March 14-15, 2019
Washington, D.C.
Registration is now open for the 11th Annual USC Women’s Conference: Leading through Impact. Please find the schedule, speakers and registration information below.
Enjoy moments from the 2018 conference by following @USCWomensConference and #USCWCx on 
and by viewing photos in our Flickr albums Part 1 & Part 2.
Registration
Registration is now open! You may choose between a VIP Package or individually purchase the Thursday Reception and/or Friday Conference Program. Click here to register.
Each purchased admission includes a $5 donation, which supports USC Alumni Association programs and services.
VIP Packages (limited number available):
Join us for a two-day exclusive experience featuring:
- Two-night stay at Marriott Marquis Washington, DC
- Admission to Thursday VIP reception and Friday conference program
- Private excursion and special conference gift
$1,500 Single occupancy
$2,400 Double occupancy
Individual Admissions:
Thursday Reception (prices increase March 1)
Includes cocktail reception, program and private viewing of the permanent collection at the National Museum for Women in the Arts
$35 Young Alumnae (up to age 35) / USC Students
$50 Alumnae / Current USC Parents
$65 General Admission
Friday Conference Program (prices increase March 1)
Includes opening/closing programs, breakouts, continental breakfast, lunch and networking reception at the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC
$195 Young Alumnae (up to age 35) / USC Students
$275 Alumnae / Current USC Parents
$325 General Admission
2019 Conference Schedule*
THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Networking Reception: National Museum of Women in the Arts
Keynote by Sandra Evers-Manly ’81, Vice President of Global Corporate Responsibility, Northrup Grumman and special musical performance by Courtney Fortune ’10
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
USC Women’s Conference: Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C.
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Morning Program
Keynote by USC Interim President Wanda M. Austin PhD ’88
USC panel with deans Karen Symms Gallagher (Education), Laura Mosqueda MD ’87 (Medicine) and Erica Muhl DMA’91 (Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation) moderated by
Rachel Scott ’15 (ABC News/GMA Digital)
10:50 – 11:45 a.m.
Breakout Session I
- A Look inside USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience featuring Andrea Armani (Viterbi), Jeremy Mason MS ’10, PhD ’13 (Keck) and Cristina Zavaleta (Viterbi)
- Women Changing the Media Industry featuring Christina Bellatoni and USC Annenberg alumnae
- Sexual Harassment Law and its Impact in the 21st Century featuring Alison Dundes Renteln JD ’91 (Dornsife)
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Networking Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 p.m.
USC Student Showcase
1:45 – 2:30 p.m.
Breakout Session II
- LEADERSHIP featuring Marsha Ershaghi-Hames ’95, Caroline Leach MA ’95, Alyson Kil ’10, MD ’14, Karen Dahut MS ’88
- FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT featuring Kathleen A. Burns ’83
- HEALTH & WELLNESS featuring T Morgan Dixon ’99
2:40 – 3:30 p.m.
Closing Program
Featuring Symone Sanders (Dornsife) and Jaime Lee ’06, JD ’09
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Networking Reception
*Information regarding workshop speakers and session topics updated as of 11/28/18.
2019 Featured Speakers*
Wanda M. Austin PhD ’88 
Interim President
University of Southern California
Dr. Wanda M. Austin is an American businesswoman who is internationally recognized for her work in aeronautics and systems engineering. She is co-founder of MakingSpace, Inc.; a systems engineering and leadership development consultant; and motivational speaker. She is the former president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the application of science and technology toward critical issues affecting the nation’s space program. From January 2008 to October 2016, Austin led the organization’s 3,600 employees and managed annual revenues of $950 million at 17 offices nationwide. As its sixth president, she was the first female and the first African- American to hold this position in the organization’s 57-year history. Read more
Karen Symms Gallagher
Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean
USC Rossier School of Education
Karen Symms Gallagher has been the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education since 2000. Under her leadership, USC Rossier has risen to #10 among all graduate schools of education in the country, according to the latest national rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. USC Rossier’s highly innovative master’s and doctoral programs prepare leaders to achieve educational equity through practice, research and policy. Read more
Laura Mosqueda MD ’87
May S. and John H. Hooval Dean’s Chair in Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of USC
Laura Mosqueda, MD was appointed dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC on May 1, 2018. Prior to her appointment as dean, Dr. Mosqueda, a professor of family medicine and geriatrics and a professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, served as associate dean of primary care and the chair of the Department of Family Medicine. Read more
Erica Muhl DMA ’91
Dean
USC Iovine and Young Academy for the Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation
In May of 2013, Erica Muhl was appointed founding director of the USC Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, which welcomed its first freshman class in 2014. Simultaneously, she served as dean of the USC Roski School of Art and Design, a position she held from September 2012 through June 2018. Prior to 2012, Muhl served as associate dean of the USC Thornton School of Music, where she has been professor of composition since 1991. Read more
Thursday Reception Special Guests
Sandra Evers-Manly ’81
Vice President of Global Corporate Responsibility
Northrup Grumman
Courtney Fortune ’10
Singer, Songwriter, Teacher and Music Advocate
Friday Breakout Session Speakers
(in alpha order)
Andrea Armani
Ray Irani Chair in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Christina Bellatoni
Professor of Professional Practice, Director of the Annenberg Media Center
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Kathleen A. Burns ’83, CFP®, CRPC®
Wealth Advisor
Senior Vice President – Financial Advisor
UBS Financial Services Inc.
Karen Dahut MS ’88
Executive Vice President
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
T Morgan Dixon ’99
Founder and CEO
GirlTrek
Alyson Kil ’10, MD ’14
Physician
United States Army
Department of Defense
Jeremy Mason MS ’10, PhD ‘13
Assistant Professor of Research Urology
Keck School of Medicine
Alison Dundes Renteln JD ’91
Professor of Political Science Anthropology, Public Policy, and Law
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Symone D. Sanders
CNN Commentator
Former National Press Secretary, Bernie Sanders Presidential Campaign
Strategist
USC Center for the Political Future Fellow
Rachel Scott ’15
Reporter/Producer
ABC News/GMA Digital
Cristina ZavaletaBecome a sponsor.
Click here to become a sponsor for the 2019 USC Women’s Conference.
The USC Alumni Association sincerely thanks the sponsors of the 2018 USC Women’s Conference:
Presenting Sponsor
Hecuba Sponsors
Cardinal Sponsors
Trojan Sponsors
USC Alumni Association Premier Partners
USC Alumni Association Partners
About USC Women’s Conference
The USC Women’s Conference is held in March during International Women’s Month and brings together women of all ages and backgrounds—alumnae, parents, students and friends—for a day of programs and activities designed to inspire and empower them to create positive change in their personal lives, their communities and the world. This year we are ecstatic to announce we are taking it on the road. Please check back through out the fall for further details
Be sure to follow us on for updates and announcements on all things #USCWC #USCWCxDC.
