East Bay Women's Conference 2024

The East Bay Women's Conference is a premier one-day conference with the mission to inspire and empower women from all walks of life. It will be a day filled with inspiring keynote speakers and opportunities to connect with others. The conference was held in March 2024 at the Lesher Center for the Arts, located in downtown Walnut Creek at 1601 Civic Drive.

Event Photo Gallery

Keynote Speakers

Felecia Hatcher

CEO of Pharrell William’s Black Ambition Opportunity Fund, author of Genius Jam

About Felecia Hatcher

Felecia is the CEO of Pharrell William’s Black Ambition Opportunity Fund, author of Genius Jam. Felecia is an innovative powerhouse, personal transformation speaker, entrepreneur, and author, whose work shapes the way individuals show up, are valued, and financially benefit from playing full out in the innovation economy. Companies like, Google, Spotify, Disney, Chanel, Door Dash, Target, Samsung, and Etsy call on Felecia to help them empower their teams and shape their inclusive innovation strategies, but moreover empower their teams to step into their Zone of Genius to unlock massive opportunities for their lives and careers. Felecia has been featured on Bloomberg, Good Morning America, NBC Today Show, MSNBC, The Cooking Channel, Wall Street Journal, and White House Champion of Change Honoree.

Allison Massari

Renowned Inspirational Speaker, Entrepreneur, Celebrated Artist

About Allison Massari

While most speakers have a story to tell, there are a select few with one so impactful and poignant that the audience is forever changed. That is what happens when Allison Massari speaks. Her potent message has reached audiences in more than 75 countries and is a testament to hope, indestructible perseverance, and radical compassion. She has been named one of the Top Ten Best Motivational Speakers in North America by Meetings and Conventions Magazine and has forged her path to success with creativity, tenacity, and deep gratitude. Having survived two devastating and near fatal car accidents, Allison discovered an unshakeable strength and courage and carefully learned the intricacies of what it takes to overcome adversity and live with heart. Her breathtaking keynote blends powerful life lessons with insightful and awe-inspiring stories, supporting people to boldly access grace and resilience to transform and energize their lives. As an international keynote speaker, executive coach, and award-winning visual artist, Allison Massari ignites vitality, inspires confidence, and offers essential tools for self-mastery to audiences worldwide.

Kelly Swanson

Award-Winning Storyteller, Hall of Fame Speaker, Hair Piece Addict

About Kelly Swanson

Kelly Swanson is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, motivational speaker, Huffington Post Contributor, and cast member of The Fashion Hero television show airing on Amazon Prime. She is also the author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, The Land of If Only, The Story Formula, and The Affirmation Journal for Positive Thinking. In July of 2022 she was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame.

Kelly’s wacky wit and powerful stories have charmed hearts and tickled funny bones for over 18 years. In addition to her role as a funny motivational speaker, Kelly teaches people how she does it by sharing what she has learned about connecting and engaging to have more influence in business through the use of one tool – strategic storytelling. Sharing her own powerful journey through story and the formula she discovered, you come to that magical place where the art of story meets the business of persuasion.

Event Emcee

Joy Ofodu

Voice Actor and CEO of Joy Ofodu LLC, Podcast Host of Dating Unsettled, Emcee

About Joy Ofodu

As a celebrated voice actor and Creative Executive, Joy Ofodu has drawn over 35M views to her original digital comedy content including two original shows, Dating Unsettled and Who Needs This. Under her self-titled media company, she has grown a highly engaged community of more than 280,000 online daters and meditators in just three years. Joy’s dating podcast Dating Unsettled, has been lauded for its “vulnerability” and “energizing” “impressions, voiceovers, and stories” curated to validate and empower women and non-binary daters globally. Her imaginative voiceover performances can be heard in children’s animation, online and console games, film, and music. Joy is proud to have partnered with tens of trusted brands including HBO Max, Disney, The Daily Shine, Blizzard Entertainment, Meta, Dove, Netflix, DIRECTV, Fenty Beauty and more through her Black-woman owned, Bay Area-based business.

