California's Top Women Leaders Gather To Strategize Post-Pandemic Professional Recovery in 2022 and Beyond

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of women will gather on October 12-13 in Sacramento to strategize their post-pandemic professional and political futures at California Women Lead's Annual Conference.

Titled Breakthrough, the hybrid virtual and in-person Conference will focus on how women can break through the professional setbacks imposed by Covid to re-engage on key issues including strengthening our democracy, political redistricting, fintech, term limits, corporate boards, political appointments, and much more. Registration information is at www.cawomenlead.org and the Conference's full agenda can be found here.

Brookings scholar and former National Security Advisor Dr. Fiona Hill, a key witness in Congress' 2019 impeachment hearings and author of the newly-released memoir "There Is Nothing For You Here," will speak at the conference about her work advising three presidents and how expanding opportunities for women is key to democracy building.

The conference includes keynotes by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and CA Women Lead board member and Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, and sessions featuring top public and private sector leaders including Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber, Senator Nancy Skinner, Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman, Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes, Assemblymember Akilah Weber, Assemblymember Suzette Martinez Valladares, Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Public Policy Institute of  CA VP Deborah Gonzalez, Reporters Jennifer Medina (NYT), Seema Mehta (LAT), Hannah Wiley (Sac Bee), and Alex Cohen (Spectrum News), Blockchain.com's Lindsey Haswell and Coin Stories podcast creator Natalie Brunell, Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez, Eastvale Mayor Jocelyn Yow, Yorba Linda Council Member Tara Campbell, Sacramento County Board of Education President Karina Talamantes, League of Cities Executive Director Carolyn Coleman, Anthem's Kathy Martella, Comcast's Sonya Echols, Calpine's Kassandra Gough, Eaze's Elizabeth Ashford, AT&T's Susana Santana, and more.

"Women bore the professional brunt of this pandemic, and we cannot let Covid's impacts on our employment, pay, or position become permanent," said CaWL President, Mona Pasquil Rogers. "It has never been more important for California women to take charge and get ready for the future."

"We know that women lead by ensuring the needs of others are met  — as frontline workers, parents, or civic and organizational leaders. That was true before COVID-19, during the pandemic and, as we look to rebuild our future in California, it will be women supporting one another who lead us to recovery," said Sally Kay, Amazon's Senior Manager of External Affairs.

"Women, specifically women of color, have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and other social issues. I'm proud to work for a company that is committed to creating a more even playing field that supports women and other diverse groups within our company and in our community through partners like California Women Lead," said Sonya Echols, Vice President of Human Resources at Comcast California, which ranked number eleven this year in the 75 Best Large Workplaces for Women by Fortune Magazine.

"California has always been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to new frontiers in business, technology, finance, and politics," said Lindsey Haswell, Blockchain.com Chief Legal & Administrative Officer. "On behalf of Blockchain.com and all our employees in the Golden State, we're proud to support CA Women Lead's Annual Conference to help even the playing field for all women to succeed. We believe that cryptocurrency and the decentralization of finance will increase financial inclusion for women and minorities by ensuring that the next great technological and financial epoch is the most equitable and diverse in human history."

"At Anthem Blue Cross, we've long understood how social, economic, environmental, and cultural factors impact women's health and well-being. For years, we've pioneered innovations that improve healthcare affordability, quality and access. We are proud to again join with California Women Lead to challenge barriers to success for women and continue working to help create stronger, healthier, more inclusive communities for everyone," said Kathy Martella, Anthem VP & GM of  CA Commercial Plan.

"This is a key time for women to address the unique challenges we faced in this pandemic. The brunt of balancing work with managing child care, schooling, and elder care fell on many of us. Working together, we can push forward to address these issues and strengthen our communities," stated  Rosemary Antonopoulos, Calpine Vice President & Assistant General Counsel.

To ensure the safety of attendees and staff, CaWL requires all attendees and staff participating in-person to be vaccinated for COVID-19. CaWL will have opened doors to the outside weather permitting as well as reduced capacity. The networking sessions and cocktail hour will be outside. The venue and vendors will follow all state and local COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of our guests and staff.

About CA Women Lead: We are California's longest standing non-partisan organization supporting women's leadership in the public and private sectors. Our mission is to engage, appoint, and elect female leaders across party lines, increase women's collective power and influence in government and business, and help every woman achieve her full leadership potential through training, education, and network development.

SOURCE California Women Lead

Related Links

http://www.cawomenlead.org