The Massachusetts Conference for Women announced on Tuesday that Oprah Winfrey will be the keynote speaker for this year’s event. The conference, celebrating its 20th anniversary, will take place on December 12 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Known as part of the largest series of professional women’s conferences in the country, this year’s theme is “Power in Unity,” which celebrates the conference’s history while looking forward to the future.
In addition to Winfrey, the event will feature speakers such as professional basketball player Caitlin Clark, supermodel Beverly Johnson, and numerous award-winning, game-changing, and ceiling-smashing individuals from various fields. The conference promises “one unforgettable day of insights, inspiration, and networking designed to help women advance in the workplace and beyond,” and offers the opportunity to join a community of thousands of powerful women.
For more information and to register, visit MAConferenceForWomen.org.
The event comes on the heels of a successful 2022 event, when thousands of women gathered in person for the Massachusetts Conference for Women for the first time since the pandemic. The event included talks from Viola Davis, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, and Jameela Jamil. Additionally, virtual addresses were given by chef and humanitarian José Andrés, vegan advocate and author Tabitha Brown, groundbreaking dancer and author Misty Copeland, actress and producer Reese Witherspoon, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, social media transparency advocate Frances Haugen, actress and disability rights advocate Marlee Matlin, and five-time New York Times author Daniel Pink.
The speakers reflected on the lasting impacts of COVID-19, including feelings of disconnection and burnout in the workplace. They also emphasized the importance of women’s leadership in these challenging times. “There is no political idea, no business idea, no artistic idea, no idea in general whose objective should not be connection – human connection,” Davis said. “If we can’t move forward together, we can’t move forward at all.” Davis, the first Black actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting with a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy, was recently nominated for a Grammy for the audio recording of her bestselling memoir, “Finding Me.”
