Begun six years ago with a few volunteers and a dream, Adelphi鈥檚 annual Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference has become a premier event welcoming more than 350 professionals, industry leaders, alumni, students and community members鈥攁long with nationally recognized keynote speakers鈥攖o promote leadership for women.
From a one-time event with a few volunteers to a powerful annual conference with a full day of programs, panels, networking opportunities, keynote speakers and an awards dinner, the 草榴社区 Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference is now making a profound impact on women in business.
鈥淭his was our largest attendance ever,” said Maggie Yoon Grafer 鈥�98, MA 鈥�08, associate vice president for University advancement and external relations. She noted that in just seven years, attendance at the conference has gone from about 50 students to seven times that many people. LeeAnnBlack 鈥�83, chief operating officer of Latham & Watkins, and Humera Qazi 鈥�93, Morgan Stanley managing director and 草榴社区trustee, co-chaired the event in partnership with Adelphi鈥檚 Student Government Association.
The conference started out as the brainchild of Qazi and Christine M. Riordan, PhD, Adelphi鈥檚 first woman president, who were looking for ways to support their women students. This year, the seventh annual Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference took place on March 9 on the 草榴社区 Garden City campus.聽Its theme, 鈥淭he Era of Embracing Change: Dare to Be Extraordinary,鈥� drew more than 300 students, alumni, professionals and industry leaders for an invaluable day of learning and networking.
Dedication to Adelphi’s Women Students
The growth of the conference reflects Adelphi鈥檚 dedication to our women students and the success of women in the workplace.
鈥淎s this conference has grown, we’ve been able to offer more side services to students,鈥� Grafer said. There was a photo area where attendees could update their headshots, sessions for financial literacy and work-life balance, and student leadership awards presented by the Women’s Giving Circle. This year also marked the introduction of the Career Closet, in partnership with Adelphi鈥檚 Division of Student Affairs. The Career Closet is a collection of donated professional clothing that students can wear to this event or at future events and job interviews. More than 160 items were collected at the conference.
鈥淪tudents showed up at the conference impeccably dressed and ready to network,鈥� Grafer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just been a beautiful evolution of opportunities that we’re offering to our students.鈥�
In addition to the full day of panel presentations at the conference, including “Breaking Barriers: Success Stories of Women in Color” and “The Power of Women in Philanthropy: Leading for Impact,” students benefited from classes before the event sponsored by the Office of Career and Professional Development. There, students learned the basics of how to network, how to dress for the event and how to prepare a r茅sum茅.
This year鈥檚 event featured a stellar cast of standout 草榴社区alumni and industry movers and shakers giving sage advice on how to find a mentor and be a leader and the value of connecting with people who can help you be your best self. Conference panelists and moderators joined the conference from all over the United States, and participants walked away with gift bags filled by sponsors: Clinique, The Cunningham Group, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Valley National Bank, Northwell Health and Kron Chocolatier.
Rent the Runway Founder, Jennifer Hyman, Inspires the Crowd
Jennifer Hyman, co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, was the evening鈥檚 keynote speaker. 鈥淭he most powerful thing you can give to a woman is the power to change,鈥� Hyman said. Her idea for a fashion industry-disrupting 鈥渃loset in the cloud鈥� came from a desire to democratize fashion, empower women and provide a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, she told the crowd.
