About this Event
MadaMind 2026: Women's History Month Conference + Celebration
Join us in person for MadaMind 2026, a vibrant celebration of Women's History Month! This is your chance to connect, learn, + be inspired by amazing women making waves. Whether you’re here to gain new insights, network, or just celebrate, the energy will be unbeatable. Don’t miss out on this brilliant event where stories, ideas, + fun come together.
MadaMind is a ‘mastermind’ mini-conference focused on development for a diverse group of women. The timeframe + format creates accessibility for many women who may not be able to invest the time, funds or travel associated with other conferences, but still want to benefit from personal + professional development.
For our fourth year, our experienced + dynamic speakers will cover topic areas ranging from wealth to partnerships to adventure. MadaMind will culminate in a final hour and a half of celebration + interaction over brunch, which is included in your ticket. All of the proceeds from MadaMind will go towards the annual ERNA Grant. This year, we are commited to providing three grants, of which at least 60% will be awarded to women + women entrepreneurs. See you there!
Speakers include:
Annya Ramírez-Jiménez, AIA is an Architect and Partner at MARVEL an MBE Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Urban Design practice with offices in New York City, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Richmond, VA & Barcelona. She is a passionate designer that advocates for equity and focuses on building spaces that create nurturing environments for users to thrive. Primarily leading civic projects in New York City, Annya seeks to impact the design environment beyond traditional approaches and utilize community engagement as a means to achieve design equity. Annya has previously served on the AIANY Honors Committee and currently serves on the AIANY Fellows Committee. She is an active leader in the community, serving on boards of The Sato Project & The Clemente Center, a cultural organization that cultivates and promotes the preservation of Puerto Rican and Latinx arts & culture in New York City. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from the University of Puerto Rico & a Masters of Architecture from Columbia University GSAPP.
Cortney Cole-Hall is a 2025 RealTrends Verified Top 1.5% Agent Nationally, Q2 2024 Top 25 Producer, November 2024 Top Lister, and Circle of Excellence Recipient 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 at Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty based in Houston, Texas. Dedicated, driven, and committed to her clients, native Houstonian Cortney Cole-Hall’s passion for sales, marketing, and real estate when she came home to Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty as Realtor and Broker Associate. Having renovated, purchased, and sold numerous homes, her experience, passion, and knowledge of the Houston real estate market provides a rooted foundation for her clients. Ms. Cole-Hall strives to ensure each negotiation is met with complete satisfaction and an on-going partnership for years to come. Cortney is formerly known as the Director of Emerging Growth with Office Depot’s Business Solutions Division. The company has combined annual sales of approximately $17 billion, and serves consumers in 57 countries with a dedicated business-to-business sales organization. Cortney lead a team of business-to-business sales professionals, whose focus was in the private sector, negotiating and retaining 99% of $65M+ base in client contracts. During her tenure at Office Depot Office Max, Cortney was nominated for Office Depot’s Global Innovation Award, a premier award given by Office Depot’s CEO and Executive Team recognizing top associates for innovation beyond marginal improvements in existing product and services that benefits the associates, customers, and shareholders. In addition, Ms. Cole-Hall received recognition from the Houston Grand Opera for her contributions to the Houston community with the Ovation Award – Working with many national and Houston-based nonprofits including Houston Symphony, Pink Door, YMCA, and Dress For Success. Her philanthropic outreach and success has also been recognized by the Houston Chronicle as one of “Houston’s 25 ‘it’ Girls” among gold medalists Simone Biles and Simone Manuel. She also received accolades for her non-profit fundraising expertise associated with Texas Center for the Missing, American Heart Association, and Citizens for Animal Protection (CAPs). As a powerhouse, Cortney is also known for her investment acumen and experience in the stock market. She holds a portfolio including varied sectors in stocks and real estate. Today, she shares her knowledge and forecast with women searching for diversification and growth investment. Cortney holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from Tulane University, and studied International Business Studies from ESCP Europe in Paris, France. She currently is a candidate for her MPH at Yale University and resides in Houston, Texas.
