Actress and Honest Company founder Jessica Alba, Crazy Rich Asians star and author Constance Wu and Rutherford Falls writer and showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas are among the lineup for the 2022 MAKERS Conference.
Additional entertainment industry talent set to appear at the global leadership event are Ms. Marvel executive producer Sana Amanat and star Iman Vellani, The Janes directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes, and former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Player and inspiration behind Amazon Prime Video’s A League of Their Own Maybelle Blair.
The initial list of guests, speakers and leaders set to appear at the eighth edition of the annual conference produced by Yahoo media brand MAKERS — a community focused on women’s equity in the workplace and beyond — was announced on Monday. The conference, which is slated to return to the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California, will run from Oct. 24 to 26.
“As the world changes at a pace faster than ever before, it’s on us as leaders to accelerate the fight for equality and to create a more inclusive future for all,” Alicin Williamson, Yahoo chief diversity and culture officer, said. “Showing solidarity and allyship in the workplace has never been more critical than it is today, and The MAKERS Conference is a place where conversations lead to real change.”
Other guests represent a multitude of industries, from politics, publishing and tech to education, advocacy and sports. That includes social change strategist and organizer Heather Booth; president of EMILY’s List Laphonza Butler; the 17-year-old founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks Marley Dias; author of national bestseller Essential Labor Angela Garbes; contemporary American life documentarian Immy Humes; award-winning educator Dr. Nadia Lopez; CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Cynt Marshall; president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America Alexis McGill Johnson; the youngest African American accepted to Medical School and founder of Brown STEM Girls Alena Analeigh McQuarter; National Women’s Soccer League player Carson Pickett; U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter; writer and founder of Protect the Sacred Allie Redhorse Young; co-founder of SisterSong, human rights activist and Smith College professor Loretta J. Ross; social media sex educator Sriha Srinivasan; and founder and general partner of Moxxie Ventures Katie Stanton.
The USA Artistic Swimming Team will also make a conference appearance, where they will debut a new routine.
The year’s theme, “Making the Future,” will see this group of leaders and storytellers discuss the topics of representation, racial justice, reproductive rights, workplace equity, what’s next for women in Hollywood, new models for equality in sports and more.
Sponsors for the 2022 three-day event include 23andMe, Mattel, Morgan Stanley, Meta and PwC, with lululemon serving as the official wellness sponsor. Among the MAKERS partners for this year are 23andMe, Accenture, Ad Council, Cognizant, Hilton, Kaiser Permanente, L’Oreal, lululemon, Mattel, McKinsey & Company, Meta, Morgan Stanley, P&G, PwC, Rich Talent Group, Sleep Number, Sony Music Group, The Hanover Insurance Group, The Trade Desk, UBS, UM and Zenith Media.
More speakers will be announced at a later date.
