LeadHERship Conference

LeadHERship Conference Logo

Welcome to the LeadHERship Conference—a biennial gathering dedicated to reshaping STEM by empowering women and gender minorities, and championing social justice and equity. Hosted by the Lore-El Center for Women’s Leadership, this conference unites individuals from diverse backgrounds for a day of motivation, networking, skill-building, and professional development.

Register for the LeadHERship Conference

Join the 2023 Leadership Conference! Register by Friday, October 27.

2023 LeadHERship Conference: November 10 & 11

The 2023 LeadHERship Conference will begin on Friday, November 10, with a featured keynote speaker followed by a community reception. On Saturday, November 11, registrants will be invited to choose from a variety of educational workshops throughout the day, including a luncheon, closing keynote speaker, and networking reception. 

LeadHERship Conference sessions provide an opportunity for participants from Stevens and our surrounding communities to present and discuss ideas on current and emerging topics in any of the following four thematic areas:

  • Re-Imagining Gender & Leadership: new and trailblazing ideas on who and what makes a leader 

  • Justice & Equity in STEM: conversations at the intersection of STEM and social justice 

  • Trending Topics: current and global matters relating to gender equity, inclusion, or related topics   

  • Personal & Professional Empowerment: skill development in leadership and identity development

While this conference focuses on gender equity and empowerment of women and gender minorities, participants of all gender identities are encouraged to join this transformative experience to foster inclusivity in STEM!

Call for Program Proposals

The LeadHERship Conference planning committee invites Stevens faculty, staff, graduate students, alumni (in addition to invited community leaders) to submit educational workshops or panel session proposals to be included in this year’s conference offerings.

2023 LeadHERship Conference Speakers

Dr. Safiya NobleDr. Safiya Noble

Dr. Safiya Noble is a 2021 MacArthur Fellow, a recipient of the inaugural NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, and author of the highly acclaimed Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (NYU Press). She is an Associate Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she Co-Founded the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2). She and her work have been featured in Time, The Guardian, the BBC, CNN International, Wired, The New York Times, among many others. Her talks and research focus on the ways that digital media impacts our lives and intersects with issues of race, gender, culture, and technology.

Dr. Johné Parker Dr. Johné Parker

Johné M. Parker is the inaugural Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kentucky. She is a proud Yellow Jacket who received her degrees from the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her industry career includes working as a roustabout in an oil field and a process engineer on the manufacturing floor. Dr. Parker’s research interests are in the areas of systems and control, wireless sensing, intelligent manufacturing and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in STEM. She has mentored many amazingly diverse and talented high school, undergraduate and graduate students in her lab. She is also interested in science and technology policy and was honored to serve as an ASME Congressional Fellow in the Office of Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND, retired) on a wide range of issues from appropriations to emerging technologies.

Check back here for more exciting speaker announcements to come!

Important Information and FAQs

Past Conference Speakers

Past Conference Workshops

Conference Host and Sponsor Information

Lore-El Center for Women's Leadership LogoThe LeadHERship Conference is hosted by the Lore-El Center for Women’s Leadership, and co-sponsored by the Office of Student Culture and Belonging, Graduate Student Life, Undergraduate Student Life, and Development and Alumni Engagement, along with generous support provided by alumni and the Office of the President | Diversity & Inclusion. Learn more and contact us at [email protected]