On August 7-8, Amplify Women Tampa Bay (AWTB) is hosting its 3rd Annual Summit, Navigators of Change: Women at the Helm, at The James Museum in downtown St. Petersburg. Founded in 2024 by Nicole Waters, the organization has grown steadily around one clear conviction: women in Tampa Bay are doing extraordinary things, and they’re stronger when they’re actually connected to each other. With a cap of just 200 attendees, it’s the kind of intimate event where meaningful connection is the entire point.

The speaker lineup deserves your full, undivided attention. No, really, put it down.

Keynote speaker Dr. Sandra Braham heads Gulf Coast JFCS, a $60 million agency with more than 550 employees running programs 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 she’s the author of An Angel for Detroit, a memoir that chronicles the personal journey that shaped her into the leader she is today. She’s the kind of person who makes you want to immediately reconsider how you’ve been spending your time.

On the sports side, the panel features 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. She’ll be joined by Yanna Pantelis Boutzoukas of the Tampa Bay Rays and Melissa Gebhardt of Vinik Sports Group and the Tampa Bay Lightning, in a conversation moderated by Megan Baker of Baker Public Relations.

Another panel features Amanda Wick, founder of the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, and Candace Williams of Raytheon, covering women leading the charge in digital finance and cybersecurity. The summit also includes sessions on mental health, generational leadership, and a closing conversation on creativity with local artist Ya La’Ford.

But here’s what actually makes AWTB stand out. Waters built this event around the belief that who you sit next to matters every bit as much as who’s on stage. Structured networking sessions, shared meals, and two full days of intentional community are designed to produce real, lasting relationships, the kind that follow women forward long after the event ends.

Because who you know in this city runs deeper than a cliché. It’s infrastructure. And this summit is two days of building it.

Tickets for Navigators of Change: Women at the Helm are available now here.