The basics:

• At CIANJ event, Amy Towers calls for women’s leadership shift from “access to agency”
• Emphasized mentorship, supporting other women’s advancement
• Keynote delivered at CIANJ Women’s History Month event in Belleville
• Women-founded firms received about 1% of venture capital in 2024

Amy Towers delivered a keynote at the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey‘s Women’s History Month event in Belleville March 31. The chair of the Rutgers University Board of Governors — and a 2025 NJBIZ Leading Woman in Business — focused on her career journey, the evolution of women in the workplace and the role women must play in supporting each other’s advancement.

Her remarks centered on a key theme: moving from “access to agency.” Towers argued that while progress has been made, true leadership advancement requires greater control over capital, networks and opportunity.

Reflecting on her personal career journey in finance and international development, Towers noted both the advances, as well as the challenges that remain.

“Did I have every opportunity my male colleagues had? Yes, of course I did. Did I often have to work harder to prove I deserved them? Yes, I did,” she said. “But, delivering successful outcomes for the institutions I worked for could not be ignored.”

Finding the leverage points

Towers pointed to education and workforce gains as major drivers of change.

She said women now represent a significant share of college graduates, business owners and the overall labor force — progress she summed up simply. “’We’ve come a long way, baby’ as they say,” Towers said. “But we’re nowhere near where we can be. We’re driving significant momentum, and we cannot lose focus, enthusiasm or passionate perseverance.”

At the same time, she emphasized that access alone is no longer enough.

“Where once we were pushing for access, I would suggest to you, we must now drive for agency,” she stressed. “We are poised with education, ideas and innovation and demonstrated leadership success. Now, we must have access to the capital, the networks and the markets to drive our businesses to the next level.”

She highlighted a persistent funding gap as a major barrier. Towers noted that women-founded businesses received about 1% of total venture capital in 2024; meanwhile, gender-diverse founding teams captured roughly 23%. She said these disparities must be addressed to sustain economic growth and innovation.

We are poised with education, ideas and innovation and demonstrated leadership success. Now, we must have access to the capital, the networks and the markets to drive our businesses to the next level.
— Amy Towers

“These numbers are sobering, but they are also a roadmap,” Towers explained. “The gap tells us exactly where the leverage points are, and this is where our opportunities and responsibilities lie. One opportunity lies in using the data available to more effectively demonstrate our success.”

Don’t dream it, be it

She also emphasized the importance of mentorship and collective responsibility in accelerating progress. Towers urged women to actively support and advocate for one another.

“This is the responsibility part … My personal mantra has always been, ‘Be the mentor you wish you had.’ And there’s the commonly used phrase, ‘If you see it, you can be it.’ Let’s make sure our colleagues, our students, our daughters see the future in us,” she said. “And this applies to everyone, entry level, mid-level managers and CEOs.”

Towers reinforced the importance of collaboration over competition. She called on women to continue building networks, sharing resources and lifting each other up to create broader, lasting change.

“We have the education, we have and can share our experiences and skills; we can get the capital and we have each other. Let’s not compete with each other, let’s work together to build a stronger New Jersey, a stronger country, a more just world.”

‘Limitless opportunities’ ahead

She closed her remarks by returning to the shared responsibility of advancing opportunity and ensuring women at every level are supported, mentored and actively lifted into leadership roles.

“We’re all here this morning because we are motivated, driven women, in whatever we do. Our landscape of experience and opportunity has expanded dramatically over the years, through commitment and persistence, our knocked-down-and-get up attitude, our innovation. Because let’s be clear, we often see the world through a different lens and see some solutions more clearly, and importantly, we have an unrelenting drive to create the world we believe is possible.

“We have limitless opportunities if we collectively harness our strengths. And we have serious responsibilities to each other to build a future the world desperately needs.”

Earlier in her remarks, Towers pointed to former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi as a model of leadership and balance. “If you want inspiration, find any interview with Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo.,” she told the audience. “She describes it better than I could, with inspiration and humor.”

Towers concluded by returning to Nooyi’s broader leadership ethos, quoting: “Greatness comes not from a position, but from helping build the future. We have an obligation to pull others up.”

Following her keynote, Towers joined CIANJ President Tony Russo for a fireside-style discussion and audience Q&A, continuing the conversation on leadership, access and agency.