Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Adam Grant to headline Massachusetts Conference for Women

BOSTON, June 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Conference for Women announced today that Academy Award winning actresses Meryl Streep and Viola Davis will be keynote speakers at the Massachusetts Conference for Women on Thursday, December 7, 2017 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Adam Grant, top-rated Wharton Professor and best-selling co-author, with Sheryl Sandberg, of Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy will also deliver a keynote address.

Meryl Streep is an award-winning film, theater and television actress with a career spanning almost 40 years. Streep has won three Academy Awards for her roles in Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice and The Iron Lady. In 2017, she earned a record-breaking 20th Academy Award nomination for her role in Florence Foster Jenkins. A noted activist, Streep continues to work with philanthropic organizations including Women for Women International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Donor Direct Action, Women in the World Foundation and Partners in Health. In 2014, President Obama awarded Streep the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Viola Davis won an Academy Award for Supporting Actress for her role in the 2016 film adaptation of August Wilson's play Fences, directed by Denzel Washington. Davis also earned a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, and a SAG Award for her portrayal of Rose Maxson. Earlier, she won a Tony Award for the 2010 revival of Fences on Broadway. Davis currently stars in the hit ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder, for which she became the first African American to win the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series and also earned two Screen Actors Guild Award and an NAACP Image Award.

Adam Grant, the Wharton School's top-rated teacher for five straight years, has been recognized as one of the world's 25 most influential management thinkers, one of the 100 most creative people in business and one of the 40 best business professors under 40. Grant serves on the Lean In board and wrote a New York Times series on women and work with Sheryl Sandberg, including "Speaking while female" and "Madam C.E.O., get me a coffee." He is the New York Times best-selling author of three books, including Give and Take and Originals.

"We are delighted to welcome Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Adam Grant to the main stage in Boston," said Gloria Larson, board chair of the Massachusetts Conference for Women. "This standout lineup of speakers, icons in the arts and in business, are sure to inspire attendees in ways they will long remember."

The 13th annual Massachusetts Conference for Women will host over 11,000 attendees for a full day of networking, inspiration, professional development and personal growth. In addition to a standout lineup of keynote speakers, the nonpartisan, nonprofit event will feature breakout sessions led by more than 150 experts and industry leaders about topical issues including building networks, branding, work-life balance, managing up, happiness and civility in the workplace and life.

For the third year, the Conference will feature the Workplace Summit on Wednesday, December 6th, the day prior to the Conference. Designed to teach men and women how to promote gender partnerships and advance equity within workplaces, the summit will feature an address by Adam Grant on how to create a culture of originality. That evening, the Conference will also present the third annual Opening Night event from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring an address from Bethenny Frankel, Skinnygirl founder, author, and branding guru, and an inspiring talk and live cooking demo with Barbara Lynch, restaurateur and award-winning chef. Opening Night tickets are available for $25 and can be purchased here.

The Massachusetts Conference for Women is presented by: State Street Corporation. It is generously sponsored by Dell; Merck KGaA; Cisco; Hologic; Johnson & Johnson; Liberty Mutual; Raytheon; Tyco; Bank of America; Bose Corporation; Boston Children's Hospital; Boston Scientific Corporation; Fresenius Medical Care; Harvard Business School Executive Education; Rapid7; Mastercard; MFS Investment Management; Poo-Pourri; Reebok; Riverbed; ThermoFisher Scientific; Acadian Asset Management; Amtrak; Applied Materials; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Comcast; Kate Spade & Company; Merck; QVC, Inc.; Staples, Inc.; Weber Shandwick; and media sponsors AMP Radio 103.3; Mix 104.1; WBZ 1030 News Radio; The Boston Globe; and WCVB-TV Boston. 

"The Massachusetts Conference for Women continues to set itself apart by bringing together change-makers and pioneers at the top of their fields," said Kathy Horgan, EVP, chief human resources and citizenship officer for State Street Corporation. "State Street is proud to sponsor this year's conference, which shares the goals of our company to promote leadership and gender equity within the workplace and beyond."

Registration is now open for the Conference and more exciting speaker announcements are to come. To register or learn more about the Conference, Opening Night and the Workplace Summit, visit www.maconferenceforwomen.org.

To apply for media credentials, please contact Michelle Clark, [email protected].

SOURCE Massachusetts Conference for Women