Amplify Women Tampa Bay (AWTB) is bringing its 3rd Annual Summit, Navigators of Change: Women at the Helm, to The James Museum in downtown St. Petersburg on August 7–8. Founded in 2024 by Nicole Waters, the organization was built on the idea that women across the Tampa Bay region accomplish more when they're genuinely connected — and this two-day, 200-person event is designed to make exactly that happen.
Keynote speaker Dr. Sandra Braham leads Gulf Coast JFCS, a $60 million agency with more than 550 employees operating across child welfare, behavioral health, workforce development, and refugee resettlement. She also made history as the first Black woman to chair the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce Board and is the author of An Angel for Detroit, a memoir about the experiences that shaped her career.
The sports world gets a strong showing too. Christina Unkel, President and General Manager of the Tampa Bay Sun — the only female professional sports team in the Bay and the inaugural USL Super League champions — joins Yanna Pantelis Boutzoukas of the Tampa Bay Rays and Melissa Gebhardt of Vinik Sports Group and the Tampa Bay Lightning for a panel moderated by Megan Baker of Baker Public Relations. A separate conversation features Amanda Wick of the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency and Candace Williams of Raytheon, exploring leadership in digital finance and cybersecurity.
Rounding out the program are sessions on mental health, generational leadership, and a closing conversation on creativity led by local artist Ya La'Ford. Waters designed the summit with structured networking, shared meals, and intentional community-building at its core — the goal being connections that outlast the event itself.
Tickets for Navigators of Change: Women at the Helm are on sale now. This story was originally reported by Ilovetheburg.
