Haitian American Author Cindy Similien-Johnson was nominated and invited to attend the United State of Women Summit in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Convened by the White House, the Summit marks the progress made by and for women and girls domestically and internationally over the course of the Administration and to discuss solutions to the challenges they still face. The event will feature remarks by the President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, a conversation with the First Lady Michelle Obama, and much more.

The Summit will rally thought leaders, activists, community leaders, and citizens together to celebrate their achievements and create an action plan for the future. Focuses include economic empowerment, health and wellness, educational opportunity, violence against women, entrepreneurship and innovation, and leadership and civic engagement.

Three years ago in 2013, Cindy Similien-Johnson founded Goal Chic, an initiative dedicated to inspire, encourage, and empower women and girls through workshops, conferences, and mentorship program to equip them with the tools they need to be successful in their finances, careers & purpose, relationships, and health & wellness. Goal Chic first began as a blog where Cindy used it as a platform to showcase women who overcame obstacles to achieve success.

In 2015, she decided to take it a step further when she learned of an incident where a teenage girl was brutally beaten at a local restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. The young woman was hospitalized. When Cindy saw the pictures of the girls who were charged with the attack, she was in complete disbelief.

“The girls could have been anyone’s sister. I could have passed them by on the streets,” she said. Cindy remembered the words of a local community leader/activist, who had challenged the community to be a part of the solution instead of the problem (i.e. castigation, shame, etc.). “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem,” he said.

Cindy continued, “I thought to myself, ‘What can I do? I’m only a writer.’ Then, I decided to revive the Goal Chic blog, re-write and re-launch the book, ‘Goal Chic: Changing the World, One Goal at a Time,’ and create a program that will touch the lives of women and young girls in my community in Brooklyn.” Thus, Goal Chic was re-birthed with a renewed purpose. Cindy recently launched the 1^st Annual Goal Chic Empowerment Conference in May in Brooklyn, NY.

Cindy said, “I am eager to meet other women who are change agents in their communities. I want to bring the knowledge I’ve acquired back to Brooklyn and continue to be a positive influence in my community.”