The Women's Conference (also known as the California Governor & First Lady's Conference on Women) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and annual forum for women. The event first began in 1986 as a California government initiative for working professionals and women business owners. Since 2004, The Women's Conference has been under the leadership of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver and has grown into a "blockbuster" event[1] featuring "powerhouse newsmakers" such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Jane Fonda, Martha Stewart, Tyra Banks, Sarah, Duchess of York, Tim Russert, Deepak Chopra, Tom Brokaw, Queen Rania of Jordan, Maureen Dowd, Sandra Day O'Connor, Thomas Friedman, Anna Quindlen, and Billie Jean King.
Reinvented by Shriver, The Women's Conference has reportedly become the "largest meeting of women in the country"[2] and a celebration of "lives and lessons".[3] Its main stage presentations and seminar sessions have addressed personal topics such as work-life balance, service and volunteerism, healthy lifestyles, spirituality and families, professional issues such as professional development, financial planning, entrepreneurialism and communications, as well as social issues like women's maternal health, global poverty, climate change and emergency preparedness.
The event is staged at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, usually in October.
Every year, substantial portions of the event are made available free through a live streaming webcast at The Women's Conference's web site.[4]
Erin Mulcahy Stein is the current Executive Director of The Women's Conference,[5] which is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
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The Women's Conference 2007 sold out in less than three days, a conference record.[6] The conference gathered nearly 14,000 participants on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007, and featured a panel discussion moderated by Shriver of five presidential candidates' spouses, Jeri Thompson, Michelle Obama, Cindy Hensley McCain, Elizabeth Edwards and Ann Romney.[7] Bill Clinton did not attend because of a scheduling conflict,[8] though Shriver joked that he had been "invited to serve coffee".[9] The conversation touched on the role of the spouses in the campaign, the public's perceptions of the spouses, preparing their families for and protecting them from the campaign.[10] Jon Stewart lampooned the first-ever "wives debate" on the October 30 edition of Comedy Central's The Daily Show.[11]
Also in 2007, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman moderated a conversation on leadership and the environment between former Prime Minister Tony Blair and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Due to the October 2007 California wildfires, Governor Schwarzenegger was unable to attend the conference in person and instead participated briefly via live satellite, giving an update on the status of the fires and fire fighters.[12][13]
In 2006, His Holiness the Dalai Lama delivered his "first-ever address to a women's conference" on stage with Maria Shriver.[14] His Holiness expressed his belief that women can change the world with compassion and kindness and he reportedly led the 14,000 women through a meditation exercise.
In 2005, Barbara Walters and Maria Shriver engaged in an on-stage conversation with Sandra Day O'Connor on the heels of her decision to leave the U.S. Supreme Court.[15]
Led by Maria Shriver's belief in the "power of WE",[16] The Women's Conference has formed partnerships, developed programs and supported initiatives that extend the inspiration of the conference for "more than just a day" and empower women everywhere.
WE Care supports solutions around women's health issues throughout the world. In partnership with Meredith Corporation, the initiative supports the work of CARE, a leading humanitarian organization, to save the lives of thousands of pregnant women in Africa and Latin America. WE Care encourages the women of California – and beyond – to join the movement to empower women in the developing world to overcome extreme poverty while proving much needed funds to fight mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Zambia and train midwives in Nicaragua to assist with safe deliveries. Participants in The Women's Conference 2007 showed their support for WE Care by making financial contributions and a visual sign of support: women dipped their hands in orange and yellow paint and left handprints on a banner that Maria Shriver will hand-deliver to the Care project sites in Nicaragua and Zambia.
WE Invest promotes women's financial security and economic empowerment, helping to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of each and every California woman. WE Invest supports California-based non-profit organizations that help women overcome social and economic barriers in their journey out of poverty.[17]
The Minerva Leadership Program seeks to inspire, educate and empower young women leaders who are civically oriented and socially conscious to be the architects of their own lives and to make a difference in the world. The Minerva Leadership Program inspires young women to become leaders in their homes, schools and communities. As part of this program, and in collaboration with the Women's Foundation of California, 500 ethnically and geographically diverse California women, ages 16 – 22, are invited as special guests to participate fully in The Women's Conference and attend two seminar sessions created just for them. Minerva Leadership Program participants must pledge to perform an additional 10 hours of service to their communities, which leads to more than 5,000 hours service to California's communities.
Created by Shriver in 2004, the Minerva Awards[18] honors remarkable women who have stepped forward in the spirit of Minerva and changed their country with their courage, their strength and their wisdom.[19] The Minerva Awards are presented every year at The Women's Conference. Nominees are announced prior to the conference event, typically in September.
Minerva Award recipients have made extraordinary contributions in the areas of the Arts, Health and Sciences, Community Activism, Human Rights, Business and Technology, Motherhood, Innovation, Education and Finance. Many of the nominees not only have made a significant contribution to their profession, but they also impart their knowledge and skills to the next generation either by mentoring, or by working for the inclusion and retention of women in their field.[20]
The award is named after the Roman Goddess, Minerva, who graces the State Seal of California.
In 2007, Shriver expanded the awards to extend beyond California to honor a woman who has positively impacted the U.S. and world by honoring Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Executive Vice President of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation and Founder and Honorary Chair of Special Olympics International.[18]
The achievements of Minerva Award winners are chronicled in a permanent exhibit at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento and have become part of California's official archive.
| Year | Minerva Award Recipients |
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| 2010 |
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| 2009 |
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| 2008 |
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| 2007 |
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| 2006 |
Lifetime Achievement Minerva Award recipient:
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| 2005 |
Lifetime Achievement Minerva Award recipient:
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| 2004 |
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