History of the Conference

In 1979, a small group of Simmons School of Management alumnae decided to organize an annual event that would be part reunion, part continuing education. The result: the school’s first professional development conference that brought together 150 or so women business leaders from the Boston area. Hugely successful, the conference immediately became a local institution and a prime networking event.

By 1993, another small group of alumnae felt it was time to leverage the popularity of the conference to raise awareness about the Simmons MBA program. As the world’s only business program designed specifically for women, it was clear that the conference should remain primarily a women’s event. To expand the conference’s visibility beyond the Northeast, the alumnae group also decided to draw on speakers from around the country to discuss a greater variety of topics—both personal and professional—of concern to women. In the process, a new central theme emerged: is it possible to have it all and still have a life?

Knowing little about event management or speaker bureaus, the savvy committee discovered a way to bring Cokie Roberts to the podium to open the 14th annual conference. With such a high-profile keynote speaker, attendance broke the 400 mark for the first time—drawing not only Simmons alumnae, but also the general public. It was at this point that Working Woman magazine declared the event "one of the top conferences for your money!"

Template for Success

This new visibility and broad appeal opened a new chapter in the conference’s history, clarifying the need for professional management and for a higher level of corporate sponsor support. It then became just a matter of time before the Simmons event evolved into the nation’s premier one-day women’s leadership conference.

While skill-building workshops are still an integral part of each year’s program, educational sessions alternate with presentations by world-class keynote speakers on the order of Madeleine Albright, Benazir Bhutto, and Oprah Winfrey—to name only a few. In the process of telling their success stories, these highly accomplished women candidly reveal how they have struggled with many of the same issues that members of the audience are confronting. As attendees year after year attest, the inspiring stories of these outstanding role models forever change how conference goers think and act, at work or at home.

This life-altering conference also supports women who want to pursue graduate education in business. With establishment of the Simmons School of Management Alumnae Scholarship Fund in 1999, all proceeds from the annual leadership conference are dedicated to scholarships for students in the MBA program. Fittingly, many women who seek admission first learn about the program by attending the Simmons School of Management Leadership Conference.