Cokie Roberts and Other Women Leaders Shared Success Stories at Event Hosted by Madeira

Empowering young women was the theme of The Madeira School’s day-long, public event to celebrate 50 years of its transformational Co-Curriculum Program, an award-winning effort that blends academic excellence with real world experiences by taking students into the community for service, onto Capitol Hill for internships, and inside organizations for career placements. The recent event--which was open to the public-- featured an exceptional line up of speakers and panelists—many of whom are alumnae—to offer personal stories and discussions of successes, challenges, and discoveries.

Cokie Roberts, NPR’s Morning Edition host and ABC News political commentator, headlined the event and discussed: Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation. In addition, Madeira alumni Holly Twyford, actress/director, Arena Stage, Fatima Quander, performer, FRESHH Theater Company, and Actress June Schreiner shared tips about the good, bad and ugly of show business during the celebration.

During the day, Madeira students made hundreds of toys for shelter dogs as part of their focus on community service.

Other sessions included:

• Design Thinking in Real Life: How to bring design, creativity, and innovation into your everyday life: Emi Kolawole, founder Dexign LLC
• Earth in Crisis: Bold strategies to effect social change: Lucy Blake, president, Northern Sierra Partnership; Catharine Gilliam Burns, conservation consultant; Meg Goldthwaite, CMO, NPR
• Necessity is the Mother of All Invention: Seizing opportunities in the modern marketplace: Samantha Meyer duPont, head designer and proprietor, Sam DuPont; Brandon Holley, CEO, Everywear; and Katherine Petty MacLane, Director at Pi Executive
• Pandas Gone Wild: A photographic journey inside China's efforts to save the giant panda from extinction: Sadie Quarrier, National Geographic Senior Photo Editor, and Ami Vitale, Nikon Ambassador and National Geographic magazine photographer
• Running for Office: Navigating the course from volunteer to candidate: Oregon State Rep. Janelle Irick Bynum and Sylvia Larsen, former member of the New Hampshire Senate
• Keynote: Julia Reed, contributing editor at Elle Décor and at Garden & Gun magazines, discussed how internships and service shaped her career

Madeira, a McLean-based independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12, is committed to launching women who change the world. Fundamental to this commitment is Madeira’s Co-Curriculum program, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary and has shaped the lives of nearly 4,000 women. The conference shared insights about empowering women from powerful women.