Inspiring Conversations with Asya Watkins of Women Of Project Management®

Today we’d like to introduce you to Asya Watkins.

Hi Asya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story has never been a straight line. I am originally from Chicago, where I began my career in pharmacy operations at Walgreens. I worked my way from pharmacy technician and operations manager into Walgreens’ corporate project management office, where I discovered the career that would ultimately change my life.

Over the next 20 years, I led complex projects across healthcare, pharmacy, and operations. As my career grew, I realized there were not enough spaces offering honest, empowering, and culturally relevant guidance for Black women navigating project management.

In 2015, I founded Women Of Project Management® in Atlanta to become the community I wished I had throughout my own career. What began as a vision has grown into a global membership community offering professional development, education, connection, and our annual Women Of Project Management Conference.

Atlanta gave this vision room to grow, and we hosted our inaugural conference here in 2022. Now, the journey is coming full circle as we bring the 2027 conference to Chicago, my hometown and the city where my project management career began.

To carry something born and nurtured in Atlanta back home to Chicago feels deeply personal. It truly feels like a winning season.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, the road has not been smooth. I walked away from corporate project management to build something for us, and because Women Of Project Management® is self-funded, I have carried both the vision and the weight of making it sustainable.

We have navigated DEI rollbacks, frozen corporate budgets, and layoffs affecting the very women we exist to serve. There have been seasons when the need was greater than the resources, but stopping was never an option.

What kept me going was seeing Black women find community, confidence, opportunity, and a room where they no longer had to explain themselves. Every sold-out conference has confirmed that this work is necessary. Now, bringing the conference from Atlanta to Chicago reminds me that struggle does not cancel purpose.

The road has not been easy, but it has been worth it.

We’ve been impressed with Women Of Project Management®, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Women Of Project Management® is a global membership and professional development community created to center, support, and advance Black women in project management.

I founded the organization in 2015 because I understood what it felt like to be successful in the room while still searching for community, representation, and honest guidance from women who understood the journey.

Through membership, education, resources, live experiences, and our annual conference, we help women strengthen their skills, expand their networks, and lead with greater confidence. What sets us apart is that Black women never have to separate their identity from their ambition. We create rooms where they can be fully seen, deeply supported, and powerfully prepared for what is next.

I am especially proud of the Women Of Project Management Conference. What began in Atlanta in 2022 has become an intimate, transformational experience centered on excellence and connection. In 2027, we are bringing the conference to Chicago, my hometown and the city where my project management career began.

Our theme is “Winning Season,” and we are gathering 100 Black women for a powerful experience designed to turn years of preparation into momentum, visibility, and meaningful wins. This is bigger than a conference. It is a reminder that we deserve rooms built with us in mind.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
If there is one thing I want readers to know, it is that the right community can change the trajectory of your life and career.

Black women in project management have spent years building, leading, solving, and delivering at the highest levels, often without being fully seen. Women Of Project Management® exists to change that.

In 2027, we are bringing 100 Black women together in Chicago for our “Winning Season” conference. If you have been searching for a room where your ambition is understood, your expertise is honored, and your next chapter is supported, this is that room.

Registration is now open at WomenOfPM.com. I cannot wait to welcome you into the room.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://womenofpm.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/womenofpm
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/asyawatkins
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@womenofprojectmanagement6416