Welch Highlights Workshop Schedule for 2025 Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference

Sep 15, 2025
WEOC will feature keynote remarks from best-selling author Mirna Valerio and Senator Welch
RANDOLPH, VT –Today,U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.)announced the schedule for this year’s annualWomen’s Economic Opportunity Conference, which includes interactive workshops on growing economic opportunity, cultivating new audiences, and improving skills. The free one-day-only conference will also feature remarks from author Mirna Valerio and Senator Welch. The Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference (WEOC) will be held at Vermont State University in Randolph on September 27th.
Registration is free, open to the public, andopen now.
The full schedule for the Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference includes:
8:15 – 9:00 a.m.– Registration/Check-In and networking
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.– Keynote Speakers: Mirna Valerio, Sen. Peter Welch
10:15 – 11:45 a.m.– Morning Workshops
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.– Complimentary lunch
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.– Afternoon Workshops
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.– Closing Panel: Money Matters: From First Paycheck to Retirement with Priscilla Gilbert, Liz Scharf, and Julie Kelley
3:15 p.m.– Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Party
Workshops include: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing; Everyday Philanthropy; Benefits of a Custom ChatGPT; Building Resilience in Changing Markets; Financial Foundations for Women in Business; Start-Up Business Advice; Debt, Credit, and Financial Literacy; Power Tools; Grants and Alternative Funding Guidance; Values Bridge Assessment Tool; Building and Refining Pricing Models; and Thriving in the AI-Powered Digital Landscape. Learn more and read the full listhere.
Last week, Sen. Welchannouncedthat best-selling author, ultramarathoner, and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Mirna Valerio will provide the keynote address for this year’s annualWomen’s Economic Opportunity Conference. Valerio is a native of Brooklyn, New York, a former educator and cross-country coach, ultramarathoner, cyclist and newish skier, DEI practitioner, and author of the memoir,A Beautiful Work in Progress. Her athletic story has been featured in theWall Street Journal,Runner’s World, onNBC Nightly News,CNN, and in the viral documentary short,REI Presents The Mirnavator. Her writing has been featured inWomen’s Running,Self,Outside, andRunner’s World.
The Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference was created by Senator Patrick Leahy and his wife Marcelle and has been a Vermont tradition for decades. Senator Welch and his wife, Margaret Cheney, are pleased to continue this tradition of bringing Vermonters together to learn, network, and build economic opportunity for Vermonters. This event is held in partnership with the Vermont Women’s Fund and the Vermont Community Foundation.
The conference will take place from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on September 27, 2025, at the Vermont State University Randolph Campus in Randolph. Coffee and lunch are provided at no cost. Registration for this free event is now open, and interested participants are encouraged tosign up in advance. Registration will remain open through the day of the event, but interested Vermonters are encouraged to register early as space is limited.
To receive updates on the conference details, registration, and other information, fill out the formhere. For accommodation requests, including dietary restrictions, please emailweoc@welch.senate.govor call (802)-863-2525 by Friday, September 19, 2025.
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