Female leaders of all ages are invited to gather at Trent University this spring for an exciting new Women In Leadership & Business (WILB) Conference, marking the first time a conference of this kind has been hosted at a postsecondary institution.

The two day conference, which offers a place for leaders and interested members of the public to come together to invest in their development and connect with other great leaders in a transformative experience, will be hosted at Trent’s Peterborough campus on May 28 and 29 will include speakers from a range of different industries such as government, finance, insurance, technology, coaching, education, theatre, and professional sports. This conference will also integrate the Born2Lead Youth Leadership Conference, a national one-day conference for young leaders aged 16-26, which is held in connection with WILB, providing a forum for leaders of all ages to share and grow together.

“This is a great opportunity for Trent to offer our alumni and local business leaders a chance to connect, reflect, grow, and ultimately widen their impact,” said Lee Hays, director of Alumni Affairs at Trent University. “Having experienced WILB conference in Niagara this year, I felt how transformative of an experience it was. I can’t wait to share that with leaders in Peterborough, and our Trent community.”

“People tell us that WILB has changed their lives, that the connections they have made at WILB give them the courage, the confidence, and the learning to propel them to their next level,” explains Tammy Sweeney, CEO of the WILB Conference. “WILB at Trent University will amplify that, because you can’t help but feel at “home” at Trent. And when people come home they do their best reflection to move forward. We are so excited to partner with Trent in this initiative.”

The two day conference will cover topics such as: personal power; inclusiveness, diversity & accessibility; leveraging your inner brilliance; being heard; the confidence gap, and much more. The conference will open with an Indigenous Smudging ceremony and also include leader adventure activities on campus such as paddling, nature walks or runs, yoga, meditation and improv.

Trent alumni Rann Sharma, 01, an Honours BA Graduate, Krista Scaldwell, 90 an Honours BA graduate, Mary Bean, 88 a Sociology graduate, will be among the line-up of speakers at the conference. Other speakers include: the Unstoppable Tracy Schmitt (a Para Olympian, 4 way amputee adventurer), Jennine Profeta, an instructor at Second City, Heather Rea (Mindfulness), Carolyn Ellis (Brilliance Mastery), Samra Zafar (RBC and Founder of Brave Beginnings), Dawn Lavalle Harvard, director of Trent University's First People's House of Learning and educator and advocate for missing and murdered indigenous women.

Learn more about the conference or register. For Trent alumni who are interested in attending the WILB Conference, there is a promotional discount code available by emailing the Alumni Affairs office at alumni@trentu.ca.