PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 19, 2023 - More than 9,000 people came together today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Conference for Women, the largest conference for women in the Commonwealth.

Dame Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, now a fellow at Harvard University, spoke about the strong but authentic and empathetic style of leadership for which she became famous.

She also spoke about the importance of recognizing that women should not be expected to carry all the responsibilities they do on their own.

"Instead of normalizing supermoms, we should normalize that superheroes have sidekicks. I never did anything alone, and we should stop pretending that women should," said Dame Ardern.

The Pennsylvania Conference for Women is dedicated to advancing women in the workplace and beyond, the nonpartisan, nonprofit event focused on leadership, career advancement, and personal development issues.

Comedian, writer, and producer Tina Fey also spoke about the importance of diverse perspectives in the workplace. Fey broke barriers as the first female head writer on Saturday Night Live–and recalled that sometimes her colleagues didn't get her jokes because they were men.

"A lot of the resistance to ideas that women had, sometimes it wasn't even on purpose. It was just they didn't get it. You're [we were] referring to things that they didn't yet know," Fey said. Today, she added, "the biggest thing you can do is be a proponent for diversifying the room you are in."

Chef José Andrés, the founder of the World Central Kitchen, also spoke, emphasizing the need for action to solve big problems.

"Let's make sure that every time something happens, it's a moment for us to rise above the issue we are trying to solve," he said. He also encouraged people not to be overly tied to a plan but to be ready to adapt. "Women," he added, "are ready to adapt."

Mayor James Kenney and Olympian Gail Devers also addressed the gathering, and several dozen of the nation's top experts on workplace and personal development issues were also on hand, offering breakout sessions, mentoring, and more for attendees.

The Pennsylvania Conference for Women is presented by Bristol Myers Squibb.

The Pennsylvania Conference for Women is part of the Conferences for Women, the nation's largest network of women's conferences. Its conferences in Pennsylvania, California, Massachusetts, and Texas attract more than 50,000 people annually.

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SOURCE Pennsylvania Conference for Women