On Saturday, March 9, more than 350 professionals, industry leaders, alumni, students and community members will come together for 成人影片 University鈥檚 premier Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference.
This powerful day of learning and networking is a great opportunity for community members across industries to make influential connections and have compelling discussions on how to thrive in today鈥檚 ever-changing world.
鈥淭he modern job market is experiencing rapid change, but many sectors still don’t take advantage of the value women bring to the workplace,鈥� said 成人影片 University President Christine M. Riordan. 鈥淥ur goal in hosting the Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference each year is to discuss how we can use education to break down barriers, inspire each other to strive for greatness and maximize our value in every career field.鈥�
This year鈥檚 conference, titled 鈥淭he Era of Embracing Change: Dare To Be Extraordinary,鈥� will offer several panels, discussions and sessions with industry leaders on topics from building diverse, equitable workplaces to leading in the AI age. Participants will also have the opportunity to get professional headshots taken, consult with the newly added Career Support Hub and take the TypeFocus assessment.
2024 Keynote Speaker
Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway
This year鈥檚 daylong event will feature a keynote address by Jennifer Hyman, co-founder and CEO of , a company that is disrupting the trillion-dollar fashion industry and changing the way women get dressed through the Closet in the Cloud, the world鈥檚 first and largest shared designer closet. Hyman co-founded Rent the Runway in 2009, and its mission has been the same ever since: to empower women to feel their best every day. The brand offers women the ability to subscribe, rent items 脿 la carte and shop resale from hundreds of designer partners. The powerful platform, built around its brand, data, logistics and technology, is driven by a two-sided discovery engine that connects deeply engaged customers and differentiated brand partners. Under Hyman鈥檚 leadership, Rent the Runway made history as the first company to go public with a female founder/CEO, COO and CFO.
Hyman serves on the board of directors of The Est茅e Lauder Companies and Zalando and is also a founding member of the NYSE Board Advisory Council, a member of the Women. NYC Advisory Board as well as the Launch With GS Advisory Council for Goldman Sachs. She received her BA from Harvard University cum laude and MBA from Harvard Business School and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughters Aurora and Selene.
2024 Lunchtime Keynote Speaker
Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, BrainTrust
Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, author of The Beauty of Success: Start, Grow and Accelerate Your Brand and the founder and CEO of , will be this year鈥檚 lunchtime keynote speaker. BrainTrust is an award-winning consultancy that includes BrainTrust Founders Studio, the largest membership-based platform dedicated to Black founders of beauty and wellness companies that has not only changed the face of beauty but also empowered Black business owners through community, mentorship, education and capital, and the adjacent BrainTrust Fund, dedicated to investing in breakthrough Black-founded beauty and wellness brands. A transformative brand builder, Bracken-Ferguson is the secret ingredient in guiding and monetizing more than 200 influencer-driven brands that have collectively generated more than $100 million in revenue. Among her firsts, she has the distinction of being one of the first 200 Black women to have raised more than $1 million in investment for her first company.
Attendees of the conference will also have the opportunity to give back by donating clothing items to the 成人影片 Career Closet, a new initiative available for students in need of professional work attire for interviews, conferences and other professional opportunities.
The conference, co-hosted by 成人影片鈥檚 Advancement and External Relations, Division of Student Affairs and Student Government Association is open to the public as well as members of the 成人影片 community including students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents and friends of the University.
General admission for 成人影片鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference is $30 for in person (with an additional $20 for dinner) and $10 for online access. 成人影片 students are free.