Women’s Leadership Forum with Alumnae Speakers Taniqua Chaplin-Huguley, Tiana Starks and Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario

Rajsi Rana ’26

News Editor

On Nov. 12, 2024, the Women & Gender Resource Action Center (WGRAC), the Career and Life Design Center, the Women’s Leadership Council and Alumni Relations hosted a women’s leadership forum for Trinity’s senior class. Featured alumni that came to speak were Taniqua Chaplin-Huguley ’15 M ’17, Tiana Starks ’21 and Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario ’00. They discussed their experiences while at Trinity that shaped their post-graduation journeys, their leadership experiences and the impact that becoming involved in Hartford and the Trinity community had on their later careers, with around 30 audience members in attendance.

Huguley, who was a Sociology major and Legal Studies minor for her undergraduate education and went on to earn a masters degree in Public Policy, is the Director of Economic Mobility at United Way of Central and Northeastern CT where she creates programs and resources for individuals and families in the Hartford community to become economically secure. She is also the founder and CEO of Black Girls Achieve, an empowerment program for middle and high school girls. Starks, who studied Sociology at Trinity, is now a Senior Community Impact Associate at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving whose goal is to, “dismantle structural racism and advance equity in social and economic mobility in Greater Hartford’s Black and Latine communities,” according to their website. Starks was previously a Community Liaison for the City of Hartford. Nazario, who earned her degree in Sociology as well, is a Chief Executive Officer for COMPASS Youth Collaborative and a City of Hartford Human Relations Commissioner. 

The event was introduced by Laura Lockwood, the Director of WGRAC, and was moderated by Lisel Moynihan, the Senior Assistant Director of Trinity’s Career and Life Design Center. The first question they discussed was about their leadership journeys since graduating from Trinity. Within this question, they also mentioned the mentors they looked up to at Trinity. Huguley mentioned former Sociology professor at Trinity, Johnny Williams, as someone who initially made her more interested in sociology as a major and had an impact on her academic journey at Trinity. Starks mentioned a conversation had with Joseph Catrino who changed her perspective on leadership. “I can see myself being so much greater [than I am]… we never stop learning,” said Starks.

The second question that Moynihan asked the panel was how their experiences at Trinity informed their journeys. “To whom much is given, much is expected,” reflected Nazario as she spoke on the opportunities she had gotten while at Trinity, and how they helped her find her place as a leader. Starks brought up the importance of being genuine in leadership. “When I wasn’t being myself, I wasn’t being a good leader,” she said, emphasizing that each individual’s background and experiences shapes their leadership style. The third question was about the impact and roles that mentors have had in their journeys. They all brought up shaping figures they had while at Trinity. “People would speak life into me,” said Starks.

The event ended with a question and answer portion, where one Trinity student brought up the identity of being a woman of color, and what that means when being a leader. All three alumni recalled experiences they’ve had as women of color in the workplace. “There are so many things that come with being a person of color. Own it,” said Nazario. Huguley emphasized the importance of supporting other POC. Overall, the event discussed all three of their leadership journeys, from Trinity and beyond graduation and their roles today.