Impact Track: Breakout 1 | 10:40 a.m.
From a Honda Pilot to $2.5M of Impact: A Founder’s Playbook for Leading with Purpose
Sixteen years ago, Harnish started Women of the World out of her Honda Pilot, driving from client to client across Salt Lake County to help displaced women rebuild their lives. Today, the organization has served more than 4,300 forcibly displaced women from over 100 countries, generated $2.5 million in annual economic impact and returned $2.70 in community value for every dollar invested.
In this 40-minute talk, Harnish shares what she has learned about leading with impact — not as theory, but from the daily work of walking women from survival to self-reliance. Her thesis is simple: when you invest in a woman, you invest in a family, a workforce and a neighborhood. The returns compound.
Drawing on stories of refugees who have become nurses, MBAs, mentors and small-business owners right here in Utah, Harnish will challenge business leaders to rethink mentorship as a strategic act, not a side project. She will offer concrete practices for hiring, mentoring and partnering with women whose resilience is already a competitive advantage — and ask the room what kind of Utah we are building together.
About Samira
Samira Harnish is founder and executive director of Women of the World, a refugee, asylum-seeker and immigrant service and capacity-building nonprofit that has operated in Salt Lake City since 2010.
After getting her degree in civil engineering, Harnish worked for 17 years as a research and development engineer at the largest domestic manufacturer of semiconductor memory.
Harnish founded Women of the World to fulfill a lifelong dream of helping women achieve self-sufficiency, and her leadership has enabled the organization to become the preeminent women’s refugee service organization in Utah.
Harnish has received local, national and international recognition for her service leadership, including the Enlightened 50 Award from the Utah Community Foundation, the 2013 Salt Lake City Human Rights Award, the 2016 Ruby Award from the Soroptimists of Utah and the 2017 Emerald Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement. In 2018, she was awarded the Americas Region Nansen Refugee Award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, after being chosen from more than 450 international nominees.
In April 2019, she was named an American Red Cross Hero for her extraordinary heroic act of global citizenship. In 2021, she was selected as Woman of the Year by Utah Business magazine. In 2023, she was named one of Utah’s 40 Over 40, which honors women who have significantly impacted their fields and communities. In December 2023, the Salt Lake City mayor again recognized Harnish with the Salt Lake City Human Rights Award.