EWISE EVENT

WE ARE NOT IMPOSTERS: WHEN WE ARE SEEN

In-person & Virtual

MARCH 26, 2025

12:00PM - 4:00PM EST

HOTHOUSE

621 North Avenue NE, Suite C-200

Atlanta, GA 30308

Join in a much needed conversation every woman can benefit from—guided by two dynamic, powerhouse women.

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Meet Our Speakers

In-person

Virtual

About This Event

Have you ever questioned whether you have imposter syndrome—wondering if you truly belong? What if the real issue isn’t your abilities, but the spaces you navigate—spaces never designed with you in mind?

Join us for a powerful and necessary conversation that will dismantle the myth of imposter syndrome and affirm the brilliance you already possess. This engaging discussion features Valerie Hill Rawls, MAPT, founder of the EcoWomanist Institute Southeast, and Denise Young, author of When We Are Seen: How To Come Into Your Power And Empower Others Along The Way, former Apple VP of Worldwide Human Resources, and Apple’s first VP of Inclusion and Diversity. Together, they will challenge the limiting narratives that too often lead extraordinary women—who have had to work twice as hard to prove themselves—to question their own worth and belonging.

As Denise Young highlights in When We Are Seen, true belonging is not about fitting in—it’s about being fully recognized and valued. With this in mind, this session will shift the focus from internalizing doubt to embracing the truth: “I am THAT woman.” Through shared experiences, deep insights, and lived wisdom, we will take the first steps toward dismantling the imposter myth.

You will leave feeling affirmed, emboldened, and ready to step fully into your power—unapologetically—in every space you occupy.

Meet Our Speakers

Denise Young

Denise Young recently closed a brilliant two-plus-decades career as a co creator of Apple’s retail store experience, ascending to VP level under Steve Jobs and as the first African American to rise to C-level at the company, reporting to CEO Tim Cook as the worldwide HR Chief, and the company’s first VP of Inclusion and Diversity. Post Apple, Denise served as the second Executive in Residence at Cornell Tech, advising new and future tech leaders of the importance of humanity and digital inclusion. She advises HBCUs, arts organizations, academic institutions, and individual leaders on talent and culture. Denise currently serves as board chairperson of SFJAZZ, the premier arts-presenting organization in San Francisco, boasting a global membership and the only freestanding building in the world to exclusively serve jazz. A director/trustee for designer Thom Browne and a vocal artist, writer, and producer herself, Denise espouses the concept her former CEO Steve Jobs spoke about, that it is the intersecting of technology, humanities, and the arts that makes the heart sing. A 2022 recipient of the American Composer Orchestra’s Creative Catalyst Award alongside composer John Adams, Denise has been named a “Most Powerful Woman” by Ebony and Black Enterprise, named one of the “100 Most Influential in Silicon Valley” by Business Insider, and was featured in Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women” issue.

Valerie hill Rawls, mapt

Valerie Hill Rawls, MAPT, has a lifetime of experience at the intersections of social entrepreneurship, business and marketing, climate justice leadership, womanist ecospirituality, and activism. She has led and supported sustainability initiatives in the southeast US in the areas of clean energy public policy, environmental justice, social impact bonds, and public health. She coordinated Clean and Prosperous America’s Georgia Partners Coalition for Youth Voter Outreach leading up to the Georgia Senate runoff and general elections and is active in ongoing GOTV efforts.

Valerie is a marketing expert with a four-decade career at the helm of Hill Rawls Marketing Consultants, with a multinational client list that ranges from Allstate to Zenith. She managed marketing, strategic planning, branding and stakeholder engagement services for Visa, MasterCard, FedEx, and the University of Chicago Hospitals. Valerie sits on several boards supporting affordable housing, women’s leadership, community, and self-development. Valerie earned a BA in Marketing Communications from Illinois State University and a Master of Arts in Public Theology (MAPT) from Union Presbyterian Seminary.