Define. Own. Lead.

In the height of a national awakening drawing attention to issues of gender equality in the workplace and in broader American society, students at the Harvard Kennedy School came together to launch the first HKS student-led Women in Power conference. In a year that started with the Women’s March on Washington and ended with the #MeToo Movement, 2017 saw women coming together across the country and around the world to push back against gender disparities. By the time the first conference took place in April 2018, the topic of creating a pipeline for women to secure well-earned leadership positions had never been more relevant.

The inaugural conference’s theme,“Women in Power: Define. Own. Lead.,” focused on uniting diverse perspectives and experiences relating to women in leadership positions. The conference emphasized the need for an inclusive and productive dialogue, opening the conversation to women with diverse personal and professional experiences, as well as allies who advocate for women in leadership. This discussion resonated not only in the Kennedy School’s classrooms, but also in local, national, and global politics, and continues to live at the heart of policy issues in the workplace.

Keynote Speakers

• Amber Tamblyn: actress, activist, author

  • Co-founder of the Time’s Up movement

  • Author, Era of Ignition: Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution
    

• Maggie Hassan: American Politician

  • Former Governor of New Hampshire

  • United States Senator, New Hampshire
    

• Brittany Packnett: Activist and educator

  • Co-Founder of Campaign Zero

  • Member of President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force

  • Former Executive Director of Teach for America in St. Louis

Panels

• New Age of Feminism

• Workplace Equality and Closing the Gender Gap

• Women in National Security, featuring a fireside chat with Michele Flournoy

• The Future is Female

• Evolution of Technology and Women in the Workplace

• Running for Office and Governing

• Women in International Development

Workshops

• Work Smart Wage Negotiation with AAUW

• Ready to Run with Emerge MA

• Organizational Design