By Kim Mousseau and Steve Seepersaud
In honor of Women’s History Month, Binghamton University hosted the second annual Empowered Women, Empowered Leaders (EWEL) Conference March 14, in the University Union. The conference included expert panels, breakout sessions, and a vendor market of women-owned businesses.
EWEL featured four tracks: young professionals, seasoned professionals, wellness, and equity and social impact. Visionary speakers, women-owned business leaders, alumni, and student organizers discussed topics such as inclusive leadership, entrepreneurship, financial empowerment, self-healing, and liberatory practices.
The conference’s keynote speaker was Shantay Carter ’00, also known as The Nurse Philanthropist. She is a registered nurse, community leader, and founder of Women of Integrity Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and educating women and girls of all ages and backgrounds. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Binghamton and is an orthopedic and trauma nurse at Northwell Health Systems. Carter is also a best-selling author, motivational speaker, and mentor.
"I wanted people to understand you can turn your pain into your power," Carter said. "You can learn from experience. It's how I started my nonprofit. It started from a painful situation in 2021 where I lost my Dad and also lost my job because I stood up for my beliefs. I had to rebuild myself. I listened to God, meditated, and journaled so I could rise up again, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, coming up from the struggle.
"It was great to see how engaged the students were," she said. "Binghamton is invested in students not just academically but personally. The conference is very important because, right now, in this climate, women are being overlooked, they feel they are not seen and that women's voices are not heard. And, I was pleased to see young men there wanting to learn."
The Empowered Women, Empowered Leaders Conference was sponsored by Binghamton University’s Q Center, Multicultural Resource Center, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and SUNY Broome Community College.
“[Our] planning committee has tripled in size since our inaugural year [2025] and now includes student leaders, professional staff from Binghamton University and SUNY Broome, as well as local community members,” said Nick Martin, Q Center associate director, one of the event organizers.
“Our primary objective at the outset of planning was to establish an intergenerational, landmark, coalition-building experience recognized throughout the Southern Tier and beyond, laying the groundwork for continued growth in subsequent years. I believe we have successfully achieved this goal.”
"I hope [conference attendees] took away that everyone is destined for greatness," Carter said. "But they have to be motivated. They need to take all the great knowledge they received and put it into action. I always say 'believe, inspire and impact.' That's the mission I'm on."