Letitia James, the public advocate for the City of New York and a rising star on the Democratic political scene, joins TheWrap’s 2018 BE Conference at SXSW in Austin on March 11-12, 2018 as a featured speaker.
Also joining the stellar line-up of speakers and mentors are:
- Girls Lounge Founder Shelley Zalis
- Actress and Harvey Weinstein Accuser Sarah Ann Masse
- Best-selling Author Karen Walrond
- Elastic Minds Founder Claudia Carraso
Zalis, Walrond and Carraso are all returning for the second annual conference, which TheWrap launched in 2017 to allow outstanding millennial women to be mentored by leaders in entertainment, science, politics, media and business on how they can push boundaries, innovate and be game changers.
As the Public Advocate for the City of New York, Letitia James is the second highest ranking elected official in the City and the first woman of color to hold a citywide position in New York City history. “Tish” her nickname, is a strong advocate for criminal justice reform and led the push for police body-worn cameras in the NYPD. Throughout her lifelong commitment to public service, she has distinguished herself as an advocate and leader on some of the most pressing issues of our time.
Shelley Zalis is CEO, The Female Quotient and Founder, The Girls’ Lounge. She has gone against the grain most of her career, starting in 2000 when she left the corporate world to pioneer online research. Her most recent endeavor includes launching The Female Quotient and Girls’ Lounge which supports and mentors women to find their voice, embrace their feminine leadership powers and work together to transform corporate culture. Shelley is also the host of a new Bloomberg series titled “Walk The Talk” focused on gender equality and the critical importance of women in executive leadership.
Karen Walrond is an author, speaker & photographer. Her bestselling book, “The Beauty of Different,” is a chronicle of imagery & essays on the concept that what makes us different makes us beautiful. She’s the creative mind behind the award-winning website Chookooloonks, an inspirational source for living with intention, creativity & adventure. Her second book, “Make Light,” will be released Spring 2018.
Claudia Carraso is a communications management consultant, creative director, and marketing leader with more than 20 years’ experience in developing major global brand platforms, growing dynamic start-up companies, and advising NGOs on communications policy, issues and challenges. She is currently founder and managing partner of Elastic Minds, LLC, a consulting group based in Los Angeles with presence in San Francisco and New York City.
Actor, Writer, Producer, Comedian, Singer and Activist, Sarah Ann Masse is a hilarious woman on a mission; not only is she continuing the trend of breaking stereotypes and proving that females are funny but doing so as she sites unhealthy social norms and boxes society places women in. In 2017, Sarah Ann joined the #MeToo movement as a survivor of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein and an activist for change.
The BE Conference is a premier conference that connects change makers seeking to make an impact with game changers at the top of their fields who want to inspire and mentor the next generation of leaders. The audience consists of 350 millennials, including entrepreneurs, influencers and rising stars in their respective worlds, along with 50 mentors who are eager to teach and learn from each other.
Launched in 2017 by TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman, BE Conference offers keynote interviews, panel discussions, workshops, networking and mentoring sessions that build meaningful connections, encourage constructive change, and empower the next generation to BE the best possible version of themselves.
More information on attending, sponsoring or mentoring at BE is available at Beconferences.com