Meet our Founder
Dr. Cameka Smith is a speaker, investor, and award-winning entrepreneur, best known as the Founder of The BOSS Network, a thriving community that empowers professional and entrepreneurial women through networking, resources, and mentorship. Committed to “Bringing Out Successful Sisters”, BOSS® fosters small business growth and career development for women of color.
Under her leadership, The BOSS Network has earned recognition as a Top 50 Website for Entrepreneurs (Inc. Magazine) and 10 Best Career Sites for Women (Forbes.com). She has been named a 40 Under 40 Entrepreneur (Ebony Magazine) and a Chicago Game Changer (Ariel Investments), and received Adweek’s Brand Star Award.
With a PhD in Organizational Leadership, Cameka spent over a decade developing academic programs before founding The BOSS Network in 2009 after job displacement. She has since built it into a premier platform for Black women entrepreneurs, offering networking, marketing, and business growth opportunities. In 2022, she launched the BOSS Impact Fund, investing in 100 diverse women-owned businesses.
An advocate for leadership and career development, Cameka authored 7 Steps to Grow Your Professional Network and founded BOSS On Campus, a nonprofit initiative supporting young women. In 2023, she co-authored Voices of Strength: Pathways to Success for Black Women Founders, highlighting systemic barriers and solutions for Black women entrepreneurs.
Dr. Smith’s unwavering commitment to empowering Black entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth earned her a Community Leadership Award from JPMorgan Chase. In recognition of her lifelong dedication to uplifting women and communities, she was honored with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding service. This prestigious award, personally signed by President Joe Biden, celebrating her impact as a leader and changemaker in the entrepreneurial and professional landscape.
