About Jennifer Valoppi

The inspiration and design for Women of Tomorrow is based on Jennifer Valoppi’s college years studying Psychology of Women. Jennifer says, “The research was clear the real problem with true equality for women is not so much that men think that women are inferior, but that women agreed. And the women who do make it to the top like being the only ones there and don’t do anything to help other women along.” Studies show that research still holds true today. Jennifer wanted to change that. So, in 1997, while she was the main news anchor at WTVJ NBC 6 in Miami, Jennifer designed a unique program for highly accomplished professional women to reach out to at-risk girls. With the support of then NBC 6 President & General Manager Don Browne, a longtime supporter of women and minorities in the workplace and of mentoring as a tool for empowering people, Women of Tomorrow was created.

Women of Tomorrow is about women helping women, and its program model is unique and effective. Highly accomplished professional women meet with small groups of at-risk girls in public high schools once a month to discuss ways to overcome obstacles and to provide skills for success. In its first year of operation, Women of Tomorrow commissioned an independent psychologist to conduct pre and post self-esteem tests of the girls participating, and a statistically significant increase in the self-esteem of the Women of Tomorrow Mentees was found. Jennifer hand selected the inaugural 23 Founding Women of Tomorrow Mentors, who went out to six public high schools in 1997. Since then, Mentors come to Women of Tomorrow through referral from an existing Mentor. Today the program works in 178 public high schools, serving 3,880 young women each year.

In 2000, Women of Tomorrow established its Scholarship Program at the request of its Mentees, who were excited to pursue the goals they had developed with the help of their Mentors. One of Women of Tomorrow’s Founding Mentors, Mariita Srebnick, threw a New Year’s Eve party and raised $50,000 to help establish the George Feldenkreis & Mariita Srebnick Scholarship Endowment at Miami Dade College. Mentees have gone on to hundreds of colleges, including Harvard, George Washington University, Howard University, Columbia University, University of Miami, St. Thomas University, Miami Dade College, and Broward College. More than 3,400 students have received scholarships, and over half are the first in their families to go to college. In 2011, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Women of Tomorrow expanded to Metro Detroit, where it celebrates 15 years in 2026, and then to Philadelphia. Jennifer chose both cities because young women there needed it most.