Every year at our National Summit, women from across the country come together to grow their leadership skills, expand their networks, and gain practical tools to make an impact in their communities.

Through inspiring speakers, skills-building workshops, networking opportunities, professional headshots, and meaningful conversations, our attendees leave our Summit equipped to lead with greater confidence and purpose.

This year, WPLN's Fifth Annual National Summit was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 4-5 as part of our celebration of 250 years of women leadership in America. Here are some of the highlights!

Day 1: Thursday, June 4

The 2026 #WPLNSummit kicked off at the historic Union League of Philadelphia with registration, networking, and professional headshots, before a series of practical leadership workshops designed to help attendees sharpen their skills and maximize their impact.

Our sessions started with "AI for Impact: Practical Tools to Lead, Communicate, and Work Smarter," where Ashley O'Rourke of Microsoft shared how emerging technology can strengthen leadership, communications, and productivity.

During "Reaching Your Audience," Sara Marie Ridley, Lindsay Farrow, and Lauren Devoll from Numinar discussed audience engagement and communications strategies.

In the last workshop series of the day, "Positioning for Impact: How to Step into Leadership Opportunities," Adrianna Sekula of Solidarity Partners shared actionable strategies for women looking to elevate their influence and pursue new opportunities.

"You can’t step into leadership unless there’s an opportunity... so you have to be able to recognize it or, if it might not be there, you’re going to have to create it."
— Solidarity Partners Founder Adrianna Sekula

The evening continued with an Opening Reception, hosted by former U.S. Representative Mimi Walters, providing all of our attendees the opportunity to enjoy drinks and passed hors d'oeuvres while they chatted with each other.

For our VIP attendees, WPLN offered an exclusive off-site networking experience that included a color wheel analysis by stylist Kate Powell, to close out an inspiring first day!

Day 2: Friday, June 5

Friday began with breakfast and welcome remarks before the first of the morning's plenary sessions: A conversation on the "State of American Women," hosted by WPLN President Larissa Martinez with Debbie Walsh (Director of the Center for American Women and Politics), and Amanda Iovino (Co-Founder of Pantheon Insight).

"Women are much more likely to say 'I ran for office because there was a problem and I wanted to fix it'... Women run to do something, men run to be somebody."
— Center for American Women and Politics Director Debbie Walsh

The next panel on "Pennsylvania: Leadership in Action" featured Level Up Founder Amber Benzon and Pennsylvania state representatives Kristin Marcell and Martina White. They discussed how women are advancing solutions and strengthening their communities at the state level.

"Women just put so much pressure on ourselves. We don't give ourselves enough credit, we don't give ourselves grace... So give yourself some time, give yourself some grace."
— Pennsylvania State Representative Kristin Marcell

A panel on the "Legacy of Liberty: Reaching and Serving Every Community" followed, hosted by the LIBRE Initiative. Emily Brey of Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania joined LIBRE's Israel Ortega (Director of Strategic Partnerships), Judy Pino (Marketing Manager), and Jennie Dallas (Strategic Director) for a conversation on outreach and creating opportunities that empower individuals and communities to thrive.

"We want to encourage every American... that they can take one small step to celebrate this moment, to preserve the liberty and freedoms that we have, in this generation, but also for the next generation."
— Israel Ortega (Director of Strategic Partnerships at The LIBRE Initiative)

The conversation on the "Legacy of Liberty" continued with a Fireside Chat between LIBRE Initiative Executive Director Sandra Benitez and Karen Navarro, Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Monica De La Cruz (TX).

"In order to succeed, in order to know what you are doing, you have to make the mistakes... And you can't be afraid to make them, because the quicker you make them, the quicker you learn from them, and the quicker you can build on that and continue to grow."
— Karen Navarro, Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Monica De La Cruz (TX)

The morning plenary sessions concluded with a Fireside Chat on Power Positioning between Joy Johnson (Vice President of Communications at Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association) and Adrianna Sekula (Founder of Solidarity Partners), who discussed confidence, preparation, and strategic leadership.

