Press Release - The Women's Conference 2008

 

Condoleezza Rice, Warren Buffett, Bono, Jennifer Lopez and 14,000 Women to Join First Lady Maria Shriver for The Women’s Conference 2008

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews moderates a main-stage conversation on economic leadership between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Warren Buffett

Maria Shriver Sets Goal of Amassing an Online Audience of One Million Women for the Conference’s All-Day Live Webcast at CaliforniaWomen.org

 

LOS ANGELES (October 22, 2008) – Approximately 14,000 women will be gathering today at the sold-out Women’s Conference 2008, held again this year at the Long Beach Convention Center. Began more than twenty years ago as a small government initiative for women small business owners and working professionals, California First Lady Maria Shriver has transformed the event into the nation’s premier forum for women from all walks of life to realize their potential to become “architects of change.”

“More than ever, I believe women need a place where we can have open and honest kitchen-table conversations about the issues that matter to us – jobs, money and the economy, work-life balance, family and aging parents, overcoming obstacles, spirituality, health and politics – all in a nonpartisan zone of acceptance and respect,” said Shriver. “That, to me, is the essence of The Women’s Conference.”

Shriver shaped this year’s conference theme – Be Who You Are. Feel it. Live it. Pass it on. – to encourage all women to discover their unique and authentic purpose, passion and power to transform themselves and the world around them. This call to action will be delivered by a world-class roster of more than 70 newsmakers and world opinion leaders led by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Christiane Amanpour, Cherie Blair, Bono, Warren Buffett, Sister Joan Chittister, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Matthews, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and Gloria Steinem.

Program highlights for The Women’s Conference 2008 include:
•    MSNBC’s Chris Matthews moderates a main-stage conversation on leadership and the economy between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Warren Buffett.
•    CNN’s Campbell Brown moderates a main-stage conversation on leadership, legacy and life with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Indra Nooyi.
•    Inside Edition Anchor Deborah Norville moderates a conversation on men who use their voices to change the world between Michael J. Fox and philanthropist/hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons.
•    CNN’s Christiane Amanpour moderates a conversation on changing the world with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, The Experience Corp CEO Cecilia Maria Attias, Human Rights Advocate Cherie Blair, and Executive Director of Secretariat of Liberia Cerue Konah Garlo.
•    NPR’s Farai Chideya moderates a conversation on being a woman warrior with Gloria Steinem and Children’s Defense Fund Founder and CEO Marian Wright Edelman.
•    ABC News Correspondent Deborah Roberts moderates a conversation on living an authentic life with Author Sarah Ban Breathnach, Philanthropist & Former U.S. Professional Tennis Player Sister Andrea Jaeger and Actress & Author Jamie Lee Curtis.
•    Outside the Box: A Memoir Author Lynn Sheer moderates a conversation on overcoming life’s biggest hurdles with Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction Author David Sheff and Boots on the Ground By Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman Author Mary Tillman.
•    Maria Shriver presents the 2008 Minerva Awards to Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, Betty Chinn, Louise Hay, and Ivelise Markovits during an afternoon main stage ceremony featuring remarks by Bono and a special musical performance by Bonnie Raitt.

Full-day passes to The Women’s Conference 2008 sold out in a historic, record-breaking time of three hours when they went on sale in July – beating last year’s record of three days.  In response to the surging popularity and demand for the conference, organizers have taken a number of steps to expand the conference’s reach and make it accessible to women in California and throughout the world. Substantial portions of The Women’s Conference 2008 will be broadcast live from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. PDT at www.CaliforniaWomen.org, and Maria Shriver has set the goal of amassing an online audience of one million women for the web event. In addition to its own live webcast, The Women’s Conference will be available through a live webcast on Oprah.com, cable television broadcasts on the California Channel, satellite radio broadcasts on SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio, and satellite television broadcasts to all participating California community colleges and universities, national women’s colleges and women’s museums, government and community organizations, business associations, military mobilization stations and departments of veteran affairs across the country, as well as to the conference’s corporate partners.

In an effort to give more women an opportunity to experience the transformative conference in person, Shriver debuted the first-annual “Night at The Village” event last night. Night at The Village transformed the Long Beach Convention Center’s exhibit hall into an over 160,000 square foot interactive women’s village. The event featured stage conversations with prominent speakers such as Maria Shriver, Rachael Ray and Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster; book signings with more than 15 best-selling authors including Dr. Mehmet Oz, Billie Jean King and Kelly Corrigan; “how-to” presentations with celebrity chefs Rocco DiSpirito and Scott Leibfried, health expert Dr. Pamela Peeke, meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein and many others; shopping boutiques; and green lifestyle products and information. Night at The Village also reinforced The Women’s Conference’s commitment to its host city as it recognized and rewarded the work of Long Beach’s domestic violence organizations, WomenShelter of Long Beach and Interval House.

During the present economic crisis, many Californians are struggling to feed their families and provide life’s essentials. To help alleviate hunger for California’s children and families, Maria Shriver called on all 14,000 conference attendees to donate one non-perishable food item to The Women’s Conference Food Drive.  Food donations will be collected today from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at both entrances to the Long Beach Convention Center. The Women’s Conference is partnering with the California Association of Food Banks and the LA Regional Food Bank in this effort.  

The Women’s Conference is supported by generous sponsors that share its mission of empowering, inspiring and educating women.  The Premier Conference Sponsor is Safeway, who will feature the best of California's healthy cuisine at The Village exhibit hall. Target returns as The Minerva Awards presenting sponsor, and Wachovia is the presenting sponsor of the Minerva Leadership Program. Lean Cuisine is the presenting sponsor of “Night at The Village” and the Conference National Media Partners are Disney-ABC Television Group and Meredith Publishing. Official sponsors include BP, Cisco, Dove, FedEx, HealthNet, Intuit, Mattel, PepsiCo, PG&E, Wells Fargo and Visa.

For more information about The Women’s Conference 2008, visit www.CaliforniaWomen.org.

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