She talked about the struggles women face in the workplace and said women still make up a small percentage of C-suite executives and business owners for reasons that have nothing to do with their qualifications. She urged women to not let the situation get them down. 鈥淜eep moving forward. Keep trying something, keep believing. Your positivity and your forward momentum are the things that keep you in the game. I have made so many mistakes. We failed so many times. But we learn from those occasions. … And I think that we, as women, just need to keep on learning, moving, having that resilience, and stop thinking that we’re not good enough.鈥�
She urged attendees to take risks and bat for the fence. 鈥淓very time I hire someone鈥攁 man or a woman鈥擨 say, 鈥榊ou know what, when you work for me at this company, I want you to dream bigger for your whole life. I’m going to make you do things that we’re all unqualified to do because that’s what a start-up is. When you leave in a few years and you get your next job, you will be more confident about all of the things that you can do, not just at work but outside of work as well.鈥�
A Day of Wisdom for Women
The breakout sessions covered topics like building diverse workplaces, women in philanthropy, AI, building a network of allies and mentors, and success stories from women of color. Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, author of The Beauty of Success: Start, Grow and Accelerate Your Brand (Wiley, 2024), kicked off the event with a speech on how to build a 鈥渂rain trust鈥� of intelligent people who will make us smarter and better. 鈥淓verybody is smart in their own way,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 measure the intelligence of somebody. We all come from different backgrounds. We are all uniquely valuable because there is nobody like us.鈥� Conference participants walked away with copies of Bracken-Ferguson’s latest book.
In a session on building diversity and equity in the workplace, moderator Channing Martin, chief diversity and social impact officer at Interpublic Group, gave a history of the evolution of diversity, equity and inclusion from a movement to avoid lawsuits to a desire to build diverse workplaces. 鈥淲e want to attract talent, all talent, that can meet critical skill needs. We live in an era where there are four generations in the workplace,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need to help them work together for the good of the company.鈥�
Moderator Jovi Stevenson ’95,聽a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging consultant, spoke on the value of different points of view. 鈥淒iversity brings innovation. That鈥檚 what moves companies forward,鈥� she said. 鈥淒iversity is the future.鈥�
Advice on AI in the Workplace
AI is at the forefront of any discussion in an era of change, and a session titled 鈥淟eading in the Age of AI鈥� addressed how the new technology will affect careers. Kees Leune, PhD, associate professor and chair of the mathematics and computer science department, said that AI will change the way we work but will not replace the decision-making power of humans. 鈥淎I is basically a fancy toaster, right? It鈥檚 a machine built by humans and programmed by humans, but the people using this technology are the ones that make decisions. You cannot hold a computer accountable,鈥� Dr. Leune said.
Panelist Linda Chan, vice president of information technology at Amphenol, noted a surprising statistic. 鈥淕PT Chat launched Nov 22, 2022. In five days they had one million subscribers.鈥� Her advice for learning to how use it? 鈥淕o for it. Start using it. Jump right in.鈥�
鈥淯se AI to write the first draft of your blog or the first draft of a press release.聽The impact on marketing will be immediate,鈥� added moderator Anita D鈥橝mico, PhD 鈥�84, president of Cotopaxi Consulting LLC.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what your job is today or what your business is, AI is going to impact it,鈥� added Kevin Goodman ’00, MBA ’02, global director of Go To Market at LinkedIn. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e constantly going to be learning because AI will make the work environment move at a fast pace.”
Lessons on the Importance of Mentors and Allies
A panel on building a network of mentors and allies stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with smart people and harnessing their collective wisdom. Sharon Cunningham 鈥�90, managing director/senior portfolio management director at The Cunningham Group at Morgan Stanley, related that having a mentor helped her go from a first-generation college student to a job on Wall Street where she was usually the only woman in the office. 鈥淢y mentor helped me transition from a peer group I was comfortable with to a field where I would go into a room and deal with people who didn鈥檛 look like me,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 mentor helps you make a better transition by sharing their opinions and experiences and by telling you the truth when you don鈥檛 want to hear it.鈥�
President Riordan summarized how the annual conference aligns with Adelphi’s educational mission. “Higher education is uniquely positioned to develop solutions to today鈥檚 workforce trends, from the rise of AI to remote work and a stronger emphasis on diversity initiatives.
鈥淥ur goal in hosting this conference is to discuss how women can use education to break down barriers, inspire each other to strive for greatness鈥攁nd maximize our value in every career field.”
To support programming, leadership activities and other opportunities to empower 草榴社区women, a Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference Endowed Fund was created in 2022. In fact, next year’s conference is already slated for Saturday, March 29, 2025.