Crosbie Roper is a designer and award-winning filmmaker with dual degrees in Fine Art and Architecture. After nearly a decade working in New York City design studios, she expanded into acting, theater, and film. She is a recipient of Kickstarter Creative Capital grant and the Panavision New Filmmaker grant, and her short film Epinephrine won Best Experimental Short at Indie Short Fest LA. She is the founder of Genius Loci Studio, an interior and architectural design studio, and is currently in pre-production on the micro-short series Complex PTSD, while expanding Epinephrine into a longer format.
Danei is an internationally licensed architect + public speaker. As a Senior Project Manager at Group PMX, she leads dynamic mixed-use development, healthcare, institutional projects and teaches at Yale University's Graduate School of Architecture. With twenty years experience, Danei leverages a depth of construction understanding to deliver projects that balance operational efficiencies, building performance, design team coordination, and fiscal realities. Recently, she has directly benefited multi-year projects for Brookfield, NYU Langone Health and New York City Health + Hospitals Corporations. Her dedication to fostering Mentorship, Sponsorship and Leadership among the diverse design community led to Danei founding WALLEN + daub in 2018. She is a Masters in Public Health Candidate at Yale University.
The boisterous Edess Damis also known as “E” was born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ to immigrant Haitian parents. After becoming Double State Champion in the New Jersey Forensics League her senior year in high school, Edess took her talents to Kean University. There, she took part in KeanTV, where she hosted multiple shows around campus and co-hosted the trendy hit radio show, “Talk to Me Nice” on Cougar Radio WKNJ 90.3 FM. E graduated with her BA in Communications with a focus in Media and Film, and left her mark on campus, literally (look for her face on the side of the Miron Student Center). E has gone on to steal the hearts of many when she became the face of Union and currently hosts multiple shows on UnionTV. Segments include a weekly show that focuses on events and fundraisers in town (Spotlight on Union), a tasty show that highlights small businesses (Let’s Eat) and insightful conversations with local elected officials, business owners, and residents (Talking with E). There’s never a dull moment when Edess is on stage, in the studio, or in your presence, as she continues to captivate audiences with her diverse range of talents.
Eve Klein, PhD, is an architectural design researcher, professor, and independent scholar specializing in the social and psychological impact of the built environment. Her work focuses on how social science methodologies can enrich design processes, particularly in cultural institutions and higher education settings. She brings this expertise as an environmental psychologist to her teaching at Pratt Institute, where she leads seminars on Environmental Psychology, Urban Studies, Community Engagement, and Embodied Architecture. In addition to her academic work, Eve trains designers and organizational leaders to develop rigorous research processes that leverage data for informed decision-making and design. She also collaborates with designers, architects, and engineers on project-based initiatives, integrating research-driven insights into practice. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a Master of Architecture from UCLA, and a PhD in Environmental Psychology from the Graduate Center, CUNY. Her interdisciplinary approach advances ethical, inclusive, and impactful design practices. Previously, she was Assistant Vice President of Strategic Assessment, Planning & Design at New York University.
Ishita is a Director at Marvel focused on Urban Designer and Planner, working on projects that have a direct impact on our communities. Her work constitutes vision plans, master plans, and conceptual design and planning studies for a variety of projects, through an inclusive and transparent community/stakeholder engagement process. Her projects include the AIA national award-winner Snug Harbor Master Plan, Union Square Vision Plan, Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan, Hudson River Park Esplanade, community engagement efforts for 107th St Pier and Bobby Wagner Walk, among others. Ishita is an active participant in New York City’s civic-design community and strives to advance equity in our built environment. She is on the Jr. Board of Social Capital Initiatives, an Emerging Leader with BWAF, was selected for UDF’s Forefront Fellowship, participated in Local Center’s Advisory Committee, named 40 Under 40 by Building Design + Construction Magazine, and was featured in the book Greatness: Diverse Designers of Architecture. Ishita holds a B. Arch from Carnegie Mellon University, and MS in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University and continues to participate as a guest critic at Columbia, Pratt Institute and NYU.
