04 Jan PBWC celebrates 35 years in 2024!
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 4, 2024 –
In this Mixed Moment, PBWC Celebrates 35 Years
Dear PBWC Community,
Cheers to 2024—a special new year.
35 years ago, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (Ret.) and a small group of passionate champions for women sat around the coffee table of PBWC Founding President Judy Bloom. These women imagined and designed a space where women could come together to learn, connect and be inspired as they prepared to enter or re-enter the workforce. The inaugural conference has grown to reach thousands of women and allies in dozens of countries.
In this new year, we continue the momentum that began around that coffee table, with a recognition that we are in a mixed moment for women.
Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and the Barbie movie have been touchstones for female empowerment in highly feminine forms. We have also seen a shrinking wage gap, and a return to pre-pandemic numbers for women in the workplace, driven by a strong demand for labor and recognition that remote and hybrid work are here to stay.
Conversely, global unrest dominates daily headlines, interest rates are at a 22-year high, and student loan payments resumed in Fall 2023, further squeezing the younger segment of the PBWC cohort. Women’s freedom to make choices about their own bodies continues to be under siege. Companies are not prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion with the same intentionality. And we live in an “always on” work culture, which makes it hard for women to balance their responsibilities to family and home.
Some women are prepared to take on the world, while others are feeling overwhelmed, oversubscribed, and struggling. We are in a mixed moment, which is why we welcome you to join us for year-long programming to support and uplift you in this unsettling time.
PBWC invites you to “BeYou!” in 2024. We will help you nurture personal and professional skills designed to heighten your confidence, so you feel empowered to be yourself in all places, at all times, and in all ways. We will embrace, uplift, and celebrate you as you.
I am thrilled to share that PBWC returns to Moscone Center in San Francisco on May 23, 2024, for what promises to be an unforgettable experience of celebration, community, learning, and inspiration. There has never been a better time to engage and invest in yourself and celebrate your authenticity and uniqueness.
I have been a grateful member of PBWC for many years. I have lasting memories of being in community with all of you, in person and virtually. I have learned from you, and continue to be inspired by your curiosity, passion, and contributions. Happy New Year to you all and thank you for making PBWC California’s premier professional women’s organization for 35 years and counting!
With appreciation and optimism,
Nicole Soluri
PBWC CEO