Taneshia Nash Laird to Speak on Leadership Panel at UN CSW69 NGO Forum

New York, NY — March 5, 2025 — Taneshia Nash Laird, Executive Director of Project REAP and Associate Professor in the Africana Studies Department at Berklee College of Music, will be a featured speaker at an official NGO side event during the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69).

The panel, titled “Resilient Her: Navigating Leadership Challenges with Confidence,” will take place on Wednesday, March 13, 2025, from 4:30–6:00 PM at the Church Center for the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza in New York City. The event will also be available virtually via Zoom.

Organized by Athletes United for Peace, a United Nations NGO with consultative status with ECOSOC, the session will feature women leaders from across sectors who have launched and led both nonprofit and for-profit initiatives—from grassroots efforts to billion-dollar operations.

Taneshia Nash Laird will be joined by:

• Florine Clomegah-Freitas – Former General Director of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and Deputy Regional Director of the Red Cross
• Yvonne Huatin Chow – Founder of House of Chow
• Tamara Jackson – Licensed therapist, trauma expert, and filmmaker
• Colette Dill-Lerner – CEO and CMO in Startups and Midcaps
• Barbara Horne – Project Lead in Tech, Data, and AI; Founder of Ngage; UN Rep for Athletes United for Peace

The interactive panel will explore how women can build confidence, confront discomfort, and cultivate resilience as leaders—particularly in the social impact space.

This session is one of many NGO side events organized in parallel with CSW69, providing a platform for civil society organizations to promote dialogue, share knowledge, and shape global conversations around gender equity.

Laird’s participation reflects her ongoing leadership in equity-centered institutions. In addition to her academic role, she leads Project REAP, a national nonprofit advancing opportunities for professionals of color in commercial real estate through education, mentorship, and industry engagement.

To register or learn more, visit: https://athletesunitedforpeace.org

About CSW and NGO Side Events
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global body dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. NGO side events, organized by ECOSOC-accredited NGOs, provide a critical space for dialogue, capacity building, and advocacy on a global stage.