 Good morning. Thank you all for joining us today Welcome. My name is Polly major. I'm a member of senator Leahy's staff And I'm honored to serve as the co-chair of the committee that organizes this event Which the senator and Marcel have held now for over 25 years This there are many people in organizations that make this event possible I want to say a special thanks to our sponsors to the organizing committee If you could all raise your hands that'd be wonderful Thank you all for your support and thanks also goes to Vermont technical college and president gray wall who? Generously host this conference and have done so since 1997 all this hard work and generous support makes it possible for this conference to not only happen every year But to be offered at no charge Senator Leahy feels that it's critical that this conference be open to all Vermonters I will share additional details about the day after our morning program But now I would like to invite Vermont State University's inaugural president parwinder gray wall up on stage for some welcoming remarks Thank you. Good morning It's so good to see you in person Today it's really my honor To be here and to welcome our u.s. Senator Patrick Leahy mrs. Leahy and Secretary Yellen representative Welch and you all do this exciting 25th women's economic opportunity conference It's been great that you have been coming here for the last 25 years and This place is definitely special specific to the theme of the conference Three things I want to tell you about this place that Really make it so relevant to what you do and invite you all to take advantage of those opportunities that we have the first and foremost is our newly developed one of a kind cutting-edge advanced manufacturing center That has been established here very recently With the help of senator Leahy That's center The center offers wonderful opportunities and a great promise to help you all in where you want to go with your businesses and The second piece is our small business development Office that is right here on this campus The third one is Vermont extension manufacturing center Which is another piece which is relevant to business development in this particular region and in the state Moving forward all the Vermont Technical College and Casterton University and another and Vermont University will become Vermont State University That also promises huge opportunity for you all and for our students The new University. We will be establishing based on our Legislatures recommendations and all the envisioning that some of you might have participated along with our faculty and staff To establish it as the first state-wide hybrid University That will expand Substantially the opportunities For so many non-traditional students in addition to the residential traditional student Non-traditional students that would include People who are working like yourself or running businesses and if you need to take any additional Courses or any additional learning you could join us from your home from your office and the second piece to that is Having a community engaged University in Higher education we see this consolidation and transformation as a unique opportunity To set this University right because higher education is generally slow to change So the second piece that I'm mentioning is community engaged University in which our faculty and students Would work with community partners like yourself Together co-invasion solutions to local problems This will inspire our students to be connected to the community and to the University and Start their own small businesses in our local communities To transform our rule of economy here in Vermont The third piece is to establish this University as a career ready University What I mean from that is that every student that will graduate from the Vermont State University moving forward Will have at least one industry relevant credential So that they are more job ready This is a focus on workforce development again with substantial help from our senator and our representative That we are able to move in these three major directions With that I invite you all to reach out to us Whenever you need any help in any way it could be business related it could be Education it could be any kind of partnership that you want to develop with us So we are open for business moving forward with that welcome again and I'm looking forward to the wonderful sessions that you all will have today and Let the program begin. Thank you. I would now like to invite up on stage our congressman Peter Welch. I Get to introduce Patrick Leahy anybody know who he is No, I was Patrick. I was talking to a woman on the way in and She'd been coming to this conference for the last several years and I said, well, why do you like it? And she said well anybody can come and Lots of wonderful people are here. We have these fantastic breakout sessions each woman is helping other women be successful and We have a sense of solidarity about what our future can be if we work together And what the potential is that each of us have and you started that you started that You know and if we want if we want to have an example of a woman who you know gets it done Take a look at the person next to me who has the job that Alexander Hamilton had a few years ago But Patrick is going to introduce you but I just want to say something that every one of us in Vermont is feeling Patrick in Marcel 48 years of dedicated constant effective Joyful service for this state of Vermont Patrick in Marcel. We are so grateful to you for sustaining this culture that we want to have in Vermont and all of us are part of that We do help one another make it through the day that we do find real satisfaction in working in our community we do Listen more than we talk and for 48 years think about that All that this country has been through all that this state has been through There has been two people who have Endured through thick and thin to stand up for those Vermont values no matter what the pressures were No matter what the competing demands were the constancy of their commitment to one another their constant Constancy for their commitment to this state of Vermont the constancy of their commitment to the Constitution in this wonderful country the United States of America Patrick in Marcel Lehi we all express to you our Gratitude for your service So kind apologize for walking so much slowly as some of you know, hey Had a rather bad fall this earlier in the summer it's been a 31 days in the hospital I Haven't a lot of good care especially