Daily News

Women’s Fund CEO to Participate in White House Summit

EASTHAMPTON — The White House Council on Women and Girls invited Elizabeth Barajas-Román, CEO of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (WFWM), to participate in the United State of Women Summit, the first-ever large-scale effort to bring together advocates of gender equality to highlight what they’ve achieved, identify the challenges that remain, and chart the course ahead.

On Tuesday, June 14, Barajas-Román will join national partners during the main-stage lunch plenary, which will be streamed live across the globe at www.theunitedstateofwomen.org. Expected speakers and presenters include President Obama, Kerry Washington, and Oprah Winfrey. A full list can be found at www.theunitedstateofwomen.org/summit-details. The summit is a collaboration of the White House Council on Women and girls, the Department of State, Department of Labor, the Aspen Institute, and Civic Nation.

“We are eager to bring the voices of Western Massachusetts to the global conversation on women and girls and the problems we can fix together, in our lifetimes,” Barajas-Román said. “Our Women’s Fund was founded after another historic gathering, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, almost 20 years ago. Being at the table when history was made had a profound impact on local women and their families then, and we expect to return from the upcoming summit with equally game-changing innovations, connections, and a framework for change.”

The WFWM is a public foundation that connects donors with women and girls through strategic grant making and leadership development. Its signature, non-partisan program, the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI), is designed to provide women with the tools, mentors, and confidence they need to become powerful and effective civic leaders and elected officials.