A Conference Dedicated to Women's Leadership

Every spring MITRE hosts a Women's Leadership Conference. The all-day event features presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Guest speakers have included high-ranking members of government, best-selling authors, and others speaking about leadership and motivational workplace topics.

While senior women leaders from across the company participate in the conference, MITRE Vice President Julie Gravallese notes, "It's really intended as a forum to inspire and motivate the entire female staff at MITRE." As one participant described her experience at a past conference: "It was exciting to see so many women together, networking and talking."

The event was born after several women at MITRE heard a presentation describing a women’s leadership conference as "a best practice." They wanted to create a venue at MITRE where women could network, share lessons learned, discuss leadership, and really get to know each other. After formally proposing the idea to company officers, they received funding.

This year's fourth annual conference attracted nearly 500 participants—there was so much demand, it even had a waiting list. For the first time, participants shared their thoughts by tweeting (using the hashtag "#MITREwomen"), and it is clear from the conversation that the conference continues to gain momentum. As one tweet proclaimed: "What a great day of inspiration!"