The VITA Innovation Program in Richmond, VA encourages a flexible government that can keep up with our fast-paced, tech-driven world. Each year, they host the Women in Innovation Conference, celebrating women’s achievements across small business, academia, government, and private industries, and honoring outstanding innovators with a Maggie Award.
The award is named for Maggie L. Walker, an African American businesswoman and civil rights advocate. At a time when Black Americans were excluded from banking, she became the first Black woman to lead a bank. Beyond banking, she taught children, supported widows and orphans, and fought for school desegregation. Her entrepreneurial spirit combined with social impact has inspired generations to solve problems in their own communities.
In 2019, Bebé Listo was honored with the Maggie Award for Future Female Innovator for ideas addressing perinatal health disparities among minority women. That recognition affirmed that my voice and vision could drive change and reinforced the model I aim to follow: combining entrepreneurship with social impact to make a meaningful difference.
