The first annual Columbus Women’s Business Summit will feature insightful panel conversations, motivational and informative speakers, and will provide invaluable networking opportunities.
Attendees will be equipped with inspiration, tools, and confidence to drive themselves and their businesses to the future they seek.
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, or a professional looking to grow, this summit will provide the inspiration, insights, and resources to help you reach your next level of success.
Sessions Include:
This event is open to everyone interested in learning about entrepreneurship regardless of sex.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
25% off discount for registering early! Discount expires 30 days before the event. Register today!
Amanda Ray Newman is a dynamic keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, artist, and storyteller whose vibrant blend of art and personal empowerment inspires audiences to activate their hidden gifts. With an M.Ed in Counseling from Auburn University and over 20 years of creative experience, she has built a portfolio featuring 200+ murals in schools, churches, homes, and businesses worldwide.
Amanda’s keynote offers transformative insights that ignite purpose, meaning, and legacy, inviting individuals to “Color Outside the Lines” and reframe their life experiences. Her engaging presentations and interactive workshops serve as a catalyst for creative transformation, while her global initiatives—such as the Do-Good Project and her missionary work in Rwanda—underscore her commitment to building thriving creative communities.
Robbie Parks is a Business Consultant at the UGA SBDC in Gainesville. In this role, she leverages her 20+ years of experience to teach entrepreneurs how to launch, manage and grow their businesses. Her areas of expertise include marketing (traditional and digital), communications, graphic design, brand design and management, process analysis, CRM implementation and administration, and search engine optimization. Robbie holds a dual certification as a Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) | AMA Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) from the Digital Marketing Institute and American Marketing Association and obtained a certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management.
Lindsay deOliveira is the founder of Soothe Beginnings, the award-winning baby brand and The Blox winner redefining pacifier safety and starting a bigger conversation about what parents should expect from baby products. A Certified Breastfeeding Counselor and former optician, she transformed a personal need into a trusted, science-backed solution for modern families.
Meet Rashmi Jain Hudson, the founder of Alltimate Luggage. With over 20 years in marketing at a Fortune 200 company, Rashmi developed a passion for travel that began when she immigrated from India. Her experiences highlighted the common challenges of packing and traveling. Now, using her marketing skills and insights from her own travel experiences, Rashmi has created Alltimate Luggage to change how we pack and travel. Motivated by a desire for new experiences in retirement and adventures with her husband, Rashmi aims to help fellow travelers with her innovative designs. Get ready for a new way to travel, brought to you by a packing and travel expert.
Tracey Herring is the Small Business Manager at the Columbus GA Chamber of Commerce, where she works closely with both startups and established businesses to identify challenges and connect them to the right resources for growth and long-term success.
A proud native of the Columbus, Georgia area, Tracey brings both personal passion and professional expertise to her work, serving as an advocate for the local business community.
She is a graduate of Columbus State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Leadership and Community Development. A 2024 graduate of Leadership Columbus, Tracey continues to demonstrate her commitment to community involvement.
Tulu Kaifee is the Procurement and Finance Specialist at the UGA SBDC. She joined the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center’s Multicultural Business Division in October 2023 as a procurement and finance specialist. Tulu has spent over 20 years in the financial services industry with experience in the consumer, small business and commercial lending segments serving entrepreneurs across Georgia. Tulu’s passion to serve multicultural and underrepresented communities gives her a unique edge incorporating Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategies to attract and retain talent in a competitive environment.
Twila Rhodes Kirkland is a native of Columbus who retired after a forty-seven-year career in sales and management positions in the credit union, banking and media industries. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Auburn University and is a graduate of the Georgia Banking School. She previously held certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources from SHRM and was a Certified Digital Consultant. She firmly believes that networking is deliberate action that fosters personal growth, collaboration and career success.
All programs of the UGA SBDC are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The University of Georgia
Small Business Development Center
382 East Broad Street
Athens, GA 30602-5412
P: (706) 542-2762
