Nakisha Varlack

Women empowerment mentor, author, and speaker

Philanthropically driven, Nakisha began mentoring in Okinawa, Japan where she volunteered as a cultural exchange mentor, teaching English and American culture to Japanese students. Nakisha’s desire to serve young women and children resulted in her becoming the Founder and President of Girl Power United (GPU), a nonprofit organization dedicated to positively empowering the lives of teenage girls through education, awareness, inspiration, and mentorship.

She developed a strong knowledge of the pageant industry and received her certification as a judge for the Miss America Organization. In a society where self-esteem and empowerment are essential in personal development, she judges pageants while providing her expertise in recognizing unique talents and leadership skills in young women. Nakisha’s fervent desire to inspire and empower girls regardless of ethnicity, cultural, or economic standing continues to let her prepare young female leaders to meet society’s challenges while reinforcing positive attitudes and behaviors.

The GPU national empowerment conference provides Nakisha and the GPU team an opportunity to unite and empower young women at a larger scale by bringing together other organizations, leaders, and women from all walks of life.

Nakisha has worked as an advisory member for non-profit and professional organizations. She has appeared on the Wavy10 Kid Talk News Show where she discussed the positive benefits of mentoring children. She has also been featured in the Tidewater Women Magazine article “Heeding the Call: Mentoring our Youth”, Hampton Roads Gazeti newspaper article “Empowering Girls to Dream Big and the book “How Will You Create Positive Change” written by Leah Oviedo.

She is a multi-faceted leader whose background also crosses federal sectors where she began her career within the federal government through a student internship program when she was just 16 years old. This experience led her to pursue her career as an executive public servant within the federal government.

Nakisha graduated with a Bachelor’s from the University of Maryland and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Scranton. The later graduated from the Harvard University Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows Program.

As the leader of Girl Power United, she offers mentoring, training, advice, and guidance on many issues that teenage girls face as they progress into adulthood. Her goal with Girl Power United is to unite a coalition of empowered minds to produce the next generation of educated and successful young female leaders.