For Women’s History Month, Meridian International Center began hosting HERspectives, a blog series highlighting women leaders from throughout history and across industries. Their first guest was none other than Cogent’s Managing Director Edda Collins Coleman.
Graphic from Meridian International Center.
Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:
Meridian International Center: What’s the advantage of businesswomen leading in the social impact space?
Edda Collins Coleman: Women are often the key decision makers in their households and every other space they inhabit. When we think about the importance of social impact, especially as it relates to recovering from the ongoing health and economic crises, look no further than the local economy to see how women are the ones rebuilding our cities. Especially women of color, who represent the fastest growing segment of small business owners which continues to be the foundational element to our economic restoration…
What advice do you pass along to other young Black women hoping to lead in your industry?
Make sure you are able to be the most liberated version of yourself no matter where you work. It’s exhausting to have to hide yourself while trying to show up professionally…
What’s on your mind for the future of diplomatic relations?
My first thought is that diplomacy is back. I’m confident in the actions taken by the foreign affairs committee led by Congressmen Meeks and McCaul within the first weeks of the new Congress. I also trust President Biden’s years of international experience and have new hope as we continue to build back better…
Read the full blog post here.