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The Arête WOman COnference 2025

Theme: The Power Within
Washington, D.C. | 10/3 - 10/4
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The Arête Woman

Arête (ah-re-‘tee): An ancient Greek word meaning “excellence in all things — the fulfillment of one’s highest potential.”

At the Arête Woman Conference, we believe every woman carries a unique power within, a capacity for excellence, influence, and transformation. This experience is designed to help you activate that power and lead a life of purpose, clarity, and impact.

The Power Is Already Within You. Now It’s Time to Own It.
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Five stylish women pose confidently in formal black and white outfits, standing in front of a large white column at the Lincoln Memorial, with the Lincoln statue visible in the background.

Featured Speakers

Meet our distinguished conference speakers for an enriching lineup of empowering sessions, inspiring keynotes, strategic conversations and interactive workshops at the 2025 Arête Woman's Conference.
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Captain Carole Hopson

Carole Hopson is a Boeing 737 Captain for United Airlines, based in Newark, NJ. After a remarkable 20-year career as a journalist and executive, she followed her dream to become a pilot and share her passion with others as a flight instructor, while raising her family. Walking away from executive-level positions, she went to flight school with gusto and completed flight training at the peak of her corporate accomplishments.

Captain - Boeing 737 | FAA Certified Flight Instructor | Author

True to her roots as a writer, Carole published her debut novel: A Pair of Wings, based on the life story of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman, the first American to earn a French civilian pilot’s license. Carole also heads the Jet Black Foundation, dedicated to sending 100 Black women to flight school by the year 2035.

Carole Hopson | The Arete Women Conference

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Captain - Boeing 737 | FAA Certified Flight Instructor | Author

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Co-Founder and CEO, Shea Radiance

Funlayo Alabi | The Arete Women Conference

Funlayo Alabi

Funlayo Alabi is a passionate builder of beauty, business, and community. As Co-Founder and CEO of Shea Radiance, she turned a kitchen-table mission into a global movement—creating clean, effective skincare that nourishes women’s skin and their spirits. Through Shea Radiance, she uplifts women by sourcing shea butter directly from women-led cooperatives in West Africa, helping fuel economic empowerment and generational change. Today, Shea Radiance products are proudly sold at Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, MOM’s Organic Market, and online at shearadiance.com. Her leadership has earned national recognition in Essence, Oprah Daily, and Forbes.

Co-Founder and CEO, Shea Radiance

Funlayo holds a BA in International Business from Howard University and an MBA from Regent University. She is deeply committed to mentoring women, championing pro-aging beauty, and inspiring others to rise with authenticity and joy. When she’s not leading or speaking, Funlayo finds joy in family, faith, and the beautiful work of helping women thrive.

Adjoa Adjei-Twum

Adjoa Adjei-Twum possesses over 17 years of experience as a thought leader recognized for her expertise in critical issues such as anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions compliance, terrorist financing, and other financial crime matters across the USA, Europe, and high-risk jurisdictions. A graduate of the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, she has held significant leadership roles, including Global Head of Training and Communications for the Chief Controls Office at Barclays Bank and Vice President for European Financial Crime Assurance at HSBC, where she focused on AML and sanctions assurance. She also served as a Compliance Director for a firm appointed as monitors by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank for a global bank that had been fined by U.S. regulators.

President & CEO at EBII Group Corp.

Additionally, she has held roles in Forensic AML at KPMG and similar positions at Citi. In 2018, she furthered her education at Oxford, where she was elected class representative and subsequently founded the EBII Group. Under her leadership, the EBII Group Corp., which is headquartered in Washington DC, launched the Africa Investment Risk and Compliance Summit (AIRCS) in the UK, attracting influential decision-makers, including the Presidents of Ghana and Sierra Leone, the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, several members of Congress, African Ambassadors in the USA and UK, banking CEOs, the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Adjoa’s insights have gained international recognition, leading to appearances on major global media platforms such as CNN, BBC World Newsday, BBC Africa News, and CNBC Asia. Her contributions have been featured on the front cover of BusinessDay NG Magazine and Oxford Answers. Recognized for her achievements, she was honored in Oxford University’s Espire “Wonder Woman” series in 2020 and acknowledged by the BBC as a leading woman in finance on International Women’s Day in 2022.
Adjoa Adjei-Twum | The Arete Women Conference

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President & CEO at EBII Group Corp.

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CEO, Cayaba Care

Adaeze Enekwechi | The Arête Woman

Adaeze Enekwechi, PhD, MPP

Dr. Adaeze Enekwechi is a dedicated healthcare policy and administration professional, motivated by the imperative that we improve access, quality, and experience with healthcare for vulnerable populations. She is the CEO of Cayaba Care a venture backed maternal health company focused on improving outcomes for moderate and high-risk pregnant women covered by Medicaid and commercial insurance. Cayaba provides a full-suite, wrap-around services that are empathy-driven, community-based and culturally-informed, reaching women in person at home and virtually to provide supports with health-related social needs throughout the pregnancy and postpartum journey.

CEO, Cayaba Care

As an Operating Partner at WCAS, an investment firm where she focuses on growth-oriented healthcare companies, Adaeze supports the firm’s capacity to articulate the value of private equity capital to healthcare companies. She also sharpens the firm’s understanding of the policy and regulatory environment which can have a significant impact on healthcare companies particularly companies serving Medicare and Medicaid populations.

