2025 HERStory Conversation ~ Dr. Shante' Williams - Arts Champion

Dr. Shanté Williams is a distinguished venture capitalist, business owner, inventor, intellectual property strategist and private investor. She currently serves as CEO of Black Pearl Vision and global CEO of its parent company, Black Pearl Global Investments (BPGI). She also serves the community as chairman emeritus of the board of directors for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce.

In the venture capital sector, Dr. Shanté continues to break barriers with BPGI’s fund focused on reducing health disparities across the globe. For her work in the medical field, Dr. Shanté is widely recognized for her stellar discovery of innovative chemotherapy treatments for high-grade invasive brain tumors. She was formerly a vice president of technology acquisition in the healthcare sector, a director of mergers and acquisitions in the consumer healthcare industry, and a director of intellectual property in the electric drive vehicle industry. After her corporate career, she founded her first company, RW Capital Partners, which became an industry-leading firm specializing in real estate, technology development, start-ups and business disputes resolution.

She has received numerous awards for her business and entrepreneurship efforts, and her thought leadership is frequently published in national and international media outlets. Dr. Shante earned a bachelor’s degree from Winston-Salem State University and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University of Charlotte. She holds a doctorate in integrated biomedical science, specializing in neuro-oncology and pharmacology, from The Ohio State University.

Williams, who became Opera Carolina’s first Black or woman general director in its 75-year history last year, leads the oldest continually operating opera company in the Southeast

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library - West Boulevard, 2157 West Boulevard, Charlotte, United States