Shaping Tomorrow: Accelerating Gender Equity Today

Shaping Tomorrow Conference

Speakers  |  Agenda  |   Accommodations  |   Questions

May 21-22, 2025

Background

As we move into an era where the number of women law school graduates exceeds the number of men, there is a need for employers to hire the best available talent and create a workplace culture in which both women and men have excellent opportunities to advance and succeed. Yet longstanding gender equity issues persist, including women’s underrepresentation in leadership roles, compensation disparities, and the motherhood or caregiver penalty.  Added to these, are the new opportunities and challenges created by remote work, pushback on DEI efforts, and the rise of artificial intelligence.

What therefore can the profession do now to enhance gender equity and ensure that a robust number of women lawyers, including women of color, will remain and thrive in the legal profession? 

Goal

The Summit aims to bring together more than 100 thought leaders from business and law to examine and provide solutions that address the critical and current gender equity concerns in the legal profession.

Objectives

  • Create a knowledge-sharing platform for participants to examine cutting-edge research and engage in meaningful discussions about gender equity issues in the legal profession.
  • Support participants in devising actionable strategies, measures and benchmarks to promote gender equity, diversity and inclusion in the legal field. 
  • Facilitate synergies and development of networks among senior decision maker, who are responsible for the culture and values of their workplace, and the careers of more junior lawyers.

The Summit is by invitation-only.

Location

Both days of the Summit will take place at Northwestern Pritzker Law in downtown Chicago at 375 E Chicago Ave.

Speakers

See Biographies

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Agenda

Wednesday, May 21

12:00 pm – Registration

12:45 pm – Welcome

Hari Osofsky, Dean and Myra and James Bradwell Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Karol Corbin-Walker, Partner, Kaufman Dolowich & Chair, ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession
Alpha Brady, Executive Director, COO of the American Bar Association
Faith Gay, Founding Partner, Selendy Gay PLLC 

1:00 pm – Keynote Fireside Chat - "The Future of Gender Equity is in the Now" 

Keynote Speaker
Hon. Sharon Bowen, Chair of NYSE & Director of Intercontinental Exchange

Moderator
Alpha Brady, Executive Director and COO of the American Bar Association

Introduction
Nancy Gerrie, Retired Partner and Co-Chair, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice, Winston & Strawn

1:55 pm – Unearthing the Truth: Key Findings in Gender Equity Research

Panelists will highlight the findings from the current research on gender equity issues in the law.

Paulette Brown, Former President of the American Bar Association
Tracey E George, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education, Vanderbilt University
Kirsten Keegan Vasquez, Partner and Vice President, Law Firm Recruiting and Interim Legal Solutions, Major, Lindsey & Africa 
Stephanie Scharf, Partner, Scharf Banks Marmor LLC 

Moderator
Michelle Speller-Thurman, Divisional Vice President & Associate General Counsel, Licensing & Acquisitions, Abbott Laboratories

2:50 pm – Coffee Break

 

3:15 pm – Views from the Top: Grappling with the Challenges and Opportunities to Advance Gender Equity

This session features the leaders of three of the world's leading law firms discussing the challenges of and opportunities for firms to advance gender equity and other forms of diversity in Big Law.

Yvette Ostolaza, Chair, Management Committee, Sidley Austin LLP
Richard Trobman, Chair and Managing Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP

Moderator
Maria Doughty, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Chicago Network & Commissioner, ABA COmmission on Women in the Profession

4:15 pm – Breakout Sessions

 

Leadership Reimagined: Elevating Diverse Women into Leadership

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to support women, especially women from underrepresented groups moving into and excelling in leadership roles.

Tina Tchen, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, Obama Foundation
Emma Rodriguez-Ayala, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Ariel Investments
Kelley Cornish, Partner, Selendy Gay PLLC

Facilitator
Roberta Liebenberg, Senior Partner at Fine, Kaplan and Black, RPC & Co-Chair of the ABA Presidential Initiative on Achieving Long-Term Careers for Women in Law

Equal Pay, Equal Power: Transforming Compensation

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to improve gender pay equity at the highest level.

Kelly McNamara Corley, Principal, The Red Bee Group
Kalpana Srinivasan, Managing Partner, Susman Godfrey LLP

Facilitator
Paula Edgar, CEO of PGE Consulting Group LLC & Commissioner, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession

5:45 pm – Stretch Break

6:30 pm – Networking Dinner 


Thursday, May 22

8:00 am – Breakfast & Registration

9:15 am – Breakout Sessions


Life in Harmony: Mastering Work and Life

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to support better work life harmony and elimination of the motherhood/caregiver penalty.

Elisa Garcia, Principal, The Red Bee Group
Michelle Banks, Strategic Advisor and Coach, BarkerGilmore
Danielle Allison, President & Chief Executive Officer, Ms. JD

Facilitator
Stephanie Scharf, Partner, Scharf Banks Marmor LLC

He for She: Men as Gender Equity Champions

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to help men become champions of gender equity.

Peter M Reyes, Jr, Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals
George Chen, Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP & Commissioner, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession
William R. Bay, Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP & President, American Bar Association

Facilitator
Christine Evans Founder, Shared Roots Mediation & President, Evans Family Foundation

11:00 am - Coffee Break

11:20 am - Breakout Sessions


Smart Solutions: AI and Gender Equity

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to integrate AI without reinforcing negative gender and intersectional biases and also using AI to improve gender equity in the legal profession.

Anna Gressel, Counsel, Paul Weiss LLP & Commissioner, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession
Miriam Vogel, CEO and President, EqualAI
Donna Haddad, Vice President, Associate General Counsel, IBM Corporation

Facilitators
Gabrielle Kohlmeier, Managing Associate General Counsel for Verizon Consumer Group & Commissioner, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession

Advancing DEI: Today's Reality, Tomorrow's Actions  

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to improve DEI outcomes and address pushback/critique.

Ellen Kaye Fleishhacker, Co-Managing Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP
Alfreda Bradley-Coar, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal & People Officer, Obama Foundation
Marie Oh Huber, Board member, Portland General Electric & Adevinta ASA

Facilitator
Grace Aduroja, Manager of Women’s Initiatives, Williams and Connolly LLP

12:50 pm - Stretch Break

1:10 pm - Moving Forward: Key Takaways and Actions

1:55 pm - Lunch & Fun Activity / Excursion 

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Accomodations

To be announced.

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Questions?

For inquiries or information, contact genderequityinitiative@law.northwestern.edu. 

This Summit is by invitation-only.

 

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