Community Affairs, is the founder of the Return to the Reason Festival in Accra, Ghana and Washington, D.C , and is a 202Creates Fellow Alumnus. She is a multi-year recipient of the DCCAH Arts and Humanities Multidisciplinary Fellowship. Shermica holds a BS from Georgetown University, an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a PhD student in the Cultural Studies Department at the University of the West Indies. 

As both an artist and strategist, Shermica’s work centers on community building as a salve for social isolation

PAULINE IDOGHO
Pauline Idogho is the Founder/CEO of Mocktail Club, a line of premium  crafted ready-to-drink non-alcoholic cocktails inspired by her quest to  find sophisticated and better-for-you alternatives to alcohol. Prior to  founding the company, Pauline had a 15-year career in investment  banking, international development and clean energy finance.  Companies she has worked for include the International Finance  Corporation (the private arm of the World Bank). She has lived, worked  and traveled around Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, which  helped to inspire the rich and sophisticated flavor profiles of the  Mocktail Club line. One percent of Mocktail Club’s sales go to support clean water access globally through the organization Water for People.  Pauline is a board member for Water for People. Pauline is also the  Treasurer and head of the Finance Committee of the Adult Non Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA).  

Pauline is originally from Nigeria and moved to the UK when she was  younger. She holds a Bachelors in Economics from Howard University and MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of Business at the  University of Pennsylvania. She became a 2022 Tory Burch Fellow. She  is also a Black Ambition Prize Winner, an organization started by the  Celebrity Pharrell Williams.  

CEE CEE SMITH
Cee Smith is a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor with over a decade of experience in entertainment. Known for her strategic business development and team-building skills, she has led successful ventures across tech, film, and retail. Passionate about inclusivity, Cee champions women and LGBTQ entrepreneurs through initiatives like Femme Fatale DC, an award-winning pop-up and retail incubator.

ROXANNE BELLAMY
Roxanne Bellamy is a sought-after expert with over a decade of experience in the event industry. As the founder and creative director of Roxanne Bellamy & Co., her passion for creating meaningful, refined experiences is immediately evident.

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