“I have had the great pleasure of working with GeChar to coordinate two high-profile Empowerment Experience panels at the ESSENCE Festival. Gina and the whole team are exceedingly professional, creative and passionate about what they do. I am so impressed at their ability to put together a top-notch program year after year. And while they are juggling many elements, they make you feel you are a priority. They are a delight to work with from start to   finish!”

Tina Hoff, Senior Vice President, Director, Health Communication & Media Partnerships, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

“Working with Gina and the GeChar team has been an absolute pleasure. Gina took the time to understand the uniqueness of our organization and to help us leverage it. She's thoughtful and responsive, and knowing we can count on her team has allowed us to keep our eye on our mission rather than dropping everything to produce a major event. Gina and GeChar make it easy.”

Nick Stillman, Executive Director, Prospect New Orleans

"We've been so fortunate to have Gina on our team as we plan the Watermark Changemakers Conference. Her wide network combined with her wit and wisdom have made our programming vastly more compelling and our messaging sharper and more meaningful. We've gone through a number of changes as an organization this year, and I've always felt that Gina is right there with us — taking pains to understand our goals while spurring us on to a bigger vision. Plus we just have fun working together!"

Peggy Northrop, CEO, Watermark Conferences for Women

"After each Essence Festival, it's guaranteed I've learned another level of what it means to have grace-under-pressure from Gina Charbonnet. Collaborating with her for years as the executive producer of daytime programming at EF, Gina's professionalism never waivers as she's producing a multi-tiered live show in real time that includes wrangling personalities from politics, Hollywood, or the C-Suite. At the core of her work, Gina's a storyteller, which makes her connection to Essence a perfect fit."

Cori Murray, Deputy Editor, ESSENCE