Women’s Empowerment Series: Wendy Williams Serves As Keynote

The 2014 Women’s Empowerment Series is off to a great start with the Queen of All Media, Wendy Williams, as our Keynote speaker. Wendy is beloved by her radio and television audiences and brings her special spin on pop culture, entertainment, motherhood and lifestyle everyday on her television Talk Show, The Wendy Williams Show. Save the date! Saturday, April 26th. More celebrities will be announced soon.

Here’s more on Wendy Williams: Mother, wife, media mogul, entrepreneur, performer and best-selling author, Wendy Williams is best known for her long-running talk show “The Wendy Williams Show”. Named one of the “35 Most Powerful People in Media” by The Hollywood Reporter in both 2012 and 2013, Williams’ nationally-syndicated weekday program was hailed a “breakthrough in daytime” by The New York Times when it launched in 2009. The show now airs in 52 countries, on BET at midnight, is set to launch its fifth season in Fall 2013 and has been renewed through 2017. “The Wendy Williams Show” is the provocative, must-see talk show in daytime. Taped live in New York City, viewers delight over Williams’ distinctive and entertaining personality, as well as a diverse mix of interviews with celebrity guests from television, film, music and sports. Popular segments include “Hot Topics,” in which she delivers her own unpredictable, honest and authentic take on the juiciest headlines, and “Ask Wendy,” during which she offers real advice to audience members looking for solutions to problems. “The Wendy Williams Show” is a reflection of its star and host; the vibrant colors and upbeat soundtrack matches Williams’ own personality and energetic sense of humor, and the show’s focus on entertainment and pop culture reflects Williams’ passion for those topics. Hailed by the New York Post as “daytime TV’s favorite guilty pleasure,” Williams interviews countless celebrity guests from the perspective of a fan, as she asks the questions that her audience wants to hear. A lover of classic television, Williams’ TV idols growing up were Dinah Shore and Merv Griffin. Prior to achieving success in daytime television, Williams built a devoted audience of fans throughout an enormously successful 23-year career in radio. “The Wendy Williams Experience” was Williams’ top-rated, daily radio show. Syndicated nationally, it aired on WBLS in New York and was listened to by an audience of more than 12 million people. One of the most popular personalities in radio, Williams was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November of 2009 – one of only a handful of women with that honor. Expanding her media footprint, Williams and her husband Kevin launched the non-fiction television programming company Wendy Williams Productions (WWP) in 2013. The joint partnership with Debmar-Mercury, the producers of “The Wendy Williams Show”, sees WWP finding, developing and producing original programming. 2013 also saw the launch of another entrepreneurial endeavor with Wendy’s own line of wigs: Wendy Williams Hair World™ Collection. Having been diagnosed over a decade ago with a thyroid condition that causes thinning hair, Williams has long been a proud and outspoken supporter of hairpieces. Following years of wearing, styling and openly talking about wigs on her show, Wendy is a recognized expert in the field. With TV, Broadway and film performances to her name, Williams is a seasoned performer, both as herself and in character. Her television credits include an appearance on NBC’s “30 Rock” as herself, competing on Season 12 of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” hosting Game Show Network’s original series “Love Triangle,” and appearing as a featured guest on ABC’s “One Life to Live” and Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva”. In 2012, she made her major motion picture debut in Steve Harvey’s “Think Like A Man.” More recently, she made her Broadway debut, taking center stage as Mama Morton in the Tony-winning revival of the musical “Chicago”. Williams is the author of The New York Times best-seller “The Wendy Williams Experience” (Dutton Books), as well as several novels including “Ritz Harper Goes to Hollywood.” She contributes a regular celebrity hot topics column to the entertainment magazine Life & Style Weekly. Williams earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a minor degree in Journalism at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Both of her parents were university professors and Williams remains an advocate for education at all levels. Williams credits the start of her career with her decision to take an internship at a radio station on St. Croix, Virgin Islands immediately following her graduation from college. Williams grew up in Ocean Township, New Jersey and currently lives in Northern New Jersey with her husband and their teenage son Kevin, Jr.