As part of the Lowell Women’s Week Annual Breakfast, a keynote speaker is invited to address the audience. This speaker is a notable figure in Massachusetts and the Greater Lowell community, dedicated and passionate about Lowell Women’s Week’s values and mission. Our keynote speaker this year will be Dr. Tahina L. Montoya.
Dr. Tahina L. Montoya is a multilingual international affairs strategist and U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel whose work bridges national security, public policy, and academia. She serves as a Defense and Policy Researcher at RAND and as a Political–Military Analyst and Women, Peace, and Security Advisor in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. A 2004 graduate of Lowell High School and the first Latina to complete the Latin Lyceum program, Tahina is a product of Girls Inc., the Lowell Boys & Girls Club, and the Lowell Youth Leadership Program (formerly NYSP). She commissioned through Norwich University ROTC and has supported global missions, including deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Dr. Montoya has held senior roles across the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the White House, and teaches at George Washington University and Georgetown University. She is a proud first-generation Colombian American and a proud Lowellian — and her favorite title is “mom.”
Past Keynote Speakers
- Bory Kem (2002)
- Audrey Ambrosino (2004)
- Ashley Tsongas (2006)
- Susan Reticker (2007)
- First Lady Diane Patrick (2008)
- Janet Johnson Bryant (2009)
- Swanee Hunt (2010)
- Dr. Carol Cowan (2011)
- Karen Frederick (2012)
- Claudia Espinola (2013)
- Linda Sopheap Sou (2014)
- Anne-Marie Bisson (2015)
- Dorcas Grigg-Saito (2016)
- Julie Chen (2017)
- Jacqueline Moloney (2018)
- Debra Fowler (2019)
- Niki Tsongas (2020)
- Representative Vanna Howard (2023)
- Yun-Ju Choi (2024)
- Lura Smith (2025)
Lowell Women's Week 