Where in the World is Women Employed?

Do you hear that sound? No, not the birds chirping, wind whistling, or rain tapping on your window. We’re talking about the sound of Women Employed staff members going out into the world, sharing our work and engaging with partners on how we can continue removing barriers to economic equity. Whether it’s attending conferences on equitably increasing postsecondary attainment in Illinois, advocating for increased funding for Illinois’ youngest learners, or sharing our work on menopause in the workplace and the economic needs and challenges for women 50 and over, we remain steadfast in our mission to improve the economic status of women. And we do that by walking the talk.

Join us as we look back over the past month, starting with the 12th Annual Illinois Education and Career Success Network Conference at the end of February and be sure to keep following us to the end to learn more about what’s to come and how you can get involved.

12th Annual Illinois Education and Career Success Network Conference

On Tuesday, February 25th, WE’s Senior Career Pathways Manager, Tara Driver and Programs and Research Coordinator, Efrata Sasahulih attended the 12th annual Illinois Education and Career Success Network. This year’s theme, Building the Future We Want: Increasing Equitable Postsecondary Attainment, was designed for leaders in secondary and postsecondary education, local and state government, community-based organizations, policy advocates, grant makers, employers, and other stakeholders who were interested in equitably increasing postsecondary attainment in Illinois.

Early Childhood Advocacy Day

WE’s Directory of Policy, Sarah Labadie and Associate Director of Coalitions, Starr De Los Santos joined our partners, Child Care for All, COFI, Evanston Early Childhood Council, Illinois Action for Children, SEIU, Start Early and We, the Village on Tuesday, March 4th for Early Childhood Advocacy Day. The day-long event brought over 300 advocates to Springfield to advocate for Illinois’ youngest learners. Attendees shared their perspectives with legislators on the impact that increased funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant, ECACE, child care, home visiting, and Early Intervention would have on Illinois families and providers.

PwC International Women’s Day Community Fair

PwC held their International Women’s Day Community Fair on Friday, March 7th. WE’s Chief of Staff, Mary Kay Devine and Events and Volunteer Manager, Shelby Flores, participated in the event hosted by their Chicago Women’s Inclusion Network (CWIN).

In the spirit of this year’s International Women’s Day theme: #AccelerateAction, they joined other local nonprofits to provide team members with opportunities to get involved with our work.

We appreciate our partnership with PwC — from inviting us to lead workshops with their staff; to volunteering at our signature fundraising event, The Working Lunch; to selecting us as one of their “charities of choice,” and fundraising to support our mission. We look forward to continuing to work with them.

The Menopause Imperative

Sharmili Majmudar, WE’s Executive Vice President of Policy, Programs, and Research, attended an event entitled The Menopause Imperative: Advancing Care, Research, and Policy on Thursday, March 13th. Convened by UIC and Respin, a company founded by Halle Berry to provide reliable, accessible menopause information and support, the event featured expert panel discussions with leading women’s health researchers, clinicians, and advocates to explore actionable solutions to address the economic impact of menopause, expand healthcare access, and advance vital research to transform menopause care for women. Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton provided rousing remarks at the closing, announcing the introduction of a resolution in the Illinois General Assembly declaring October 12–18th, Illinois Menopause Awareness Week.

WE’s President and CEO, Cherita Ellens later joined Sharmili for a roundtable conversation with Halle Berry, UIC’s Dr. Pauline Maki, Lt. Gov. Stratton, and several state senators to further discuss menopause healthcare and midlife women’s health. Sharmili had the opportunity to share WE’s work on menopause in the workplace in the context of the economic needs and challenges for women 50 and over, including our successful advocacy for paid time off and our current effort to advance paid family and medical leave.

We appreciate the Lt. Governor and her team for their partnership, and as she said, “We need to stop wasting women’s time!”

The Joyce Foundation Educating and Economic Mobility Grantee Convening

On Wednesday, March 12th and Thursday, March 13th, The Joyce Foundation gathered grantee partners from across the Great Lakes region. Participants, of the convening, including WE’s President and CEO, Cherita Ellens and Director of Policy and Programs, Christina Warden, built and strengthened relationships with one another and deepened their knowledge about evidence-informed state and federal policies in the areas of educator workforces, the value if postsecondary education, and college and career pathways. Before leaving the two-day event, they also had the opportunity to exchange experiences and problem-solve together to exchange insights, build skills, and identify opportunities for collaboration with others.

