Get Ready for the 2025 Latina Business Excellence Summit This Summer
The 2024 Latina Business Excellence Summit. Photo by Tatiana Peña / JEFAS Magazine
The 2024 Latina Business Excellence Summit was a great success
We are excited to share the resounding success of the 2024 Latina Business Excellence Summit, held in May 2024 in Des Moines, IA. Over 250 Latina entrepreneurs from Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska gathered for the first-ever event of its kind, marking a significant milestone in our community.
“The goal was to empower and inspire women. As business owners, we often feel isolated, and this summit was a chance to bring us together to share resources, show support, and celebrate our achievements,” says Erika Macias, one of the event’s founders.
Our objectives were not only met but exceeded. The summit sold out, prompting us to expand the venue, add more seating, increase catering orders, and re-open ticket sales. Remarkably, it sold out again, highlighting the tremendous demand for a space dedicated to Latina entrepreneurs.
“The overwhelming support we received confirms that Latinas are a formidable force in our community,” says Christina Fernández-Morrow, editor-in-chief of JEFAS Magazine. “This event was more than just a conference; it was the beginning of a movement.”
As we continue to build this dynamic community of Latina entrepreneurs in the Midwest, we invite you and your company to partner with us in fostering this growing movement. Your support can play a vital role in empowering and connecting Latina business leaders who are shaping the future.
We look forward to the opportunity to discuss how we can collaborate to make an even greater impact in the years to come.
Event Date: August 9, 2025
Location: Drake University, Des Moines, IA.
Projected attendance: 500+
Tickets will go on sale April 16
The Theme for the Latina Business Excellence Summit
“Health: Intersecting Financial, Physical, and Mental Well-being.”
At this year’s Latina Business Excellence Summit, we’re diving into a theme that hits at the very core of what it means to thrive—not just survive—as a Latina in business: Health in all its dimensions.
Latina entrepreneurs and professionals are building opportunities, breaking barriers, and creating generational change. But behind every success story is a woman balancing more than just a business—she’s managing her finances, her family, her body, and her mind. This year’s theme— Health: Intersecting Financial, Physical, and Mental Well-being —recognizes that these areas are deeply connected, and that true excellence comes from wholeness.
Financial health is more than numbers; it’s about empowerment, stability, and legacy. Physical health is the foundation that gives us energy, resilience, and presence. And mental health? It’s the silent driver behind our creativity, leadership, and peace. When one area is out of balance, it affects the others. When all three are aligned, we are Unstoppable.
This summit will offer conversations, workshops, and resources that acknowledge and center these truths. Because Latina businesswomen deserve spaces that
reflect their realities, lift their voices, and support them holistically.
Join us as we re-define what it means to be successful JEFAS in business and in life.
Latina Business Excellence Summit 2024. Photo by Tatiana Peña / JEFAS Magazine
Purpose:
Our purpose is to empower Latina business owners by increasing their access to opportunities, representation, and resources so they can realize their full potential and inspire other Latinas to do the same.
The inaugural Latina Business Excellence Summit had attendees from Latina business owners from cities all over Iowa including Davenport, Iowa City, Coralville, Des Moines and more.
For 2025 we have expanded our reach and partnered up with organizations from cities all over the Midwest to bring their member and clients to the 2025 LBES:
Illinois: Quad Cities, Sterling/Rockfalls, Berwyn, Chicago
Nebraska: Omaha, Lincoln, Fremont, Lyons
Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul
Iowa: Cedar Rapids, Marshalltown, Ames, Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Sioux City
For sponsorship opportunities: Please contact Erika Macias at HolaIowa2014@gmail.com
