"On Deck with the Cleveland Young Professional Minority Women’s Group"

The Cleveland Young Professional Minority Women’s Group (CYPMWG) is the brainchild of myself and Lauren R. Welch. While working to accelerate our own careers, we saw an unmet need in the Cleveland networking community and, the rest is history.

The non-profit’s mission is to position young professional women of color as assets in their community. Since it’s founding two years ago, the organization has hosted events that have convened over 300 women and engaged more than 10,000 through social media.

So often women of color find themselves in places of employment where they are the only, or one of a few, minority women in their workplace and CYPMWG is an outlet to help combat the challenges that come along with being in that kind of situation.

Women of color often experience things that other women do not experience in the workplace; (from stereotyping to questioning of one’s credibility), they do not always have mentors within their companies that can lead and guide them, as a woman of color, so the core of CYPMWG’s work is to connect those women.

Women in the CYPMWG network work in all industries, from law to the non-profit sector, to healthcare and real estate. New members are recruited via our website, through social media marketing and through good old-fashioned networking.

In addition to addressing special circumstances minority women may encounter as working professionals, the group focuses on providing information on networking, mentorship, and making lasting connections with other women.

“Women of Excellence” is our signature professional development event and provides an opportunity for mid-level professionals to connect with a younger demographic, and potentially help form those relationships.

Another popular event is our “Ladies Love Brunch,” an event where women are encouraged to talk about personal and workplace challenges they have encountered and how they have overcome them.

General body meetings offer a similar level of connection. Past topics have included financial wellness, physical fitness, yoga and meditation, sexual wellness and vision planning.