by my favorite nurse who was there 10 12 hours every day during that Time and got me walking again. I will be able to go cross-country skiing by Christmas time anyway And then hopefully by spring to something that we both enjoy doing is is Scuba diving But don't tell don't tell Marcel that I told you she's a better diver than I am She pats the sharks as they go by It's patting a nurse shark once I got back in the Boat with her and said well You know you're a nurse that was a shark gave you professional courtesy She said no dear that the shark your lawyer do the math But Peter thank you for all that when you mentioned our wonderful speaker today Holding Alexander Hamilton's seat I'm the only person who was in the Senate the time Hamilton was there so I I appreciate that Peter I joke back and forth like this all the time because He volunteered my first campaign. We've had as close to the relationship as any senator and house member from a state of hand and Work together on everything that's involved with Vermont and the Women's Economic Opportunity Conference is One of my joys when we first started this myself remember we There's no the former Trinity College in in Burlington We had a classroom set aside for it didn't know whether people would come so many people came That we had to move in into a much larger room and then eventually Doctor came here and this has been perfect because of the It's location helping everybody so I'm glad to be back here and We transition as part of the new from one state University but the Weok organizing committee the women from organizations around the state who pulls us together our sponsors Others would generous support and I hope you'll let me recognize Lori Valburn as I saw earlier Brenda Plastridge Heather Ganya have each been part of this Conference for more than two decades They deserve a hand I think I've seen some accomplishments when we did held the first week one of the things that I Raised and was very concerned about is the median wage for women was seventy three point eight percent of that of men Now Vermont has done so much in this Proudly leads the nation as a state with the smallest gap eighty nine percent Let's keep fighting till there's no gap we have to fully realize that The economic opportunity for women, but we have to ensure the essential worlds traditionally held by women such as teachers health care providers are Valued and well paid and they're not and they should be we got to invest in support for families including high Quality child care Peter something you've supported in the house as Bernie and I have in the Senate We have to overcome the persistent bias and discrimination in our society against women particularly women of color I think of that of a granddaughter of ours Who is a person of color and is dying her first year of college? But when she comes out in the workforce, I want her to be treated the same as everybody else and so I I Could go on and on but I've been inspired by the people I've met here I've been inspired by What they've accomplished in fact the final panel would be discussion and mentorship and leadership I hope you could learn from that but also Think of the keynote speaker speakers we've had Lily Ledbetter Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor former Attorney General Loretta Lynch for Montlater's like Jane Lindholm and Mary Alice McKenzie and One woman who inspires me each and every day my wife myself. I Cannot thank Secretary yelling enough she Has to be one of the absolutely busiest members of the president's cabinet There is not a single issue that comes up to doesn't land in some way or other on her desk and she She handles it calmly professionally better than all the rest of us I Mean, I know her and she had dark hair and I had hair What it's done To both of us, but the fact that she would take time to come to Vermont Come up here and address you. I think we're all fortunate Think of it. This is the first woman To chair the Federal Reserve and do an extraordinary job at that She's the first woman to serve as Treasury Secretary And Treasury Secretary goes all the way back to Alexander Hamilton You'll end up better doctor Than he did but she's accomplished academic She's added to economic theory that is relied on all over the world because of her Research on wages I Worked with her. I'd bet on a personal level As her department oversaw the investment of pandemic relief dollars in Vermont and across the country she Spent time talking with me about How we're set up in Vermont and what changes there there might be and needs we have and Madam Secretary I cannot Thank you enough for the time you spent when they called about With all you had on your hands with three hundred and twenty five million America's I said We got six hundred thousand or so here in Vermont. Can you take time? As you did and her staff did and so, you know, I've known over the years so many cabinet members During 48 years and all the different administrations She is in the absolute absolute top level. She's extraordinary. So Thank you Thank you so much and hello everybody. It's great to be it from on technical college and Institutions like these are the backbones of our community Senator Leahy, I am So grateful for your kind words I'm even more grateful for your leadership over your eight terms in the Senate For decades you have been a giant in the fight for a fair economy that works for everyone Your work on the Lily led better act your push for equal pay for the women's national soccer team and Your support for the reauthorization of the violence against women act These are just a few examples of how you have fought for gender equality and It's not just here in America. You've worked on some of the most consequential International and humanitarian issues of the last half century Through your leadership on the appropriations committee you've provided aid to victims of human trafficking and those suffering the most Everyone here in Vermont and Washington also knows that this career in public service Would not have been possible without senator Leahy's partnership with Marcel Marcel and Patrick Leahy are partners in the truest sense of the word Marcel's passion to help families is perhaps most aptly Seen in her commitment to the families of those serving in the National Guard She's been instrumental in helping families maintain stability and continuity before during and following deployment and Marcel's support for cancer research and public health funding has benefited countless women across the country More