WASHINGTON, D.C.- For months, a group of Dominican women living in the Washington, Maryland and Virginia area gathered around a simple idea: to get to know one another, connect their experiences and build a space where Dominican women’s leadership could have greater reach in the United States.
That process took institutional shape with the launch of the Dominican Women’s Network, an initiative promoted by the Dominican Embassy in Washington to strengthen women’s leadership, create new opportunities for collaboration and deepen ties with the diaspora.
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The platform was officially presented on May 29, 2026, after an outreach process that had begun months earlier with Dominican women living primarily in the region known as the DMV, which includes Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Documents from the diplomatic mission show that during the initial stage, in-person and virtual meetings were held with about 15 women to advance the formation of the network.
The initiative comes at a time when the Dominican presence in the U.S. capital is beginning to project itself beyond traditional patriotic and community gatherings. Professionals, businesswomen, public servants, academics and community leaders are part of a diaspora seeking to expand its connections in a city where some of the world’s most influential political, financial and diplomatic institutions are concentrated.
The launch also coincided with a visit to Washington by Dominican Minister of Women’s Affairs Gloria Reyes. During that agenda, Reyes and Ambassador María Isabel Castillo Báez held meetings with representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank to address cooperation, equal opportunities, inclusion and social protection for Dominican women.
For the Embassy, creating the network is part of a broader strategy of engagement with the Dominican community in the United States. During 2026, the diplomatic mission has placed women’s leadership, education, academic exchange, trade and diaspora participation among the pillars of its Washington agenda.
The U.S. capital is a particular setting for that effort. The Dominican community there does not yet have the demographic concentration found in New York, New Jersey or parts of Massachusetts, but it has built a presence through public service, universities, international organizations, businesses and community groups.
The Embassy itself currently maintains a space dedicated to recognizing outstanding Dominicans from Washington, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina—a sign that the map of the diaspora is beginning to extend into regions where its presence received less public attention for years.
With the Dominican Women’s Network, Washington now adds another piece to that process. It is not only about gathering names around an organization. The challenge will be turning that structure into real connections, mentoring, professional opportunities and a more visible voice for Dominican women who have built part of their lives away from the island while continuing to find ways to remain connected to it.
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