The Power of Women Who Show Up

The Power of Women Who Show Up began where CASA Essex began, by recognizing the women of the Junior League of Montclair-Newark (alongside Tovah formerly NCJW/Essex) who forty years ago looked at children moving through foster care without a consistent voice and refused to accept it.

The evening’s keynote conversation featured journalist and author Grace L. Williams, whose book Give Her Credit tells the story of the Women's Bank of Denver — the first women-owned bank in the United States. Williams traces how a group of women in the 1970s responded to a system that would not lend to them: not by petitioning it, but by building an alternative to it.

That conversation led into a panel discussion, featuring four women whose work reflects that same instinct. Kimberly Banks MacKay, corporate board director, attorney, and former CASA Essex board member, reflected on leading with integrity and creating opportunities that endure. Tia Aery, Executive Director of Family Promise of Essex County, shared how collaboration and compassion help families overcome homelessness and rebuild stable lives. Natasha S. Rivière-Lopez, founder of Rivière Mental Health Group and adjunct professor at Rutgers University, spoke about mental wellness, resilience, and investing in the next generation of healthcare leaders. Alissa Alter, author, educator, and women's wellness advocate, encouraged attendees to embrace authenticity while challenging outdated conversations around women's health.

Four different fields, four different paths — but the same underlying move: looking at a gap and deciding it was yours to close.

The evening reached its most personal moment when Courtney Anderson, a young woman who spent six years in foster care, shared her remarkable journey of resilience, healing, and hope. Speaking as both a former foster youth and the proud mother of her two-year-old son, Courtney reflected on her CASA advocate who believed in her, encouraged her, and stood beside her during life's most difficult moments. Her message that "girls like me turn into women like me" because women choose to show up for one another captured the very essence of the evening and reminded everyone in attendance that one caring relationship can change the trajectory of a life. Courtney concluded, "To everyone in this room who continues to show up—not just for me, but for so many others—thank you."