This is part of WTOP’s continuing coverage of people making a difference from our community authored by Stephanie Gaines-Bryant. Read more of that coverage.
A Maryland woman has given executive-level Black women a safe space to connect.
Tonia Ferguson is the CEO of She’s C-Suite, an organization that aims to empower and equip Black women to excel in leadership and entrepreneurship.
“(It’s) a community, a sisterhood,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said she experienced a lot of workplace trauma throughout her career.
“Feeling like you’re not worthy enough, the whole impostor syndrome,” Ferguson said, adding that she needed a space to connect with other Black woman as she was rising in her career.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferguson said a lot of people were leaving at her job, and eventually, she found herself feeling isolated. Through a random encounter with another Black female co-worker — someone she referred to as a “sister friend” — she discovered that she was not alone.
Sister friendships like that one were the catalyst that led to She C-Suite, a place where women who “can’t really be outward with some of their comments or about how they feel” can get support.
“They need a safe space,” Ferguson said, adding that the organization gives them a chance to express themselves in a private, confidential setting.
She said that She C-Suite helps members, which include women in a variety of fields who are CEOs, chief human resources officers, attorneys and business owners, support themselves through the three pillars: self-care, self-education and self-awareness.
The organization conducts four major events each year, as well as monthly master classes, fireside chats and outings. For more information, reach out to Ferguson at tonia@shecsuite.com.
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