22nd Annual Conference

Keynote Speakers

As a thought leader, author, manager and corporate executive, Abigail Posner has spent her life catalyzing change and creating impact. Thanks to her degree in Social Anthropology from Harvard University, Abigail shines a unique, humanistic lens on culture, business and technology that brings fresh perspective to corporate culture, product development, branding and marketing.

Whether by leading brands at DDB and Publicis to new strategic spaces; guiding teams to reinvent themselves with new tools and practices at Google; stimulating organizations to adopt new cultures and modes of behavior; challenging the cultural conversations around beauty; or motivating audiences to reexamine themselves, Abigail is driven to spark novel thinking and lead people to take action on it.

Today, as Head of Strategic Planning at the ZOO, Google’s creative think tank for agencies and brands, Abigail’s role is to help advertisers and marketers make sense of human beings’ deep, emotional relationship to the digital space and convert those insights in strategic and creative efforts.  While at Google, she launched an industry-first thought leadership series on human beings’ emotional relationships with the digital space: Humanizing Digital.  This research decodes technology in an inspiring and useful way.

Prior to joining Google, Abigail was Executive Vice President, Strategy Director at Publicis New York, and Head of Strategic Planning at DDB New York.  She blogs regularly on topics around beauty in our culture at Beautyskew.com, she has published a range of articles on marketing, digital culture and beauty, and is a contributor to Advertising Age & Google’s sites.  Abigail’s been featured in a host of publications including: Business Insider, Huffington Post, NY Times, La Presse, CNBC, Mumbrella, AdNews, B&T & Globes Israel.

Vernā Myers is an inclusion strategist, cultural innovator, thought leader, and social commentator. She’s known for her high-energy keynotes, her captivating insights, and her ability to help people bridge differences and connect more meaningfully. A Harvard-trained lawyer and founder of The Vernā Myers Company , Verna was recently made VP, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix. In this newly created role, she will help devise and implement strategies that integrate cultural diversity, inclusion and equity into all aspects of Netflix’s operations worldwide.

Vernā is the author of Moving Diversity Forward: How to Go From Well-Meaning to Well-Doing and What If I Say the Wrong Thing? 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People . Her inspiring TED talk, “ How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them ,” offers three ways any person can become an active participant in countering bias in themselves and in others to create a more just world. Vernā has been cited in The Atlantic, Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, and TED NPR Radio.

For the last two decades, Vernā and The Vernā Myers Company have helped organizations eradicate barriers based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and other differences with the aim of establishing a new, more productive and just status quo. As Vernā puts it, “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.”® Vernā calls Baltimore home and when she’s not working, she’s unwinding on long road bike rides, visiting with family, or traveling the globe with her son, Tres.

2018 Founders’ Award Recipients

Past Founders’ Awards Recipients

2018 Host Committee

Pre-Conference Chapters’ Meeting

Founders’ Awards Event

Conference Schedule

In accordance with WPF Press Policy, all Conference functions are designated *public with restrictions*; attendance at the Conference by members of the press is deemed acceptance of these terms.

Accommodations

Limited overnight accommodations have been reserved at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. We recommend booking early to ensure room availability – Group rate available until September 11th.

Reservation Booking Link

Other Accommodations

We would like to thank our sponsors for supporting Women in Public Finance.

Program Sponsors

Lunch Sponsors

Breakfast Sponsors

Post Conference Reception Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Sponsors

Introducing the Women in Public Finance Mentorship Program