"Step into your confidence, speak well to yourself, and be kind to yourself... A lot of times when women aren't running for office or stepping into leadership positions, the person holding us back really is ourselves."
— Solidarity Partners Founder Adrianna Sekula

Following the plenary sessions, Summit attendees participated in breakout discussions on Artificial Intelligence (led by Ashley O'Rourke of Microsoft) and "Leading with Integrity: Navigating Rules, Ethics, and Compliance" (led by Lisa Lisker of Huckaby, Davis, Lisker, Inc.; Rebekah Marino of Holtzman Vogel; and Megan Martin of Commonwealth Foundation).

During lunch, attendees heard from Google on "Using Google Tools to Lead, Communicate, and Deliver Results" (led by Macaulay Porter of Google). The luncheon also featured a Fireside Chat with Joan Carter, recipient of WPLN's 2026 Distinguished Leader Award, and Megan Martin (Chief Operating Officer at Commonwealth Foundation). Joan shared lessons from her leadership journey and reflections on service, perseverance, and impact.

"I always thought being a woman was an advantage. Though in some ways it wasn't... But I always thought, being the woman, you could make it an advantage... If you're in a room with 10 men, and you're the only woman, people will remember what you say."
— Joan Carter, former President of the Union League of Philadelphia and recipient of WPLN's 2026 Distinguished Leader Award

The afternoon continued with conversations focused on the future of leadership and community engagement, starting with a Fireside Chat between Edith Jorge-Tuñón (State Government Leadership Foundation) and Emily Lockwood (Pivotal).

"We are built for difficult environments and to persevere in those difficult environments... And so if right now the biggest moment in your life is deciding whether or not to run, just say yes. You don't need to have the answers. You will figure it out."
— Edith Jorge-Tuñón (State Government Leadership Foundation)

During "Powering Possibility: Women, Communities, and What Comes Next," WPLN President Larissa Martinez spoke with Iowa State Senate President Amy Sinclair.

"I will not let someone else's opinion of who I should be determine my destiny."
— Iowa State Senate President Amy Sinclair

Next, the panel "Leading Across Differences: Pluralism in Practice" featured Danielle Rugoff (Founder of Purple Lexicon), Jorge Lima (Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Stand Together), and Kate Carney (Deputy Director at More in Common USA). They discussed why collaboration and bridge-building is important for leaders in an increasingly diverse society.

"Pluralism, social cohesion — this is a national security issue... If we fail as a country, it's going to be because our leaders no longer understand how to work across differences, across state lines, across sectors."
— Danielle Rugoff, Founder of Purple Lexicon

Attendees then participated in a Power Hour on how to "Elevate Your Presence," led by Emily Benavides of UnitedHealth Group and stylist Kate Powell, who shared practical advice on personal branding, professional presentation, and communicating with confidence.

The final panel of the day was a Founders Fireside Chat with "Social Entrepreneurs Leveraging AI and Technology to Forge a New Path" Becki Wright (Founder of Proximity); Laura Maristany (Founder of Katch Skills); and Amanda Iovino (Co-Founder of Pantheon Insight), moderated by WPLN President Laura Martinez.

The afternoon concluded with networking opportunities, express headshots, and receptions before the final event of the day, the Leadership Awards Dinner celebrating:

• David N. Taylor, recipient of the Daniel Anthony Award
• Edith Jorge-Tuñón, recipient of the Architect of Society Award

As we celebrated America's 250th Anniversary in the birthplace of our nation, WPLN's 2026 National Summit served as a powerful reminder of the role women have played — and continue to play — in shaping our country's future.

The conversations over the course of our Summit spanned multiple topics to help women lead more confidently and effectively — providing attendees with the practical tools, fresh perspectives, and valuable connections to support their leadership journeys.

Most importantly, women from across the country came together to learn from one another, encourage one another, and build relationships that will continue long after our Summit ended.

Thank you to our sponsors for their support — we could not have done this without you!

And thank you to everyone who joined us in Philadelphia and helped make our Fifth Annual National Summit such a memorable and impactful event.

We look forward to continuing to empower women leaders across the country — and we can't wait to see you in Washington, D.C., at next year's #WPLNSummit!

Stay connected to ensure you don't miss any details about our 2027 National Summit!