than anywhere else the Leahy's have ensured that women's economic opportunity Has been at the forefront of the agenda in Vermont and there is no better testament to this belief than the very conference we're at today as All of you know, this is the 25th Vermont women's economic opportunity conference since 1996 hundreds of Vermont women have come together to discuss issues of empowerment Trailblazers like Lily Lidbetter, Sonia Sotomayor, Loretta Lynch and of course Marcel Leahy have delivered keynote addresses What I find even more inspiring than the keynotes are the breakout sessions. I've learned that come after Through practical conversations about issues of everyday importance Vermont women talk about the various Barriers and the challenges they face Especially in their careers and they support and lift each other up now These issues are a special focus to me because I've lived a few of them It was almost exactly 41 years ago that I was getting ready to re-enter the work force after the birth of Robbie my son Now I was immensely fortunate. I had a spouse also an economist who like Marcel was a true partner and in every sense of that word we Coauthored economic research papers and he fully shared in child care responsibilities often He did more than his share on top of that both of us had Flexible academic jobs that made it easier to balance work and family and really that's something that most women lack But still we found balancing two careers with parenting Challenging and we needed some childcare. I Remember calling the classified section of the Daily Californian. That's the Berkeley newspaper We purchased a hope-wanted advertisement for a babysitter We indicated in the ad that we would offer good pay and My husband and I were fortunate We could pay for good child care and we paid even more than the market rate to make sure That we could get the right person for what we considered a very important job But as all of us know that's a luxury most people across this country do not have and It's part of a broader child care system That does not work for anyone for the kids for the families or for the caregivers themselves That became completely clear to me and my husband and it's clear for so many parents and families So let me turn to the issues facing women in the workforce from the perspective of both a working mother and an economist and My case to you today is that Expanding opportunity to women. That's not just the right thing to do. It's also good economics And we have much more work to do So let me focus on Three inequities that have been top of mind for me lately women's participation in our workforce Pay equity and women's health I'll then talk about what our administration has done to expand women's economic opportunity first women's participation in our workforce From 1950 to the end of the 20th century the female labor force participation rate almost doubled This was one of the major drivers of economic growth during that period yet since 2000 the participation rate is stagnated in the United States Even as it's continued to rise and other advanced economies in other words within a generation We have lost one of our major drivers creating inclusive economic growth and this comes as the pandemic placed added strains on certain groups of women now economic data shows that the labor force participation rate Has returned to pre-pandemic levels for prime-age women and that's a huge achievement But the rate for non-college educated women has remained below what it was before the pandemic There are still too many barriers for women entering the workforce Childcare continues to be a big challenge today the average family with at least one child under age five Needs to devote about 13 percent of family income to pay for childcare and this is a price far out of reach for too many Americans and Further the cost dissuades many new mothers from entering the workforce in the first place We need programs that will actively support and facilitate women entering the labor market a Wide body of research has shown that high quality affordable childcare and free preschool Increased the likelihood that parents particularly mothers will participate in the workforce and these programs also provide lasting benefits for the outcomes of their children and They help the entire economy By one estimate increasing female labor force Participation rate to the male rate would raise GDP by five percent Second, let me now focus on pay equity As you know women in America who work year-round in full-time jobs Earn a median of around 83 cents for every dollar earned by men Even when we compare the gender gap across workers in similar occupations with comparable qualifications research suggests there's still typically a gap of about 10 percent and Disparities in pay widen for women of color One of the main reasons for the pay gap is an issue that you're going to be discussing in the breakout sessions The day-to-day challenges that face women across this country as People progress in their careers jobs can require longer hours And that has a disproportionate effect on women who often bear a larger share of the childcare burden These factors are relevant across the wage spectrum including among the highest paid jobs So I think we need to be thinking about ways that government Interventions like subsidized childcare can be effective in reducing the pressures on women In all ensuring equal pay for equal work would result in increased pay for women Boost our economy and reduce poverty for single-parent families It's not just the right thing to do. It's the economically beneficial thing to do Third let me discuss women's health Health outcomes are tied to economic progress For instance research shows that those likely affected by Medicaid expansion Had a reduction in collections and dead owed for both health and non-health related expenses There's good news globally Maternal mortality is fallen by over a third since 2000 the bad news is That it's increased in America in recent years Access to care in this country has remained stubbornly tied to class Resulting in low-income and working mothers with worse treatment and poorer health outcomes than they should have and The recent ruling by the Supreme Court only serves to exacerbate disparities in access to care The court's recent decision over turning Roe v. Wade is a deeply consequential step backwards I believe that denying women the ability to make decisions about when and whether to have children limits their ability to control their economic future and To