The Texas Conference for Women is a nonprofit, nonpartisan

Nonpartisan

In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....

 leadership conference for women of all ages and backgrounds. The first annual conference was held in 2000 in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. Governor Rick Perry

Rick Perry

James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

 and First Lady

First Lady

First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...

 Anita Perry are the official hosts of the event, which has featured keynote speakers including Dr. Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...

, poet, author, educator and historian; Sarah Ferguson

Sarah, Duchess of York

Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...

, Duchess of York

Duchess of York

Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of York. The title is gained with marriage alone and is forfeited upon divorce. Four of the twelve Dukes of York did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, therefore there have only ever been eleven...

, writer and family health advocate; Ann Richards

Ann Richards

Dorothy Ann Willis Richards was an American politician from Texas. She first came to national attention as the state treasurer of Texas, when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Richards served as the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 and was...

, former Governor of Texas; Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina is an American business executive and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate representing California. Fiorina served as chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 and previously was an executive at AT&T and its equipment and technology spinoff,...

, former CEO of HP; Maria Hinojosa

Maria Hinojosa

Maria Hinojosa is a Mexican American broadcast journalist. She was Senior Correspondent for the PBS news magazine, NOW on PBS....

, Emmy-nominated journalist and author; and Melinda French

Melinda Gates

Melinda Ann French , later known as Melinda French Gates, is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the wife of Bill Gates...

 Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Traditionally, the conference has attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 7,500 women.

The one-day event consists of keynote addresses and breakout sessions led by experts in the fields of business, philanthropy, health, finance, media and professional development

Professional development

Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning...

. Attendees learn new communication skills, leadership strategies and work/life balance tools designed to enhance their professional and personal growth.

For the first eight years the executive forum was held at the Austin Convention Center

Austin Convention Center

The Neal Kocurek Memorial Austin Convention Center is a multi-purpose convention center located in Austin, Texas, USA. The building is the home of the Texas Rollergirls, and was also home to the Austin Toros basketball team, until their move to the Cedar Park Center in nearby Cedar Park in 2010.The...

 in Austin, Texas. On November 12, 2008, the conference will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Houston at the George L. Brown Convention Center

Convention center

A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...

. Tickets are sold online via the conference Web site.

The Texas Conference for Women Scholarship Program awards six $5,000 scholarships to qualified college women who balance academics, service and leadership to make a difference in the community. The scholarships are awarded in the fields of arts, business, education, math and science, public service and nursing at institutions of higher education in Texas.

Past speakers

2008
Meg Whitman,
Cherie Blair

Cherie Blair

Cherie Blair , known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is a British barrister working in the legal system of England and Wales. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; the couple have three sons and one daughter...

,
Marcus Luttrell

Marcus Luttrell

Marcus Luttrell is a former Petty Officer First Class and United States Navy SEAL. He received the Navy Cross for his actions in 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wing.-Early life:...

,
Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones is a Tony- and Obie Award-winning American playwright, actress, and poet.Called "a master of the genre" by The New York Times, Jones has written and performed four multi-character solo shows, including Bridge & Tunnel, which was produced Off-Broadway in 2004 by Oscar-winner Meryl...

,

2007
Carly Fiorina,
Nancy Giles

Nancy Giles

Nancy Giles is an American actress and television journalist .-Biography:...

,
Elizabeth Vargas

Elizabeth Vargas

Elizabeth Vargas is an American television journalist who is anchor of ABC's television newsmagazine 20/20 and ABC News Specials. She was previously an anchor of World News Tonight.-Early years:...

,
Mary Wilson

Mary Wilson

Mary Wilson may refer to:* Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx , British poet, widow of former British prime minister, Harold Wilson* Mary Wilson , American singer, member of The Supremes...

,

2006
Yolanda Adams

Yolanda Adams

Yolanda Adams is an American Grammy- and Dove-award-winning Yolanda Adams is an American [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]- and [[Dove Awards|Dove]]-award-winning...

,
Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker ,
Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Ph.D.,
Martha Stewart,

2005
Dr. Maya Angelou,
Sarah Ferguson,
Melinda Gates,
Maria Hinojosa,

2004
Jennifer Berman, M.D.,
Laura Berman, LSCW, Ph.D.,
Kathleen Daelemans,
Rend Rahim Francke,
Sara Martinez Tucker,

2003
Lindy Boggs

Lindy Boggs

Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs, usually known as Lindy Boggs , is a United States political figure who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later as ambassador to the Vatican. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Louisiana...

,
Vonetta Flowers

Vonetta Flowers

Vonetta Flowers is an American bobsledder and athlete. Flowers was a star sprinter and long jumper at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and originally aspired to make the U.S. Summer Olympic Team...

,
Karen Hughes

Karen Hughes

Karen Parfitt Hughes is the Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller. She served as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State with the rank of ambassador. She resides in Austin, Texas.-Early life:Born in Paris, France, she is the daughter...

,
Cokie Roberts

Cokie Roberts

Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Roberts , best known as Cokie Roberts, is an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author. She is a contributing senior news analyst for National Public Radio as well as a regular roundtable analyst for the current This Week with Christiane...

,
Rebecca Roberts,

2002
Bertice Berry

Bertice Berry

Dr. Bertice Berry is an American sociologist, author, lecturer, and educator.Berry grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. She graduated magna cum laude from Jacksonville University in Florida, and earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Kent State University in Ohio, at the age of 26.She later worked as an...

, Ph.D.,
Ruth J. Simmons

Ruth J. Simmons

Ruth Jean Simmons is the 18th and current president of Brown University, the first black president of an Ivy League institution. Simmons was elected Brown's first female president in November 2000. Simmons assumed office in fall of 2001....

, Ph.D.,
Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas is an American author and former news service reporter, member of the White House Press Corps and opinion columnist. She worked for the United Press and post-1958 successor United Press International for 57 years, first as a correspondent, and later as White House bureau manager...

,

2001
Bertice Berry, Ph.D.,
Nely Galan,
Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison

Mae Carol Jemison is an American physician and NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992.-Early years:...

,
Geraldine Laybourne

Geraldine Laybourne

Geraldine Laybourne founded Oxygen Media and served as its chairman and chief executive officer until it was sold in 2007 to NBC Universal. Oxygen was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape—creating a television network targeted to younger women...

,
Ann W. Richards,

2000
Christine Haubegger,
Pat Mitchell

Pat Mitchell

Pat Mitchell is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of The Paley Center for Media in New York City and the former President and CEO of Public Broadcasting Service ....

,
Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...

,