Women Leading NYC Forward, Turning Lived Experience into Citywide Change
State of New York City Women Conference 2026
Designed to inform, energize, and connect, the State of NYC Women Conference brings together keynotes, panels, and live community testimony.
Attendees will engage with the most pressing issues shaping women’s lives in NYC. Sessions will cover economic justice, health and reproductive justice, safety, education, civic participation, and inclusive governance.
Join the movement where women are leading NYC forward. Explore tickets to attend or sponsorships options to showcase your organization’s impact in advancing equity, leadership, and civic change.
Building on the momentum, insights, and collective power sparked at our inaugural convening, The State of NYC Women Conference returns in 2026 for its second-year. At a moment when women across New York City are navigating deep economic pressure, threats to health and safety, and barriers to civic participation, this Conference offers something rare: a space where lived experience, data, leadership, and solutions come together.
In 2025, more than 260 participants and 37 speakers helped launch a citywide movement grounded in women’s leadership and civic power. In 2026, we return with deeper insight, stronger partnerships, and a renewed commitment to turning dialogue into action.
Hosted by Women Creating Change, the Conference brings together over 250 women leaders, advocates, policymakers, funders, students, and community members from across all five boroughs to take stock of where NYC women are today and to chart what it will take to move from survival to thriving.
Individual Ticket Features & Benefits
The State of NYC Women Conference is your chance to be part of the movement shaping a stronger, more just New York City with leaders across sectors driving equity and civic change.
What You’ll Take With You
This conference is more than a moment, it's a movement! Register for our newsletter to receive event updates.
A look back at the 2025 Conference.
Attend the State of NYC Women Conference to connect, learn, and take action on the issues shaping women’s lives.
Connect from Anywhere
Online or in-person, the State of NYC Women Conference has something for you. Our hybrid format ensures that geography, caregiving responsibilities, or work schedules don’t limit who gets to be part of the conversation.
Explore how women across New York City are:
Online registration opening soon. Join the community for event updates and connect from wherever you are.
Read testimonials from our 2025 conference attendees.
Get to know the 2026 Speakers
Speakers are selected not only for their expertise, but also for their ability to connect systems, policy, and real-life impact. Our speakers are women leaders with lived experience who are shaping NYC’s future across health, safety, economic justice, civic life, and governance.
Before leading United Way of NYC, Grace C. Bonilla ran the city's Human Resources Administration, the largest social services agency in the country, and founded its COVID-19 Racial Equity Taskforce.
Seher Khawaja leads Equal Pay Today, a national coalition behind successful pay equity legislation in 44 states. Her writing on wage justice has appeared in The Hill, the Daily News, and Ms. Magazine.
First elected in 2002, Senator Liz Krueger chairs Albany's Senate Finance Committee. Founding co-chair of the Bipartisan Pro-Choice Caucus. Key force behind the Reproductive Health Act and NY's ERA.
Appointed by Mayor Mamdani in January 2026, Afua Atta-Mensah leads NYC's Office of Equity & Racial Justice. Her office delivered the Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan within 100 days.
Nathifa Forde leads NYC Her Future, a city initiative focused on young women and girls of color. Previously she led the NYC Young Men's Initiative and teaches at Medgar Evers College, her alma mater.
Developmental psychologist. 1,600+ scholarly citations. Lancet Commission advisor. Research lead on the State of the World's Men 2026 report. Dr. Taveeshi Gupta studies how gender norms shape violence and opportunity.
As Manhattan Borough President, Gale helped pass a reform to the deed restriction process, add “caregivers” to the City’s anti-discrimination law, and remove criminal history questions from initial employment applications.
Ana L. Oliveira has led The New York Women's Foundation for 20 years, growing grantmaking from $1.7 million to $125 million+ across 500 organizations. Previously ran Gay Men's Health Crisis for seven years.
Two decades in nonprofit leadership development. Columbia Business School alumna. Former Director of Training at the Workforce Professionals Training Institute. Tirza Barnes builds stronger leaders.
Sherry Hakimi co-founded Pirth.org after online harassment escalated to real-world threats. The platform now operates in 243 languages across six continents, serving people facing online violence.
Laura is a pioneering advocate with 30 years of experience at the intersection of racial justice, gender equality and economic justice. In a career spanning the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Ms. Edidin has sought justice for survivors of sexual violence, police misconduct and hate crimes.
Sharon has over 25 years of workforce and economic development experience at the local, state, and national levels. She is personally motivated to advance WCC’s mission and support initiatives to reduce social, racial, and economic disparities.
Ane is a policy strategist, social worker, and gender-based violence expert. Ane advances feminist, survivor-centered policies through research, coalition building, and legislative advocacy. She co-founded the EMPOWER Center to provide integrated care to survivors of sex trafficking.
Sponsorship Features & Benefits
Multi‑level opportunities are available for the Conference and Symposiums, offering visibility, engagement, and leadership alignment across WCC’s 2026 convenings.
Sponsorship offers more than recognition; as a sponsor, you’re investing in a more just, inclusive future for NYC. Our sponsors directly support community leadership programs that equip emerging leaders from historically underrepresented communities with the skills, tools, and platforms to drive change.
Support the Movement for Change: explore sponsorship opportunities below and discover how your organization can take a stand for equity and civic leadership.
Maximize your presence as a leadership partner and ally
Catalyze change for women in NYC
Advance cross-sector collaborations for effective change
Support future leaders
Why Your Support Matters?
Answer the call to invest in historically underfunded communities, empower leadership, and create lasting change. Become a supporter and help turn vision into action:
Your sponsorship fuels convening power, research, and solutions, helping ensure women across New York City not only survive, but thrive.
Meet the 2026 sponsors helping women lead NYC forward.
Their investment goes beyond recognition. Our sponsors are committed partners in advancing equity, dismantling barriers, and building the civic power that NYC women need to move from survival to real, lasting change. We are grateful for their support.
Let us answer any questions you may have!
If you have any questions or need more details, feel free to reach out to [email protected]
When: October 8, 2026 | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (reception to follow until 6:00 PM)
Where: Civic Hall, 124 East 14th Street, NYC
Inperson registration closes on September 28
Online registration closes on October 5
Your support fuels high-impact work that uplifts communities and drives measurable change.