PuLSE Celebrates Tiffany Albert, Diane Antishin and Martha Grier, Trailblazing Women at 2026 Women’s Power Breakfast Forum

The PuLSE Institute recently held its annual Women in Corporate and Economic Leadership Power Breakfast Forum in honor of Women’s History Month on March 24 at the Colony Club in downtown Detroit.

This year’s theme was “Elevating Women’s Influence in Business: A Necessary Component for a Thriving Economy,”  anchored on the belief that in the fight against global poverty, the challenge facing the 21st century is not a question of whether there are enough women who are willing to join the campaign against poverty and inequality. Rather, the issue is there are not enough women in business leadership positions of influence with the resources and decision-making powers to bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice.

The dynamic panel consisted of esteemed corporate leaders: Diane Antishin, the senior vice president of human resources and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at DTE Energy; and Tiffany Albert, the senior vice president of community relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and president of the BCBSM Foundation.

The nationally acclaimed journalist and standard-bearer for economic justice Bankole Thompson, the founder and dean of The PuLSE Institute, served as the forum moderator.

Attorney Tina M. Patterson, Esq., the president and director of research of The PuLSE Institute, delivered the welcome and closing remarks and set the tone for the annual gathering by pointing to the significance of the event and its impact in elevating women leaders around the region of southeast Michigan and beyond.

In sharing their unique experiences through their careers and respective companies, they noted authenticity and a willingness to learn as necessary components to success. In particular, both noted the discomfort associated with charting new territory of leadership, especially as women, oftentimes being the only women in the room. However, as a testament to their advancement, both Antishin and Albert highlighted the importance of resilience, mentorship, and responsibility as key qualities to attain when ascending to the heights of career success and executive leadership.

At the end of the forum both Albert and Antishin were each presented with The Institute’s coveted Resilience in Leadership Award. Also honored alongside them was Martha Grier, the associate vice chancellor for board and public relations at Wayne County Community College District.

Grier, 80, a longstanding member of the WCCCD senior leadership team has served the urban community college for 37 years and is regarded by Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery as one of the institution’s unsung heroes.

Poignantly, before beginning the formal program, the event paid tribute to the late Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Sr., a top lieutenant to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Lafayette, who recently passed on March 5, 2026, was a member of The Institute’s National Advisory Board and recipient of its Global Civil Rights Leadership Award presented to him in July of 2025 to mark his last birthday.