Better Together

She’s Local launches the first annual South Shore Conference for Women

By Maria Allen

After driving from her home on Cape Cod to attend the sold-out She’s Local MetroWest Conference for Women last year, Michelle Woodbrey, CEO of 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors, felt both inspired and motivated. Marching up to the event’s organizer, She’s Local President Jen Maseda, Woodbrey shook her hand and said, “We need a conference like this on the South Shore.”

It turns out, Woodbrey wasn’t the only person who saw a need for a supportive, accessible and relevant women’s conference in the region. By December, plans were already in motion to replicate the She’s Local model on the South Shore. Open meetings were held at the Milton Public Library and 1620 Winery in Plymouth. A community board was created to help coordinate the event and women from across the South Shore and Cape Cod jumped on board to lend their support.

The first annual South Shore Conference for Women will take place at the Boston Quincy Marriott on Friday, October 11 (with an evening reception the night before). The conference will feature 10 speaker panels, more than 40 exhibitors and inspiring keynote presentations by Michelle Cully, CEO of Xpressman Trucking and author of “High Heels in the Laundry Room,” and  Liz O’Donnell, a long-time marketing executive and author of the book “Working Daughter: A Guide to Caring for Your Aging Parents While Earning a Living.” Local entrepreneur and breast cancer survivor, Jayme Washington, will emcee the event.

“The women on our stage are representative of each local community, with at least 75 percent of our speakers coming directly from the cities and towns in the area,” says Maseda. “Our mission is to create an accessible platform for local women, who otherwise might not have the opportunity to connect on a personal level or hear from successful women living parallel lives.”

“Our theme for the event, ‘Our Time Is Now!’ builds off the conversations women are having right now in our society,” says Woodbrey. “When women get together and support other women, it’s amazing what can happen.”

Tickets to the conference are $52 and include breakfast and lunch, a conference tote and a complimentary wine reception. For more information about the South Shore Conference for Women, visit sheslocal.org/south-shore, or follow the latest updates on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.