Dr. Enekwechi led IMPAQ, LLC, a company that provided research, technical assistance, and advanced analytics services for federal clients which she took through its acquisition in 2020. She also spent many years in federal policy roles at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and she was the Head of Health Programs at the White House Office of Management and Budget under President Obama. There she led policy, management and regulatory oversight for all US health care agencies and programs including CMS, FDA, NIH, CDC and HRSA.

Dr. Enekwechi obtained a PhD in health economics and outcomes research from the University of Iowa, an MPP in Public Finance from American University, and a BA in African and African American History from the University of Iowa. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago School of Medicine. Dr. Enekwechi serves on the board of directors at MedStar Health, Liberty Dental Plan, and the Alliance for Health Policy. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Theta Omega Omega chapter.

Yetunde Shorters

Yetunde Shorters is a personal branding coach and international publicist who helps female entrepreneurs position themselves as go-to thought leaders in industries as varied as music, philanthropy and medicine. Leveraging two decades of experience in global public relations and expertise as a Neuro-Linguistics Programming master coach, Yetunde empowers her clients to achieve radical clarity on their purpose while also increasing their visibility, impact and their profits. Yetunde has worked with Grammy, Tony and MTV Award-winning artists who, thanks to her PR efforts, have been seen by more than 40 million people though more than 1,500 segments and features in outlets including Good Morning America, Entrepreneur, Essence and more.

Founder & Lead Strategist, ICY COACHING & CONSULTING

She has also helped fourteen of her clients become Amazon bestselling authors. Media outlets across the globe seek out Yetunde’s expertise from Forbes and CBS News to Essence and Elle. She has also been invited to speak on virtual stages and at in-person events to thousands of attendees for Thinkific, the Global Startup Ecosystem Summit, She Leads Africa and more. Connecting with Yetunde almost always means you will walk away more informed, more energized and more able to make your dreams reality. For more, visit www.icyconsulting.com
Yetunde | The Arête Woman

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Founder & Lead Strategist, ICY COACHING & CONSULTING

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Founder and CEO of Zaia Ventures

Ukonwa | The Arête Woman

Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo

Ukonwa Ojo's remarkable career spans 26 years across diverse industries, with notable positions including Global Chief Marketing Officer at Amazon Prime Video & Studios, M.A.C Cosmetics, and Coty Consumer Beauty. Ukonwa has also served as Brand President at COVERGIRL and held brand and general management roles at Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser PLC, General Mills Corporation, and MeadWestvaco Corporation. Currently, she shines as the Founder/CEO of Zaia Ventures, dedicated to building and scaling businesses that champion underrepresented and marginalized communities.

Founder and CEO of Zaia Ventures

Two notable launches from the Venture Studio include Zaia, a social networking platform uniting the global Christian community for good and Ada & Edith Inc, a pioneering luxury womenswear brand bringing a comfort revolution to fashion with handcrafted Italian pieces for the multi-faceted modern woman.

At Amazon, Ojo led a high-performing team to launch eight of the top ten shows in Prime Video’s history, achieving its highest ever global customer subscription and engagement, including replacing Netflix as the #1 US Streamer. Her innovative marketing campaigns for Prime Video’s blockbuster movies and series garnered numerous prestigious accolades, including Golden Globe nominations and wins, Oscar nominations and wins, Emmy nominations and wins, and Entertainment Clios.

Throughout her career, Ojo has earned over 60 awards and honors, including Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs and Black Enterprise 25 Women Changing the World. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a Founding Member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance, and a Member of the Executive Leadership Council and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women.

Ukonwa Ojo holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. With her exceptional leadership, commitment to serving marginalized communities and passion for apparel design, she continues to make a lasting impact in business, technology, fashion and beyond.
https://adaandedith.com/
https://www.zaiaventures.com/
https://www.zaia.one/

Arête is for women who are:

Building businesses, leading teams, or launching ideas
In transition, growth, or reinvention
Committed to creating real impact in their work and world
Change-makers, boundary-breakers, and those ready to rise
If you’re ready to claim your space and build your legacy — Arête is for you.
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What You’ll Experience

  • Dynamic Keynotes from leading women across industries
  • Immersive Workshops designed for personal and professional growth that challenge and inspire
  • Real Conversations on career, wellness, identity, and influence
  • Connection-Driven Spaces to build relationships with powerful women
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Agenda

Dive into a thoughtfully crafted schedule designed to challenge your thinking, enhance your leadership impact, and ignite your next move.

Friday October 3rd

6:30 pm – 7:15 pm

The Awakening

A Rally to Rise
7:15 pm – 8:30 pm

Restore: Healed. Whole. Here.

Adjoa Adjei-Twum

8:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Beyond the Name Tag: Connect & Collaborate

Networking Reception

Saturday October 4th

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Breakfast

9:00 am – 9:15 am

Ignite the Day: A Call to Power

9:15 am – 10:30 am

The Audacity to Be Heard

Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo

10:45 am – 12:00 pm

Breakout Sessions

From Idea to Impact: Building with Grit & Grace

Funlayo Alabi

Level Up: Owning Your Seat at the Table

Adaeze Enekwechi
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

The Power Within: Unleashing Potential in Every Season

Capt Carole Hopson
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Beyond Limits: Rewriting the Narrative

Yetunde Shorters
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Unfiltered: Real Stories, Lessons from the Journey

Panel Discussion
5:30 pm – 5:45 pm

Activate: Live It, Lead It, Ignite Others

Secure YOur Sp0t

The energy is undeniable, and your place is ready.
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