Nearly 11,000 Gathered for the 20th Anniversary of the Nation’s Largest Conference for Women
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BOSTON, Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The 20th annual Massachusetts Conference for Women, the largest women’s conference in the nation, attracted nearly 11,000 attendees and an extraordinary lineup of speakers to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center yesterday.
2024 Massachusetts Conference for Women
Highlighting the event, Oprah Winfrey encouraged women to focus on listening to their intuition and the intention behind their goals and actions.
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“I want to leave you with the idea not to do anythng that does not come from yourself,” Oprah said. “That’s sometimes hard to do in business, but you can find the thread of what is the next right thing for you.”
In conversation with Gayle King, Co-Host of CBS Mornings and Editor-at-Large at Oprah Daily, she also encouraged women to act in service of things greater than themselves and recognize that purpose is not the result of one thing but everything they do.
“What is your way to create an offering of your life, your life force, and give that in such a way that you are rewarded in your spirit and every life you touch is rewarded by your touch and the power of your touch?” she asked. “That’s the goal.”
The Massachusetts Conference for Women is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides professional and personal development and community building. Nearly 11,000 women attended this year’s 20th annual event, which was held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
While celebrating women’s progress and addressing ongoing challenges in the workplace and beyond, this year’s event focused on the theme of “Power in Unity.”
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Women’s basketball legend and 2024 Time Magazine Athlete of the Year Caitlin Clarkspoke about the power of confidence, not backing down, and exceeding expectations.
Saying her mother never backed down from anything, which rubbed off on her, Clark urged women to “go after things people say you can’t do because more times than not you can do it. But believe you can because the power of belief is instrumental.”
In conversation with Robin Roberts, Co-Anchor of Good Morning America and president of Rock’n Robin Productions, Clark also discussed pay equity in sports.
The future of pay equity “will continue to improve,” she said, because of the growing interest in women’s basketball. “People always ask where women’s sports will go. It is hard to say because we’re exceeding expectations. No one ever expected us to be where we are now, and I think we will continue to skyrocket.”
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Governor Maura Healey delivered a powerful message about the importance of representation and women stepping forward and leading.
“It is a hard and challenging time, but you all were built for it,” Healey said. “Women across this country were built for it. This is not a moment to step back; it is a moment to step forward and lead. So, more than ever, make sure your voices are heard.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered a pre-recorded message to celebrate a proclamation honoring the 20th anniversary of the Conference.
Gail Devers, five-time Olympian in track and field and Thyroid Eye Disease Patient Advocate, and Beverly Johnson, Supermodel, New York Timesbest-selling Author, Actress, & Businesswoman, also addressed the crowd in conversation with two-time Peabody Award-winning journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
The Massachusetts Conference for Women, presented by State Street, is part of the Conferences for Women, the nation’s largest network of women’s conferences. The network’s conferences in Pennsylvania, California, Massachusetts, and Texas attract more than 55,000 people annually.
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The Conferences for Women will also host a nationwide virtual gathering on March 5, 2025. Learn more here.
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It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.
In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.
In Danvers, Mass. the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars on March 4, 2026.
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CBS Boston
In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.
Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”
The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.
“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.
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“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.
Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.
“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”
With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.
“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man.
Massachusetts families are stuck in the Middle East amid the war in Iran, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey says the State Department needs to do more to get them home.
The Trump administration is telling Americans to leave the region, and families would love to, but they haven’t been able to get out.
Stacey Schuhwerk of Hingham has been sheltering in place in a Doha hotel since Saturday.
“We hear the missiles outside,” she said. “We can see them.”
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The Hingham mother and her son are among nearly 1,600 Americans trapped in the Middle East with no way to get home.
“Airspace is shut down. There’s no planes,” said Schuhwerk. “There’s no way to leave.”
Flights between Boston and the Middle East are canceled or delayed as travelers express anxiety over the conflict.
At first, U.S. officials told people to shelter in place and register with the State Department — something Schuhwerk did days ago.
“There’s no help there. The last time we called was 20 minutes ago, and they continue to say that ‘We don’t know anything about any plans for government help to get people out,’” she said.
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Embassies and consulates across the region — including the U.S. Embassy in Israel — have now suspended services, saying they simply can’t get Americans out.
“They did not have a plan to conduct this war, and they clearly did not have a plan as to how to evacuate innocent families,” Markey said.
The senator says his office is hearing from Massachusetts families, and he’s pressuring the Trump administration to come up with an evacuation plan fast.
“We are going to apply that pressure on the State Department until every American who wants to leave that region is out,” he said.
Back in Doha, Schuhwerk keeps watching the war outside her window.
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“The talk here is ‘How much defensive ammunition’s left?’ Good question, you know, because the missiles aren’t stopping,” she said. “So how long are we going to be safe here?”
With no clear end to this conflict, she’s worried she could be stuck there for weeks.
Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.
The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.
The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.
For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.
The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.
The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.
Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.
That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!
Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.
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