.Staten IslandHER brought together a small group of women for its first Leadership Dinner on Oct. 20, launching a new roundtable format focused on practical leadership conversation and direct access to experienced women in their fields. Held at Max’s Es-Ca on Richmond Road, the dinner featured Diane DiResta, an international speaker and coach, communications consultant, author of Knockout Presentations, and creator of the LinkedIn Learning course Speaking Confidently and Effectively.
The evening grew out of feedback Staten IslandHER had gathered from women across the borough. Confidence and communication were among the topics women said they wanted to explore, leading organizers to make that the focus of the first dinner. “When women told us they wanted more around confidence, I didn’t want to turn that into another workshop telling women to command the room,” said founder Marilyn Zayfert. “I wanted to create a table where they could talk about what actually happens when someone challenges your point, talks over you, questions your expertise, or you leave a conversation wishing you had said something differently.” The dinner was intentionally limited to 10 women, with participants representing healthcare, real estate, financial services, education, fitness, nonprofit and community leadership, entrepreneurship, and other professional fields.
Before the event, participants were asked to submit a short bio along with a question or communication challenge they were facing in their own work. Those questions helped shape the roundtable discussion. Topics ranged from building credibility in a new field and explaining complex work clearly to handling interruptions, pricing services, dealing with clients who resist professional advice, and speaking with authority while remaining approachable.
Rather than giving a traditional presentation, DiResta opened the evening with brief remarks before the conversation moved around the table. “The smaller setting changed the conversation,” Zayfert said. “One woman would raise something she was dealing with, and someone else at the table would recognize part of her own experience in it. That’s where the value was.” For attendee Gosia Lewandowska, who moved to Staten Island last year, the dinner also offered an opportunity to make new connections. “What a wonderful evening, and delicious too, as it was my first time at Max’s Es-Ca,” Lewandowska said. “I’m still new to Staten Island, and this was a great way to connect and meet strong, welcoming women on the Island. I’m so glad I saw the post and attended.”
Post-event surveys showed strong support for the new format. Eight participants completed the survey. Across 79 clear Likert-scale responses, every rating was either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree,” with an overall average of 4.84 out of 5. Seven of eight respondents strongly agreed that the dinner was worth the $80 ticket price. The same number strongly agreed that they would attend another Staten IslandHER Leadership Dinner and would recommend the experience to another woman. The remaining respondent in each case selected “Agree.” The open-ended responses also pointed to the interaction around the table as a major part of the evening’s value. Participants cited “shared experiences,” “group conversation,” “meeting new people,” “open talk,” and the opportunity to connect with “like-minded women.” Several participants said they would change nothing about the evening, while suggestions for future dinners included a light icebreaker and identifying several related discussion topics in advance.
Future topic suggestions included women’s health and self-care, grant writing, beginner website and computer skills, and business and financial markets. “The feedback confirmed something we felt in the room,” Zayfert said. “Diane’s expertise mattered, but so did the women sitting around the table. The conversation between them was part of the program.” The Leadership Dinner builds on Staten IslandHER’s broader effort to create spaces where women can develop through practical learning, shared experience, and peer connection.
Earlier this year, Staten IslandHER held its first in-person leadership meetup in Port Richmond, bringing together members of its Leadership Core and women interested in the initiative. Organizers have continued developing new formats based on feedback from women in the community. The Leadership Dinner is designed to serve a different role from Staten IslandHER’s Talks and Labs programs. Rather than focusing on teaching a specific skill, the dinner creates a smaller setting where women can bring real situations into conversation with a featured leader. “Not every leadership question needs a class,” Zayfert said. “Sometimes you need the right person at the table, a good question, and enough room for people to talk honestly.” Organizers say the survey results will now help shape the next Leadership Dinner, including the featured topic, speaker, table size, and pricing.
Staten IslandHER describes itself as a peer-to-peer leadership incubator for women who are already leading, building, or stepping into new roles. Its programming is centered on practical leadership development, connection, and shared experience. ###