Volume One, Issue Two

Women's Conference Brings Nation's Most Influential Women to Long Beach Lesley Stahl, Betty Ford, and Olivia Goldsmith Deliver Keynote Addresses to 7,000 Women

	For the fifth consecutive year, the "Call to Action" Governor Pete Wilson’s Conference for Women drew sell-out crowds at the Long Beach Convention Center. The 1996 conference, entitled "Passing the Torch - Women Mentoring Women," was attended by more than 7,000 participants -- the largest group of participants in the conference’s five-year history. Delivering this year’s keynote addresses were "60 Minutes" anchorperson Lesley Stahl, former First Lady Betty Ford and her daughter Susan Ford Bales, and First Wives’ Club author Olivia Goldsmith. In addition to the keynote addresses, the conference provided participants with nearly 40 panels to choose from, ranging in topic from women’s roles in the film industry, personal management skills, how to write effectively, and an analysis of the last election cycle. The diversity of panelists and speakers also brought out a diverse group of media to cover the event, including Daily Variety, Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Estylo Magazine, and USA Today. The conference is also being highlighted on E! Entertainment Television’s "The World’s Most Intriguing Women" special to air in March. Interviews with former First Lady Betty Ford and political strategist Susan Estrich, the first woman to ever run a presidential campaign, were taped for the special on E!. Although the "Call to Action" conference focuses on providing women with strategies for personal and professional success, the conference also offers five $5,000 scholarships to deserving students attending California educational institutions. One scholarship is awarded in each of the following categories: Health/Medicine; Law Enforcement; Education; Business; and Math/Science. Winners included Theresa Marie Koppie (Health/Medicine); Angela Michelle Craig (Law Enforcement); Michele Elise Betton (Education); Wendi Nicole Smith (Business); and Gloria Maria Amador (Math/Science). Scholarships are funded by proceeds from the conference -- no state money is used to fund these scholarships. One of the ways in which money is raised for the annual scholarships is through the donations made by corporations and companies that sponsor the conference. Among this year’s many sponsors were Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Bristol-Myers Squibb and The Gap. The conference, which sold-out in a matter of weeks, is the largest and most successful one-day women’s conference in the country. Conference organizers had to turn away more than 5,000 women interested in attending this year’s conference after it sold-out. Links to related sites: Governor’s Office | Microsoft Corp. | Excite Review
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