West Hollywood’s annual Women’s Leadership Conference will kickoff next Friday with a weekend of events, panels and workshops at West Hollywood Library.
This year’s theme is “Knowledge. Power. Community.” The events include:
Friday, May 1: From 8 to 10 a.m., a networking breakfast at the City Council Chambers at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The event will feature moderator Alissa Finerman, a business coach and author, and panelists Meiko Takayama, founder and CEO of Advancing Women Executives; Sahar Andrade, a diversity consultant; Diana Bianchini, owner and creative director of Di Moda Public Relations and founding team member of Pink51, and Luanna Lindsey, senior vice president and district manager for downtown Los Angeles of Wells Fargo. There is a suggested donation of $10 donation or of new or used handbags to benefit Dress for Success Worldwide-West.
The conference kickoff event will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Pacific Design Center’s Silver Screen Theatre, t 8687 Melrose Avenue. The evening event will feature speakers such as Sandra Fluke, attorney and women’s rights advocate, and a screening of “The Hunting Ground” by Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. There will be a Q&A session with the filmmakers moderated by Alex Cohen, co-host of KPCC’s “Take Two.” A reception will follow the film screening. The event is free.
Saturday, May 2: The conference will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at locations throughout the West Hollywood Library and park complex. It will include a continental breakfast and a keynote-speaker luncheon. Session topics will include “Confessions from Serial Entrepreneurs,” “Making Effective Presentations,” “How to Blaze Your Career Trail for Good,” “Using Social Media for Influence and Impact,” and “Women in Public Service.” General conference tickets range from $35 to $45 with advance registration; tickets will be $55 on the day of the conference. Tickets for seniors and full-time students are $15. Ticket prices include meals. Tickets can be purchased in advance online.
Sunday, May 3: The final day of the conference will run from 1 to 6 p.m. at the City Council Chambers. The program will include a screening of “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry,” which recounts the history of the women who founded the modern women’s movement of the late 1960s. Chitra Panjabi, vice president of Membership for the National Organization for Women, will be a speaker. There will also be a panel discussion with a diverse group of women rights advocates including Susan Burton, founder and executive director of A New Way of Life Reentry Project; Gabriela Valle, senior director of community education and mobilization for California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, and Maria Louise Roman, counselor in the Heal Program for Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT). The panel will be moderated by NBC4 reporter Michelle Valles. Admission to the final day is free.