make decisions that are best for them and their families Access Access to reproductive health care has helped women join the workforce Enabled many women to finish school and allowed women to plan and balance their families in careers Not all of these issues are new Disparities in labor force participation pay and health have existed for decades But it's time we fix them And with senator lehi's support that is what the president and I have been focused on doing The american rescue plan signed into law by the president in 2021 Drove an historically fast and inclusive recovery It also provided a major investment into women's economic opportunity In one of our signature programs the state and local fiscal recovery funds We've seen states and local governments spend billions on workforce development and child care programs Other programs like the state small business credit initiative and the child care stabilization grant program Have supported women owned businesses and hard hit child care providers In fact one of the very first loans in the ssbci program was to increase the capacity Of a daycare facility just 38 miles from here The arp also supported families more broadly The expanded child tax credit gave families up to $3,000 per child age six and older And even more for children under six This put money directly into the pockets of working class and low income moms and dads And the emergency rental assistance program provided billions in assistance to help low income families keep up on their rent Two-thirds the households that received this assistance were female headed households Beyond direct economic support the biden administration has provided support to prevent and respond To gender-based violence including domestic violence and sexual assault services It's announced the development of the first ever government-wide Action plan to end to end gender-based violence And it's pursued additional initiatives to provide women with access to quality and affordable health care coverage Now there's much more work to do I believe we must expand access to child care increase access to health care Support women's reproductive rights and offer additional support for women in the workforce It's more than just an issue of fairness It offers economic benefits to the entire country and we will continue to advocate for these policies This conference Thanks This conference and the women gathered here today Give me hope that we will be able to make progress When I placed that ad in the classified section of the daly california in 1971 A conference like this would have been unimaginable Now in its 25th year the conference has become a staple Senator lehi and marcel Thank you for championing Women's economic empowerment in vermont and across the globe And to everyone gathered here I look forward to our collective work to continue pushing forward and create an economy That works for everyone Particularly women in america Thank you very much We are so fortunate to have been able to hear from secretary ellen here and randall fermant I'm so grateful she could join us As a new mother with a five month old at home hearing her talk about child care was really personal to me And i'm sure pieces of her speech really spoke to all of you So now i'd like to share some general housekeeping details about how today is going to run I'll ask all of you to take a look at your programs and familiarize yourself with where you're going today I know every time i'm on this campus i get a little bit lost so there is a map that will lead you to your workshops One thing you can also do is talk to any of the conference organizers or committee members or all of senator lehi's staff Who are here today? Our name tags all have little orange dots But another thing you can do is ask your fellow participants We often have folks come back to this conference So i'll ask anyone who's attended weok before to just raise your hand so that new folks can know who to look for It's always great to see returning participants here today So we've all learned to be flexible in the past few years On that note i'm going to lower the mic and this conference is no exception Unfortunately, we have had a cancellation the workshop improvisation and comedy We had to cancel unfortunately and i know many people were looking forward to going to that workshop So if you plan to attend improvisation and comedy Please select another workshop from the list in your program There's In order to make sure there's space for everyone We've also moved creating a mindset for professional growth to room conant 102 There is a yellow paper in your in your programs or that you picked up at registration That has this information that says the comedy workshop is canceled The mindset for professional growth has been moved to conant conant 102 And that is to make sure there's space so Please attend the workshop you're most interested in the one you registered for is on the back of your name tag And because we had to move things around a little bit We might have some rooms that are more crowded than others. So we ask everyone to be Gracious if you have a few extra participants in the room and bear with us through the day Lunch will be served at mori hall Which is up the sidewalk in back of this building Please head up there as soon as your morning workshop is over We need to feed a lot of people in a fairly short period of time So we need to move people through lunch expeditiously. You'll notice that workshops are either 90 minutes or 120 minutes, which means there's two waves of lunch. So if you're in the first wave if you have a 90 minute workshop Bear in mind as you finish your lunch in the cafeteria that someone else is going to need your table And once you're finished eating come back here. We will have desserts and coffee. So there's a lot of incentive to come back to this room At 1 o'clock to 2 30, we're going to gather back here for two afternoon presentations that we'll all Join as one big group. There's a presentation on self-defense, which is going to get us all up and moving And we'll close with a panel on mentorship If you have any questions, please feel free to ask at our registration table Like I said look for the volunteers with the dots on their badges Or ask the participants around you chances are someone has been here before and joined this conference before So with that it is now time for folks to depart to their morning sessions Thank you all once again for joining and we look forward to seeing you back here by one o'clock in the afternoon Thank you all