GIRLS AS CEOs

Working with girls and women for more than three decades has been one of the greatest honors of my life. From serving as a mentor, to coaching, to writing the groundbreaking curriculum She Ain't Angry for Nothin', which changed thousands of girls' relationship with anger, to curating empowerment circles and conferences to lift girls and women higher, to starting the Mischa Toland* Entrepreneurial Academy for Girls, to launching Girls as CEOs Foundation, it has all been in service to my calling to be a light, an answer, or a source of hope. This page provides a glimpse of some of the beautiful work I referenced as well shares current projects in the pipeline.

* Toland is my former marital name. I no longer use it.

Rising Young Women Professional Conference 2026 - Banner.jpg

The wellbeing of girls of color is on my mind as much today as it's ever been. Because I remember my challenges as a teen girl, I stay curious about how our girls are seeing and managing life. Ten years ago, October 2016, this curiosity inspired me to host the Rising Young Women Professional Conference; Maryland's first ever professional conference for 11th and 12th grade girls. The intention was to curate an experience that would show girls a promising path toward a more excellent personal and professional life. The conference exceeded every vision and expectation I had. Ten years later, I am commemorating our experience by hosting the Rising Young Women Professional Conference again. Just as before, we will have amazing keynote speakers, workshop presenters (all of whom will be announced soon), and surprises our girls didn't see coming. If you are in the Baltimore-Washington area, we invite you to join us. Click here for more details. Click the QR code above or the registration link below to register your daughter, niece, little sister, mentee, or group of girls at your school. Scroll below to get a glimpse of the 2016 conference.

DAY 1

This day consists of an immersive time of learning via keynote speakers, breakout sessions, a fire side chat, an afternoon networking reception where girls speak one-on-one with some of Maryland's most powerful women leaders, and fun surprises throughout the day.

DAY 2

This day consists of a field trip to two women-led organizations where the girls will get a tour of the inner workings of the organizations and meet office staff before sitting down for an insightful conversation with the CEO and other C-Suite leaders to learn about their career path, leadership style, and what it's like being a woman of power and influence. Transportation for the field trip is provided by the conference. Students will arrive back at the conference hotel in time for their 2:00 PM school pick up.

Call us at 800-338-1115 with any questions regarding the 2026 Rising Young Women Profession Conference.

Horace Howard Furness High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"The measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls."

MICHELLE OBAMA

Rising Young Women Professional Conference

Baltimore, Maryland

With the amazing support of more than 20 volunteers and 13 incredible sponsors, our October 2016 inaugural professional conference for 11th and 12th grade girls of color was a huge success. We reached our 150-participant capacity in less than 30 days. We proudly hosted girls from Baltimore City Public Schools and schools from surrounding counties throughout Maryland. Because of our phenomenal keynote speakers, Cheryl Grace, Donna Stevenson, and Violet Apple, along with 15 awesome workshop presenters, two of whom traveled from Atlanta and Chicago, our girls left with a wealth of insight, new perspective, and even bigger dreams for their lives. Below is the THANK YOU card we sent out featuring some of the two-day conference highlights.