The importance of women’s leadership, support and empowerment inspired Deborah Grant to start her annual Dining With Deb event on the Island.

Ms. Grant is the former president of the General Electric (GE) Foundation and is currently CEO of Corporate Playbook, a consulting firm based in New Orleans. This year’s event was held on August 13 at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and the panel discussion was about Black women in the AI revolution.

“[Hosting our event at the museum] was meaningful to us as we were looking at sites and locations to stay on brand with supporting women,” she said in an interview after the event. “Dining with Deb is by women, for women, to celebrate women.”

Panelists discuss ways to network and empower each other. — Ray Ewing

A long-time seasonal resident of the Vineyard, Ms. Grant wanted to launch an event that brings women together to gather and form connections.

“It’s women who get to see each other, who come here for restoration, who come here for inspiration, who come here for connection,” she said. “We always try to make the agenda informative, inspirational, but not too heavy.”

The first edition of Dining with Deb took place in 2018 in New Orleans, Ms. Grant’s hometown. The annual Vineyard event began in 2022. 

Ms. Grant says she finds fulfillment in bringing people together.

“We always say this is a space where we want you to stand 10 toes down on who you are, what you’ve accomplished, what you’re about,” she said. “This is not a place to be shy because the women in this room want to support each other.”

Breaking bread for a good cause. — Ray Ewing

At the event, a $5,000 check was given to The Cottagers, as Ms. Grant wanted to recognize their contribution to the local Vineyard community.

As the first Black female corporate officer of GE, Ms. Grant feels the need to continue using her platform to lift up others.

“It feels good to be first but it doesn’t feel good to be the only,” she said. “So my ambition was always: how do I bring other women along with me?”

For Ms. Grant, the practice of true diversity, equity and inclusion comes down to effective leadership.

“You cannot run anything in today’s world, be it a nonprofit, be it a major corporation, be it a school, be it a church, without focusing on inclusion, because if you are leading you have people there who are different, who bring different perspectives, who are different races, different backgrounds, all of the differences we want to talk about,” she said.