The California Governor & First Lady's Conference on Women (also known as The Women's Conference) was established by California Governor George Deukmejian in 1985 as a non-partisan forum for women small business owners. At that time, women-owned businesses were failing at a high rate and the conference was created to provide support to this growing sector of the economy and help women access funding and resources.
In 1989, the conference was established as a non-profit public interest organization with a bi-partisan Board of Directors, which ensured that it could continue without interruption during changes in administrations.
Under California Governor Pete Wilson's administration, the focus of the Conference shifted to include the needs of a wider audience, including corporate women. An educational scholarship program was added to the conference during Wilson's term.
The conference continued to grow its attendance and expand its outreach during the administration of Governor Gray Davis. A youth leadership program was added to the conference during Davis's term.
Under California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver's leadership, the California Governor & First Lady's Conference on Women, renamed The Women's Conference, has reportedly become the largest one-day conference for women in the nation. Since 2004, conference participants have included such high-profile speakers as His Holiness the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, Oprah Winfrey, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Sarah, Duchess of York, Barbara Walters, Jane Fonda, Queen Noor of Jordan, Martha Stewart, Tyra Banks, Tim Russert, Tom Brokaw, Queen Rania of Jordan, Maureen Dowd, Sandra Day O'Connor, Thomas Friedman, Anna Quindlen, and Billie Jean King.
The conference has been located at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California since 1993.
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—Ellen Lewis (20th century)