Women’s Leadership Conference Celebrates 13th Year
by: Caitlin S. Lubelczyk- Vice President of Marketing and Communications
The 13th Annual Worcester Women’s Leadership conference took place on Thursday June 16th at the DCU Center in Worcester. In addition to the morning and afternoon keynote speakers, the conference offered eight workshops with topics ranging from financial planning to unconscious bias. The Chamber welcomed over 600 women to Central MA’s largest professional women’s conference, which is also one of the biggest fundraisers for the Chamber, with support this year from Hanover Insurance Group, UMass Memorial Health, and forty other sponsors.
The morning started off with a welcome from committee chair Kimberly Salmon, Assistant Vice President Community Relations at The Hanover Insurance Group. Kim chaired the WWLC for six years and at this event turned over the reins to Maria Fernandes-Dominique, Director of Public Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The first keynote speaker of the day was Claire Wasserman. Wasserman is the founder of Ladies Get Paid, an ‘educational platform, global community, and book that champions the professional advancement of women.’ Claire has been all over the country teaching thousands of women how to advocate for themselves in the workplace and negotiate raises. She has been featured on Good Morning America and hired by dozens of big-name companies, everyone from NASA to Converse. Claire was charismatic and inspirational, and the perfect way to kick off the conference. The afternoon keynote speaker had equally impressive accolades. Luvvie Ajayi Jones, a three-time New York Times Bestselling author, has spoken at events for Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Nike, and Bank of America, to name a few. She has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. As her website states “Luvvie pulls from the well of truth to ensure that attendees have a transformative experience…” and that they did. For 45 minutes guests were captivated by Luvvie’s words and wit. One attendee stated “the topics were very relevant to today’s audience. I can’t say enough good things, but I want to call out that the speakers were not only motivational, but solution orientated. They provided specific actions and tools that we could apply to day-to-day life.”
Each attendee walked away with a copy of Luvvie’s bestseller Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual. The day ended with Worcester Technical High School student Stacia Zogbie receiving the $1,000 Susan Mailman Aspiring Young Women Leaders Scholarship.
Finally, Kim Salmon passed the baton to Maria Fernandes-Dominique, Director of Public Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, as she stepped into the role as the new chair of the Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference. Thank you to all of our sponsors including our presenting sponsors The Hanover Insurance Group and UMass Memorial Health.
The committee has already begun work on the 2023 conference which is sure to be another exciting event. Workshop proposals are now being accepted and sponsorships are available. The keynote speaker has also already been announced as Carla A. Harris. Harris began her career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and is now the Managing Director in Global Capital Markets for the firm. She has been named by Fortune magazine among the 50 most powerful black executives in corporate America, Essence magazine named her among the 50 Women Who Are Shaping The World, and Harvard’s Black Men’s forum named her Woman of the Year in 2004, and she’s going to be right here in Worcester!
Save the Date
Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference
Thursday May 4, 2023
7:30am-4:00pm
DCU Center
