LAS VEGAS, June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The MGM
Resorts Foundation is proud to announce Soledad O'Brien as a keynote speaker at the 2014
Women's Leadership Conference. The non-profit event will be held at
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las
Vegas, NV Aug. 6 and 7.
The theme of the 2014 conference is "Women Inspiring Women."
"Soledad is not only an award-winning journalist; she's also
well-known for her philanthropic endeavors. She brings with her a
rich and varied background that will inspire conference attendees,"
said Phyllis James, Chief Diversity
Officer for MGM Resorts International.
The two-day conference will offer a wide range of learning
opportunities, career guidance and personal growth tools,
including:
- Exposure to diverse, nationally recognized speakers and
accomplished women role models
- Career-oriented workshops that will give participants
hands-on opportunities to develop skills based on their career
needs
- Three distinct learning tracks for participants who are
Emerging Leaders, Emerging Executives and Executives
A winner of multiple Emmy and Peabody awards, Ms. O'Brien is
well-known for several critically acclaimed and successful
documentary series on CNN, including "Black in America" and its
follow-up, "Latino in America." She will continue to produce those
documentaries and other content through Starfish Media Group, a
multi-platform media production and distribution company she
launched in June 2013.
Starfish Media is dedicated to presenting empowering personal
stories that explore the often divisive issues of race, class,
wealth, poverty and opportunity. Ms. O'Brien has also won numerous
journalism awards for her documentaries "Latino in America 2," the
story of a Latina boxer who dreams of Olympic glory; "Gay in
America: Gary and Tony have a baby," and "Unwelcome, the Muslims
Next Door."
Earlier in her career, Ms. O'Brien co-anchored for Weekend Today
and contributed to segments on The Today Show and Nightly News
before joining CNN in 2003.
Named journalist of the year by the National Association of
Black Journalists and one of Newsweek Magazine's "10 People who
Make America Great," Ms. O'Brien recently entered into a
multifaceted partnership with HBO. As part of the Real Sports with
Bryant Gumbel team, she will have
the opportunity to bring her distinctive style of storytelling to
the world of sports. In addition to appearing on the award-winning
program, the deal with HBO encompasses a first-look opportunity for
scripted projects and long-form programming concepts with Ms.
O'Brien's Starfish Media Group.
In 2013, Ms. O'Brien joined Harvard
University as a Distinguished Fellow and was appointed to
the Board of Directors of the foundation for The National
Archives.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Ms. O'Brien and her husband,
Brad, created The Starfish Foundation to help disadvantaged young
women get to and through college. This year they will provide
funding and support to 25 deserving young women.
The Women's Leadership Conference is open to women of all
ethnicities, professions and social backgrounds, locally and
nationally, and the men who support them. The MGM Resorts
Foundation is the conference's presenting sponsor. Proceeds of the
conference after costs will be donated to one or more local
nonprofit agencies devoted to the welfare and development of women
and girls.
Registration is $350, which
includes the full conference and all workshops and lectures; a
networking reception, and continental breakfasts and lunches
catered by MGM Grand. Time is also allotted for attendees to
build key professional relationships with other conference
participants while enjoying the hospitality and entertainment of
MGM Grand and other resorts of MGM Resorts International.
Participating sponsorships are available to organizations or
companies who share the vision and goals of this conference.
Current sponsors include CBS – Radio; The Coca-Cola Company; Ernst
& Young; Nevada Public Radio, and Cox Communications. For more
information about the Women's Leadership Conference, please visit:
www.mgmresorts.com/womensleadershipconference
About The MGM Resorts Foundation
The purpose of The MGM Resorts Foundation is to collect and
distribute monies and assets donated by employees of MGM Resorts
International (NYSE: MGM) for the aid and support of qualified
community nonprofit programs, agencies or organizations designated
exclusively by MGM Resorts employees. In addition, the Foundation
collects and distributes donations to the Foundation by third-party
non-employees to support charitable, scientific, literary, and
educational activities approved by the Foundation's Board of
Directors and organized by MGM Resorts employees to benefit
qualified non-profit charitable organizations designated by the
Foundation's Board.
SOURCE MGM Resorts Foundation