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About Our 2026 Conference
The 2026 REACH Women’s Conference will gather over 600 individuals from the corporate, nonprofit, education, and entrepreneurship sectors who are interested in gender equity and inclusion, professional development, self-care, and networking to hear from first-class speakers and participate in panels, workshops, and discussion roundtables.
This year’s conference theme will center on Bold Thinking in Times of Change. Uncertainty demands more than quick reactions — it requires bold ways of innovative thinking. Today’s interconnected disruptions call for leaders who can draw insights from across sectors, roles, and disciplines to spark innovation and resilience. Join us to discover how new ways of thinking fuel stronger, more resilient leadership in uncertain times.
Dynamic keynote speakers will inspire you to listen to the wisdom within you and stand up for what you know is right. Breakout sessions will include panels and workshops to energize your leadership, sharpen your communications skills, and prepare you for the technology of the future.
This day will be bold. This day will be fun.
And it won’t be the same without you there.
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Keynote Speakers
​Dr. Sunita Sah is the national bestselling author of Defy, an award- winning professor at Cornell University and an expert in organizational psychology. She leads groundbreaking research on influence, authority, trust, compliance, and defiance. A trained physician, she practiced medicine in the United Kingdom and worked as a management consultant for the pharmaceutical industry. She currently teaches executives, leaders, and students in healthcare and business. Dr. Sah is a sought-after international speaker and consultant, advisor to government agencies, and former Commissioner of the National Commission on Forensic Science. Her multidisciplinary research and analyses have been widely published in leading academic journals and media entities including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American. She lives with her husband and son in New York.
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Jen Aks is a TEDx speaker, author, and leadership coach who helps people reconnect with their body's wisdom to unlock authentic leadership. Her TEDx talk Your Body's Hidden Intelligence: From Mindset to Bodyset and bestselling book Your Body is Speaking challenge decades of mindset-focused approaches. With over 30 years as a dance educator and somatic expert, Jen created The Power of Gesture®—a groundbreaking bodyset practice that helps leaders process emotions, break limiting patterns, and trust inner guidance. She guides CEOs, parents, and educators to lead with clarity and confidence, demonstrating that bodyset creates ripple effects throughout organizations, families, and communities.
Breakout Sessions
Panels will include community experts on important topics of:
Women’s Health as the Catalyst for Leadership, Innovation, and Longevity
Navigating and Participating in the Technology in the Workplace
Leading in Moments that Matter
Power With Purpose: Building Collective Leadership, Economic Access, and Psychological Safety
Workshops will be lead by experts on areas that focus on:
Reclaiming the Narrative: The Power of Self-Storytelling
Navigating Leadership Challenges with Your Teams
Leading with an Equity Lens in a Complicated Climate
Glimmer and Connect: Innovative Networking for Intentional Connections
Location
A small group of diverse working women began meeting together in Winston-Salem in August of 2017. What started as a safe place to seek counsel and encouragement evolved into a team of collaborators committed to improving the lives of women in the workplace. In 2018, the group became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called the REACH Women's Network.
MISSION:
The REACH Women's Network seeks to advance economic development and promote gender equality by elevating the collective voice and influence of working women.
In pursuit of this mission, the REACH Women's Network aims to strengthen the vitality, creativity, productivity and sustainability of our workplaces, our economy and our community.
The REACH Women's Conference inspires working women to REACH UP in their careers, REACH OVER to each other, and REACH BACK to champion the next generation of women in the workplace.
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In 2012, Salem Academy and College launched the North Carolina Triad's first Women's Conference. At the College's request, the REACH Women's Network has re-imagined and renamed this ground-breaking event, with the goal of recognizing, encouraging, advancing, and connecting working women in our community.
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REACH's sixth annual conference will take place on March 25, 2026 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, NC.
Contact Us
The REACH Women's Conference is presented by the REACH Women's Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
