Legacy Forward

It Was Never Just a Number.

It was a commitment to something bigger.

Ready to follow through? Enter your pledged amount securely.

A cream paddle reading ‘Legacy Forward — My Commitment — For the next generation’ beside an ‘A Door I Can Open’ card, among burgundy peonies, candlelight and a black feather pen.

At Legacy Dinner, you wrote down a number. Not to win something. Not to outbid the woman beside you. But to make a commitment to what could happen next.

Because the conversations we had about legacy, opportunity, and the generation coming behind us were never meant to end when dinner did.

Now, together, we have an opportunity to turn those commitments into something meaningful.

Complete my Legacy Forward pledge

The dinner ended. The work didn’t.

The Right People in the Room Should Make Something Possible.

Legacy Dinner was built around a simple belief.

When women come together with their experience, connections, and resources, something meaningful should happen because they were there.

A guest’s hands holding an ‘A Door I Can Open’ card filled in by hand, a black pen in one hand, at a table of florals and gold.

A door opens.
An introduction is made.
An idea finds support.
A young person gets an opportunity they may not have had otherwise.

That’s what Legacy Forward is about.

Taking what we’ve built, what we’ve learned, and who we know… and intentionally moving some of that opportunity forward.

Leadership

The Women Behind What’s Next.

Three women. Different strengths. One shared commitment to the next generation.

Natalia Nicholson

Entrepreneurship & Opportunity

Founder, Top 100 Most Powerful Black Women Summit & Venture Labs Creator

With more than two decades of experience building businesses, brands, and digital platforms, Natalia has transformed ideas into thriving ventures and created opportunities for women entrepreneurs. Through Venture Labs, she brings entrepreneurial strategy, business development, and real-world expertise into the student journey — helping young people recognize opportunities, develop business skills, turn their ideas into action, and build ventures of their own.

Maria Lören

Creativity, Identity & Experience

Creative Director, Brand Strategist & Venture Labs Co-Creator

With over two decades of experience in design, creative direction, brand strategy, and experiential design, Maria has shaped brands and experiences for nationally recognized organizations. Through Venture Labs, she brings creativity, identity development, and self-expression into the student journey — helping young people discover their voice, think differently, build confidence, while turning their ideas into something meaningful.

Dr. Cheryl Pruitt

Education & Leadership

Founder, Scholar’s Compass Leadership Academy

As founder of Scholar’s Compass Leadership Academy, Dr. Cheryl Pruitt brings extensive expertise in educational leadership, curriculum development, and student advancement. Through Venture Labs, she connects academic learning with real-world entrepreneurship — shaping purposeful educational experiences that nurture emerging leaders, strengthen critical thinking, develop practical skills, and prepare young people to navigate opportunities and create meaningful futures beyond the classroom.

What we’re building

Their Ideas Deserve Somewhere to Go.

Through Venture Labs, we’re developing opportunities for young people to discover their strengths, think creatively, build practical skills, and begin turning their ideas into something real.

The program brings together entrepreneurship, leadership, creativity, communication, digital skills, and real-world learning.

And woven into that journey is Becoming — helping students strengthen the confidence, resilience, identity, and creative voice they will carry into whatever comes next.

Inside Venture Labs

Entrepreneurship & business development
Creative thinking, design & problem-solving
Leadership & communication
Digital skills, content & innovation
Confidence, identity & resilience
Mentorship & professional exposure
Real-world projects & student ventures

Creativity isn’t an extra here. It’s where the building begins.

Because knowing how to build something matters. And knowing who you are while you’re building it matters just as much.

Our first Education Partner

The Scholar’s Compass Leadership Academy

Together with SCLA, we’re working toward learning experiences that connect education with real opportunities to create, lead, and build.

As we celebrate the women leading today, we also have a responsibility to help create pathways for the generation coming behind us.

Learn more about SCLA

What we put into the world should open doors for someone coming behind us.

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From commitment to opportunity

Helping the Next Generation Begin.

Legacy Forward contributions will help support the development and delivery of Venture Labs and related student entrepreneurship opportunities.

This work may include developing educational and creative learning experiences, strengthening entrepreneurship and leadership programming, supporting student ideas, creating mentorship opportunities, and bringing the resources and professional expertise needed to make these experiences possible.

We’re beginning with the intention of helping a young entrepreneur move forward, while building a foundation that can support more students in the future.

The goal isn’t simply to encourage the next generation to dream bigger. It’s to give them meaningful opportunities to begin building.

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Let’s open another door

There’s More Than One Way to Move Legacy Forward.

Interested in supporting a young entrepreneur, exploring a partnership, or contributing to the work we’re building through Venture Labs and SCLA? We’d welcome a conversation.

Let’s talk about Legacy Forward

Schedule a conversation with Natalia Nicholson.

A moment worth remembering

An Evening That Started Something.

A little glimpse of the conversations, connections, and possibilities that brought us together.

A commitment worth keeping

You Wrote Down a Number.

Now let’s make it mean something.

At Legacy Dinner, you made a commitment to help create opportunity for the next generation. Now it’s time to turn that intention into action — and help make something meaningful possible.

Complete my pledge I’d like to contribute more

Secure checkout through Stripe. Enter your pledged amount.