Women Who Inspire
Thursday, October 22 | 5:30 PM | San Jose Woman’s Club

About Women Who Inspire

Co-Chairs Gauri Pendse and Pragati Gupta invite you to Women Who Inspire, an evening celebrating leadership, community, and the people who choose to make a difference.

Bringing together Silicon Valley leaders, philanthropists, advocates, and friends of Dress for Success, the evening is designed to feel equal parts inspiring and celebratory.

The evening will begin with a cocktail reception and curated shopping experience, followed by dinner and honoree recognition, with Rasheryl McCreary serving as host, remarks from Trailblazer Award honoree Kerri Walsh Jennings, and Sonia Arteaga sharing her story as our Client Ambassador. Live fundraising will support Dress for Success San Jose’s work across the South Bay.

At its heart, Women Who Inspire is about hope in action. It is a chance to connect with people who care deeply about our region, celebrate those who are opening doors for others, and support Dress for Success San Jose as we help women build careers, increase their earning potential, and move toward greater economic stability.

Spark change. Open doors. Build community.

Women Who Inspire - 2026 Honorees

Together, these awards celebrate the many ways people help women thrive:

Trailblazer Award

5x US Olympian, 3x Gold Medalist | Founding Owner & Chief Impact Officer, MLV NorCal | Founder, p1440 Foundation

Kerri Walsh Jennings

Trailblazers shape what’s possible. Kerri Walsh Jennings is bringing her championship legacy home, helping build a professional volleyball franchise from the ground up in Northern California.

Philanthropy & Leadership

Helen Owen

Philanthropic Leaders invest in opportunity. Helen Owen has spent decades raising millions for causes across the region, and now she's focused on mentoring the next generation of women to carry that legacy forward.

Philanthropist

Ally Award

Nicholas E. Adams

Allies open doors. Nicholas E. Adams didn't just talk about opening doors for women in leadership, he handed NINICO's future to its first-ever female president.

Executive Chairman, NINICO

Builder Award

Voahangy Rasetarinera

Founder & CEO, The Giving Pies

Builders grow opportunity. Voahangy Rasetarinera built The Giving Pies from a passion for baking into a business serving individuals, nonprofit organizations, and major companies including Apple, Google, and Meta, all while keeping community and giving back at its core.

Spark Award

Sonia Arteaga

Client Success Ambassador, Sonia Arteaga, LLC

Spark recipients demonstrate the life-changing impact of opportunity. Sonia Arteaga, our Client Ambassador, went from navigating motherhood and a career transition through Dress for Success to launching her own marketing business, and landing her first multi-million dollar client just weeks after graduation.

About the Evening

Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception with open bar, dinner, and honoree recognition, alongside a Client Ambassador story that will move you, a live auction that will thrill you, and a special pop-up boutique featuring gently used designer handbags, accessories, and curated clothing. Feel good knowing every purchase or donation you make goes to directly supporting the women we serve.

Honoring Those Who Make a Difference

We're proud to celebrate a select group of honorees, recognized for the ways they spark change, open doors, and build community across San Jose and the Bay Area.

More information coming soon.

Why It Matters

Silicon Valley generates extraordinary wealth, and extraordinary inequality. 23% of renters spend more than half their income on housing. One in five residents lives in poverty when adjusted for cost of living. Women face additional barriers at every stage: accessing networks, building careers, achieving financial stability.

Since 2006, Dress for Success San Francisco/San Jose has helped more than 19,000 women across the Bay Area pursue employment and economic mobility. In 2025, we served 1,345 women, the most in our history. Within one year of completing our cohort programs, participants saw an average income increase of 191%.

This event funds that work.

Become a Sponsor

Sponsoring Women Who Inspire means standing behind the women building their next chapter across the Bay Area. Your support helps make this celebration possible while connecting your brand to a night of inspiration, community, and impact.

Interested in sponsoring? Opportunities begin at $5,000. Visit our Sponsorship page for more information, or contact Marlena Cannon at marlena@sfdress.org.

Meet your Host and Keynote Speaker for Women Who Inspire:

Executive Leadership Coach and Entrepreneur, Rasheryl McCreary

“I am thrilled to host Women Who Inspire this October. Every woman, regardless of where she is in her journey, needs to hear this: you are not powerless. The power to transform your life lives within you. Dress for Success has helped women write their next chapter for decades, and I am proud to stand with that mission.” -

Rasheryl, McCleary, PCC., CEO of Tao Leadership Development, Inc.

About Rasheryl McCreary, PCC

Rasheryl McCreary, PCC, CEO of Tao Leadership Development, Inc., ignites women to stop playing small. As a Georgetown-certified Executive Leadership Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Entrepreneur, she has spent two decades helping high-achieving women level up their presence, power, income, and impact — and step boldly into the next chapter of their lives.

She is the founder of A Woman's Voice™, a movement and media platform amplifying women who are done shrinking and ready to rise. Her work has taken her inside some of the world's most recognized organizations including American Express, PayPal, Procter & Gamble, HBO, Cisco, Capital One, and Harvard Business School where she has coached and trained thousands of leaders.

Throughout her career, from professional theater actress to nonprofit founder to executive coach and entrepreneur, Rasheryl's calling has always been the same: she helps people shake free of old ways of being, level up, and step out into the next expression of their career and lives.

She brings rare leadership presence, fresh eyes, and an intuitive precision that helps her clients see themselves and their possibilities more clearly than ever before.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Platinum Sponsor

Tasting House

Gold Sponsors

Asha & Manish Chandra

AvalonBay Communities

King & Spalding

Silver Sponsors

Alicia Koht-Phipps and Roxanne Varteressian Joe

Gauri Pendse

Pragati Gupta

Westfield Valley Fair

Media Partners

Outfront Media

Modern Luxury Silicon Valley Magazine

Individual Sponsors

Kathy Curtis

Event Producer

Nicole Villa Krassner