2010 California Women's Conference

 

Highlights of last year's conference can be seen at the The Women's Conference Archive Site. 

2010 Minerva Awards

The Women's Conference was once again proud to announce the recipients of the Minerva Awards.  Created in 2004 by First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, The Minerva Awards have become the country's most prestigious awards given to women "who serve on the front-lines of humanity."

Maria Shriver presented the 2010 award winners at a special ceremony at The Women's Conference. The honorees are:

• Carolyn Blashek – Founder of Operation Gratitude, the largest military support organization sending care packages to deployed soldiers in U.S. history

• Oral Lee Brown – Founder of the Oral Lee Brown Foundation, which provides educational assistance and financial scholarships to school children, and which has sent almost 200 of Oakland's most at risk youth to college

• Sister Terry Dodge – Executive director of Crossroads, Inc., which provides transitional housing, education, career and counseling services and support to women released from prison

• The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor – First woman Associate Supreme Court Justice, and founder of Ourcourts.org, a web-based education program designed to teach students civics and inspire them to become active participants in our democracy

• Oprah Winfrey – Founder of the Oprah Angel Network, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, and a source of education, inspiration and empowerment for women and girls throughout the world.

"Minerva Award honorees are women who live with a deep sense of purpose and who are passionately dedicated to serving others," said Maria Shriver. "These Minervas all identified problems and unmet needs in their communities and have worked tirelessly to solve them. By honoring them, we hope to inspire others to be Architects of Change just like them."