LAS VEGAS, Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Valerie Biden
Owens, one of the first women in the
United States to manage modern Senatorial and Presidential
campaigns, will speak at The MGM Resorts Foundation's 12th annual
Women's Leadership Conference (WLC).
The conference will be held Aug.
27 & 28 at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
Biden Owens serves as Vice Chair of the Biden Institute at the
University of Delaware, whose mission
is to influence, shape, and work to solve the most pressing
domestic policy problems facing America. Throughout her career, she
has worked with and trained women on how to organize political
efforts and develop the skills needed to make change in their
communities.
"We are excited to have Valerie Biden
Owens share her experiences with our attendees," said
Dawn Christensen, the conference's
project manager and Executive Director of National Diversity
Relations for MGM Resorts International. "This conference is about
teaching women how to grow in their personal and professional
lives. Valerie has succeeded as a leader in both politics and in
the non-profit world. As a professional trainer, her experience and
wisdom prove invaluable to our attendees."
As a pioneer, Biden Owens has developed and taught original
content for "Women Leaders in International Relations," including
interactive training sessions on leadership skills, communication,
political advertising, advocacy, networking and body language.
"I'm excited to join the women of MGM's WLC, and to engage in
the collective wisdom, collaboration and strong leadership that
will result in the development of policies beneficial to all our
families," Biden Owens said. "Now is our time – and we are
ready."
Over the past 18 years, she has also traveled extensively with
Women's Campaign International to teach women in emerging
democracies how to organize and develop communication and political
skills. Her most recent international training experience includes
a 2016 trip where she was the keynote speaker at a workshop in
Taipei, Taiwan titled "Enhancing
Prosperity and Opportunity for Women in Asia-Pacific Region."
Since late 2016, Biden Owens has served as Vice Chair of the
Biden Foundation, which seeks to advance issues that former Vice
President Joe Biden and his wife,
Jill Biden, have worked on
throughout their careers, including the Cancer Moonshot, Violence
Against Women Act, support for military families, equal rights and
affordable education.
In September 2016, Biden Owens was
nominated and served as U.S. Senior Advisor to the United Nations
71st General Assembly. While at the U.N., she represented the U.S.
government when, among other things, she delivered three
interventions to the General Assembly on topics such as The
International Court of Justice and human rights. She also delivered
remarks to designated committees of the U.N. as the U.S. delegate.
In addition, during her time at the U.N., she conducted a training
seminar for New York's Homeland
Security team, as part of their Leadership Education and
Development program.
From 1997 until 2016, when Biden Owens was not managing or
advising the Vice President's campaigns, she served as Executive
Vice President of Joe Slade White
& CO, a media consulting firm, where she worked to help create
and implement candidates' messages.
In March 2015, she was asked to be
the keynote speaker at Harvard Law School's International Women's
Day celebration. In addition, she was honored as one of 50 women
presented with the law school's international "Women Inspiring
Change" award.
In 2014, Biden Owens was selected to be one of six Resident
Fellows at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School
of Government at Harvard University.
Her weekly seminar, "Politics, Up Close and Personal," was the most
highly attended seminar for the Fall 2014 semester.
Biden Owens has also served on the National Board of the Women's
Leadership Forum of the Democratic National Committee and has
served for 35 years on the board of The Ministry of Caring, an
ecumenical organization in her community dedicated to serving poor,
homeless, and disadvantaged people. In the fall of 2010, she was
honored with The Ministry of Caring's highest award for her
dedication and service.
She is a graduate of the University of
Delaware, and is married to Jack
Owens, an attorney and businessman. They have three
children.
Conference background:
The 2018 Women's Leadership
Conference theme is "Women Inspiring Women." Registration is
$499 which includes the two-day
conference and all workshops and lectures, a networking reception,
and continental breakfasts and lunches catered by MGM Grand
Conference Center. Time is also allotted for attendees to build key
professional relationships with others.
The mission of WLC is to provide women, and men who attend, the
developmental tools they need to continuously advance their lives
and careers. Through WLC, women from all walks of life are offered
a variety of ways to impact their personal and professional lives,
including networking opportunities, educational workshops and
exposure to other women who can serve as role models, heroes or
mentors.
The conference will offer a wide range of learning
opportunities, career guidance and personal growth tools,
including:
- Exposure to diverse and nationally recognized speakers and
accomplished women role models
- Two days of career-oriented workshops that will give women
hands-on opportunities to develop skills based on their career
needs
- Three distinct learning tracks: Emerging Leaders, Emerging
Executives and Executives
- Workshops for entrepreneurs who are well-established or just
thinking of starting their own businesses
WLC is open to women of all ethnicities, professions and social
backgrounds, locally and nationally, and men who support them. The
MGM Resorts Foundation is the conference's Presenting Sponsor. Each
year proceeds from the conference after costs, are donated to one
or more local nonprofit agencies devoted to the welfare and
development of women and children.
Participating sponsorships are available to organizations or
companies who share the vision and goals of this conference.
Sponsors include: Bank of America, Coca Cola, Las Vegas Convention
Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Southwest Airlines, Greenspun Media
Group, Vegas PBS, International Coach Federation, Coaching by
Wendy, Las Vegas Metro Chamber of
Commerce, Cirque du Soleil, International Game Technology (IGT),
R&R Partners Foundation, Prudential, Kre-8 Media, Nevada Public
Radio, Scientific Games Corporation, Cox Communications, Everi
Payments, Inc., Cashman Photo, Coola, Tylt, Large Vision Business
Network Mixer, Waggl, Women's Chamber of Commerce and Aristocrat
Technologies, Entercom Radio, Diageo, Wynn Resorts, and Girl Scouts
of Southern Nevada. For more
information about WLC, please visit
mgmresortsfoundation.org/WLC.
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 (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.
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SOURCE MGM Resorts Foundation