Chicago Bar Association’s Women’s History Month Summit

Thank you to The Chicago Bar Association for including Women Employed in your Women’s History Month Summit on Thursday, March 13th. The event entitled, Women’s Legal Rights from Birth to Death, focused on the various touch points when a woman’s life intersects with the law. WE’s President and CEO, Cherita Ellens, participated in the Women in the Workplace panel, moderated by Gail Eisenberg and joined by Illinois Department of Labor Director Jane Flanagan, and Illinois Department of Human Rights Chief Legal Officer Betsey Madden. The panel discussed the evolving landscape of laws and regulations that impact women’s rights in the workplace at various times in their lives. Cherita provided attendees with a deeper dive into the gender and racial wage gap; the state of women in leadership; leave policies; sexual harassment; and the state of risk and compliance related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies.

Higher Education Advocacy Day

On Tuesday, March 18th, we joined friends from The Coalition for Transforming Higher Education and hundreds of advocates from around the state for the 2025 Higher Education Advocacy Day. This year’s theme, “Degrees of Change,” focused on decisions state legislators can make to help Black, brown, low-income, and first-generation students in Illinois complete college degree programs. WE’s Director of Advocacy and Policy, Sarah Labadie led students around the Capitol and watched as they spoke with Senator Michael Halpin, Chair of the Senate Education Appropriations Committee.

Advocates also educated elected officials in Springfield on why they need to:

• Prioritize and increase investments into the Monetary Award Program (MAP).
• Pass a student-focused, university funding formula to fix the inequities in how Illinois funds its four-year public institutions.

By addressing these systemic problems, it will make college more affordable for students and help them through degree completion.

Reclaiming Our Love — 4th Social Justice & Domestic Violence Conference

WE’s Senior Career Pathways Manager, Tara Driver and Policy and Research Coordinator, Efrata Sasahulih attended and presented at The Network’s 2025 conference entitled “Reclaiming Our Love”. Held on Wednesday, March 19th and Thursday, March 20th, the two-day event focused on “Advancing knowledge. Refining practice.” There, Tara and Efrata presented on findings from our Career Foundations: Intersecting Barriers pilot project, along with Smriti Shukla, the Advocacy Program Manager at Apna Ghar, who co-presented with them.

Women on the Move: Standing by My Sister Conference

On Thursday, March 19th, WE’s Executive Vice President of Policy, Programs, and Research, Sharmili Majmudar and Events and Volunteer Manager, Shelby Flores, represented WE at Roosevelt University’s Women on the Move: Standing by My Sister Conference. Shelby shared WE’s many resources and offerings, including our Summer Leadership Program, with students, faculty, and staff. And Sharmili led a workshop on understanding workplace rights.

The in-person event was all about celebrating sisterhood, supporting and lifting one another up, and focused on allyship, mental health in the workplace, financial literacy, and civic engagement. With attendees leaving feeling empowered to make a difference.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Women’s History Month Celebration

WE’s Senior Career Pathways Manager, Tara Driver and Associate Director of Coalitions, Starr De Los Santos, attended Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Women’s History Month celebration on Tuesday, March 25th. They even ran into former WE Director of Development, Christina Perez!

This celebration acknowledged the achievements, resilience, and contributions of women throughout history and today. And served as an opportunity to reflect on past progress, uplift voices of today, and look ahead towards a future of inclusivity and empowerment.

Still to Come!

April Advocacy Council Meeting

• Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• For in-person registration: https://bit.ly/4l26U5p
• For virtual: https://bit.ly/4200v1Z

April Marketing Council Meeting

• Tuesday, April 22, 2025, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
• For information and to register, email Racquel C. Fullman, Communications Coordinator at rfullman@womenemployed.org

The Working Lunch

• Thursday, May 22, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• To reserve your tables and purchase tickets, womenemployed.org/twl
• Interested in being a table leader or sponsor? Contact Mary Kay Devine at mdevine@womeneployed.org.