Ignite’s Founding Cohort Graduates as Capstone Fellows Pitch Their Work to a Funding Panel

Sixteen WBC directors complete AWBC’s first leadership program for the people who run the network, and seven Capstone Fellows close it out with a live virtual showcase.

The first cohort of Ignite, the flagship program of AWBC’s Ascend Institute, has officially graduated. Sixteen Women’s Business Center directors and leaders from across the country spent eight weeks working through the challenges that come with running a WBC, from how they fund their centers to how they serve the entrepreneurs who walk through their doors.

On October 15, 2026, seven of those leaders took the work one step further. As Ignite’s first Capstone Fellows, they presented their Leadership Innovation Initiatives to a mock funding panel during a virtual showcase, pitching the ideas they built during the program the same way they would pitch a real funder.

Why Ignite Exists

WBC directors are expected to be fundraisers, program designers, team managers, grant administrators and community advocates, often all in the same week. Yet almost no leadership development has ever been built specifically for them. Ignite was created to close that gap.

Launched on July 21, 2026, Ignite is the first pillar of the Ascend Institute, AWBC’s new suite of leadership development programs for the professionals who lead Women’s Business Centers. It starts with directors and senior leaders because they set the direction for everything their centers do.

Over eight weeks, the cohort met in weekly sessions and peer pods focused on the strategy, decision-making and pressure-tested skills their role demands.

The founding Ignite cohort:

• Bonnie Barker, Women’s Business Center of Central Appalachia
• Carrie Jean Shephard, Alaska Women’s Business Center
• Devanny King, Women’s Business Center of Kentucky
• Humberto Hijar, WESST Las Cruces
• Indira Jeffrey, Mujeres Latinas Unidas Foundation WBC
• Iris Cohello, WEDC Westchester Women’s Business Center
• Javier Rios, WESST
• Jessica Vidican-Neisius, Washington Women’s Business Center
• Judith Perez, WESST Hobbs
• Kate Bourland, Women’s Business Center at JEDI
• Kimberly Newman, Capitol Region Women’s Business Center
• Klassi Duncan, Urban League of Louisiana – Women’s Business Resource Center
• Lindsey Kay, WESST
• Luz Sellers, The Women’s Business Center at True Access Capital
• Sherry Cummins, Great Lakes Women’s Business Council WBC
• Valentina Reyes, Mendocino Women’s Business Center

What Changed: WBC Leaders Thinking Differently

The clearest outcome of Ignite is a shift in how these leaders approach their work. WBC staff came in carrying the day-to-day weight of their centers and left with practical frameworks they were already applying before the program ended.

Fundraising as strategy, not survival. Rather than chasing the next grant deadline, participants learned to frame their centers’ work around the opportunities they see in their communities and to make a stronger, clearer case to funders.

Serving clients with intention. Directors stepped back to look at who their centers serve, where the gaps are, and how to design programs around what entrepreneurs actually need.

Leading, not just managing. With a peer group of fellow directors, participants had space to work through decisions, test ideas and borrow what works from other centers. Many described leaving with a network they will keep leaning on.

“Ignite was a valuable experience that brought together WBC leaders with different perspectives and experiences. The opportunity to exchange ideas, build connections, and learn from one another was a highlight of the program.” – 2026 Graduate

The Capstone Fellowship and Showcase

Seven members of the cohort continued into the Ignite Capstone Fellowship, an extended track where each fellow designed a Leadership Innovation Initiative for their own center. Each initiative drew on what fellows learned in the cohort sessions, along with insights and feedback from peers, mentors and coaches.

Meet the Ignite Capstone Fellows:

• Kate Bourland, Women’s Business Center at JEDI
• Klassi Duncan, Urban League of Louisiana – Women’s Business Resource Center
• Humberto Hijar, WESST Las Cruces
• Indira Jeffrey, Mujeres Latinas Unidas Foundation WBC
• Kimberly Newman, Capitol Region Women’s Business Center
• Carrie Jean Shephard, Alaska Women’s Business Center
• Jessica Vidican-Neisius, Washington Women’s Business Center

On October 15, 2026, the fellows presented their initiatives during the virtual Capstone Fellowship Showcase. A mock funding panel scored each presentation using a rubric based on the WBC Opportunity Discovery Canvas and gave fellows specific feedback on both the initiative and the pitch. 

The showcase was designed to do two things: put the fellows’ work in front of the network, and give them real practice pitching to funders before they take these ideas to the people who can fund them.

“Today was a glimpse of where the Women’s Business Center network is headed. These leaders are building new sources of revenue, new partnerships and new programs that will serve entrepreneurs for years to come.” — Panelist, Dr. Arlene Siller, Founder & CEO, Ascend Nonprofit & Business Solutions

Congratulations to all 16 Ignite graduates and to our seven Capstone Fellows. Ignite is just the first program of the Ascend Institute, and AWBC looks forward to building on what this founding cohort started as we welcome the 2027 cohort and continue growing Ascend.