01 Jul We Did! PBWC 2025 Conference Highlights from Our Board Chair and President
Dear PBWC Community,
We Did!
On June 18th, our incredible community of women and allies came together in the heart of Silicon Valley at the gorgeous and sustainable campus of our presenting sponsor Microsoft, united by a shared purpose to learn, connect, and be inspired. The 2025 PBWC Conference featured a powerful lineup of speakers, including financial literacy expert Vivian Tu, professor Alison Fragale, and author and activist Stacey Abrams. We also heard from trailblazing leaders at Kaiser Permanente, PG&E, Genentech, and HP Inc.
For those who couldn’t join us in person, PBWC upheld its commitment to accessibility and inclusion by offering all keynote sessions, plus exclusive breakout content and live online discussions, through our virtual venue. Thank you to Lisa Braithwaite, Karla Blanco, Vanessa Errecarte, and Melissa Schwartz for their insightful workshops, and Safiya Jihan Adams, Beatriz Perez Sanz, Karen Laidlaw, Paula Berg, and Deepti Srivastava for leading online discussion groups.
We also celebrated excellence and impact at our Conference Awards Reception, where we honored five standout leaders whose work is transforming industries and uplifting others. Congratulations again to Vasu Jakkal, Stacey Malueg, Anneliese Olson, Trish Rodriguez, and Stephanie Williams, our 2025 PBWC Industry Leader Award recipients. Your leadership, authenticity, and vision inspire us all.
We revealed our inspiring 2025 PBWC Scholarship Program award recipients who we are proud to support as they head into their undergraduate programs this fall.
It is always inspiring to hear from PBWC’s Founder, Supervisor and Former Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who spoke lovingly of Judy Bloom, PBWC’s Founding President, who passed away in January 2025. Jackie shared that Judy loved this year’s theme, We Will, and encouraged us to continue Judy’s legacy by advocating fiercely for equality and opportunity for all women.
At a time when some organizations are retreating from their investment in women, PBWC once again stood firm, offering programs designed to help women advance, thrive, and lead with purpose.
In the spirit of our 2025 theme We Will:
- Vivian Tu urged us to invest in our future selves through intentional budgeting and smart financial choices.
- Professor Alison Fragale explored the power of balancing caring with competence, and how to cultivate “other promoters” who advocate for us.
- Stacey Abrams reminded us that embracing risk and practicing failure builds resilience for life’s inevitable challenges.
- Eva Sage-Gavin, Tongtong Wang, and Amy Fox beautifully shared hard truths about feedback, and the critical importance of both soliciting and offering feedback to support employee growth.
- Trish Rodriguez of Kaiser Permanente embodied kindness in leadership.
- And I had the pleasure of interviewing Carla Peterman of PG&E, who shared how she practices leading with love every single day.
My heart is full as I reflect on the breadth and depth of the wisdom shared. No matter where you are in your career, these insights are either fresh revelations or timely reminders of what truly matters.
But the very best part of this conference? You.
Whether you joined in person or online, your energy, commitment, and belief in PBWC make everything we do possible.
It’s a privilege to serve on PBWC’s Board and an absolute joy to lead it. Thank you to each of our attendees and sponsors for supporting We Will. Together, I’m confident we can continue to grow, adapt, and rise, in community with one another.
With gratitude,
Diana Sroka
President and Board Chair
Professional BusinessWomen of California