Joy Ofodu | From Joy to the World

Host of Dating Unsettled

Event Schedule

ACT ONE

8:00 – 8:30 Registration
8:30 – 9:15 Kick Off
9:15 – 10:15 The Survival Guide to Being Human
Allison Massari, Renowned Inspirational Speaker, Entrepreneur, Celebrated Artist

INTERMISSION

10:15 – 11:00 Speaker Meet and Greet and Book Signing

ACT TWO

11:00 – 12:30 EBWC Master Class A: Success Leaves Clues
Allison Tabor, Moderator, Founder, Coppia Advisory,
Panelists:

Dr. Dawnte’ Early, President and CEO at United Way California Capital Region. West Sacramento City Council
Pamela Galley, Senior Vice President and Area Manager, Kaiser Permanente Diablo Service Area
Kristin Manz, Vice President, Finance and Planning, PG&E
Karen McDonald Burkhart, Founder, Latitude Wine

11:00 – 12:20 EBWC Master Class B: You. Your Story. Your Impact.
Kelly Swanson, Award-Winning Storyteller, Hall of Fame Speaker, Hair Piece Addict

INTERMISSION
12:30 – 1:40 Lunch/Speaker Meet and Greet and Book Signing
Exhibitors/Networking

ACT THREE

1:45 Kyana Fanene, Vocalist

1:55 – 2:55 Genius Jam Felecia Hatcher, CEO of Pharrell William’s Black Ambition Opportunity Fund, author of Genius Jam

3:00 – 4:00 Who Highjacked My Fairy Tale, Kelly Swanson, Award-Winning Storyteller, Hall of Fame Speaker, Hair Piece Addict

4:15 – 5:15 Wine Reception/Speaker Meet and Greet and Book Signing/Networking
Exhibitors

Seated theater audience at the East Bay Women's Conference 2023

Crowd networking at the 2023 East Bay Women's Conference

Two women getting photo taken in crowded gallery

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who has spoken at this conference in years past?

What does event registration include?

What can I expect for the check-in and event registration process?

How can I get to the conference?

The conference will take place at the Lesher Center for the Arts, located at 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, California 94596.

Driving:

From Oakland/San Francisco
- Take Highway 24 to 680 North
- Exit at Ygnacio Valley Road
- Turn Right off exit
- Turn Right onto California Blvd.
- Turn Left onto Civic Drive
- Turn Right onto Locust Street, the parking garage is on your right
From San Jose
- Take Highway 680 North
- Exit at Olympic Blvd.
- Turn Right onto Olympic from exit
- Turn Left onto California Blvd.
- Turn Right onto Civic Drive
- Turn Right onto Locust Street, the parking garage is on your right
From Concord/Sacramento
- Take 680 South
- Exit at Walnut Creek/North Main Street, go toward South Main Street
- Go straight, staying right toward California Blvd.
- Turn Left onto Civic Drive
- Turn Right onto Locust Street, the parking garage is on your right

Public Transportation:

The Lesher Center for the Arts is conveniently located near the Walnut Creek BART station and is also serviced on the free downtown Walnut Creek trolley service via County Connection.

Parking:

A parking garage is located adjacent to the Lesher Center on Locust Street (off of the corner of Civic and Locust.) Spots are limited; carpooling is highly encouraged.

How are cancellations, substitutions, and refunds handled?

What time should I arrive for the conference?

Be a part of the conference!

The East Bay Women's Conference (EBWC) is the premier women's conference in the Bay Area. The mission of the conference is to inspire and empower women from all walks of life. In 2024, the conference will be entering its nineteenth year. We invite you to join us as we continue to create an impactful and memorable conference for the attendees in 2024.

To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Bob Linscheid - President/CEO - bobl@walnut-creek.com

Shawn Filardi - Programs & Events Director - sfilardi@walnut-creek.com