Iva Kravitz, Associate AIA, owns The Iva Agency, a values-based communications and public relations group that is tightly focused on architecture and design, especially firms committed to social and environmental responsibility. As a business strategist, writer, marketing expert and communications professional, Iva has helped many firms better define their goals, strategies, messaging and visibility. A graduate of the University of Vermont - including a year at Universite de Nice, France – Iva has studied at Harvard University, NYU and Baruch College, where she earned a Certificate in Organizational Development. Her clients include COOKFOX Architects in New York, Valerio Dewalt Train in Chicago and others.
Jade Lewin is currently a Senior Director of Artist Services at The Orchard. She builds and executes creative marketing campaigns with the goal of growing independent artists’ fan bases and impact globally. Artists on her roster include Caroline Polachek, Paris Texas, Charlotte Day Wilson, Dylan Sinclair, Naira Marley, and Isabella Lovestory - Jade leads on everything from creative ideation to project management to audience development through online and in person activations. Prior to The Orchard, Jade worked at Meta on their Artist Partnerships team as a Strategic Partner Manager, helping established and emerging artists bring their creative visions to life through tools such as Stories, Reels, Messenger, Oculus, and more. Some key highlights were leading partnerships with A3C Hip Hop Conference, Coachella, 88 Rising, and Camp Flog Gnaw, while some of her favorite artists she collaborated with were Meg Thee Stallion, Kid Cudi, Chloe and Halle, Mereba, and Tinashe. Jade also created and led an internal workstream launched in June 2020 with the goal to better support underserved Black partners across the entertainment sector.
Sidpasamde Tiendrebeogo Nycoba, NOMA, Assoc. AIA is an advocate for community cohesion and service. She strives to be a bridge for tighter and stronger bonds, believing deeply in the transformative power of mentorship to create community. With a profound commitment to purposeful work, she infuses every project and endeavor with soul. Currently a junior designer pursuing a Master in Architecture and Urban Design, Sidpasamde holds ambitious goals of developing her home country of Burkina Faso. Beyond her architectural pursuits, she serves as the NOMAS Outreach Committee Chair for Nycoba|NOMA, nurturing her deep-seated passion for fostering community, unity, and cultural awareness. Through initiatives such as Touch Some Grass, Black Men in Architecture, and 21 Questions/7 Women In Architecture, she actively champions diversity and mentorship in the field. As she navigates her professional journey, Sidpasamde ensures the integrity of her work remains steadfastly focused on partnership and community development, poised to make a meaningful impact.
Driven by the belief that good design can and should inspire, Vivian Lee, FAIA, LEED AP encourages the team to balance creative vision with aesthetically practical solutions to deliver value to the client and end user. As a Design Director, she champions sustainability and human-centric spaces across commercial, residential, educational, and cultural sectors. With extensive experience leading award-winning projects of all types and scales, Vivian brings over 30 years of passion for the design industry to Gensler. She is the Past Co-Chair of the AIA New York Women in Architecture Committee, through which she develops programs and events to promote design and help advance women to leadership roles. Beyond her contribution to the AIANY Board of Directors, Vivian is a frequent design critic at universities in New York and a panelist at industry events, speaking on her work, the current climate, and what is to come. She has served in Design Award Juries for various AIA chapters, and in 2021-2022, she participated as a juror for the AIA National Latrobe Prize, a grant awarded for research in significant advances to the architecture profession. From her early life in Taiwan and Paraguay to her professional practice in the U.S., China,and Italy, Vivian’s experiences are a boundless collection of cultures, histories, and consciousness. Her exemplary design portfolio elevated her to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
7 Lispenard St, 7 Lispenard Street, New York, United States
USD 79.00 to USD 275.00
