9TH ANNUAL SPRING CONFERENCE
Fulfilling America's Promise
Utah Valley University
Thank you for joining us!
Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and virtually for this year's conference! We hope you came away uplifted, inspired, and ready to move forward.
If you weren't able to join us but want to watch the recordings, you still can! Purchase a virtual pass, and your email confirmation will contain the link to watch the recordings. If you purchased a conference ticket, you already have access to the recordings.
Please note that Shaina Taub's session recording will only be available until June 21, 2026.
Featured Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Plenary Speaker
Shaina Taub
Writer, performer, and Tony Award winner for the original Broadway musical "Suffs"
Jeannie L. Johnson
Founding director of the USU Center for Anticipatory Intelligence
Session Speakers
Brandon Ball
Founder of global health-focused legislative and government relations firm
Jill Fairholm
Family health and well-being program director for MWEG
Karen Hall
Executive director for the USC Rule of Law Collaborative
Sui Lang L. Panoke
Founder of Rethink International
Jill Piacitelli
Associate director of the Ballard Center for Social Impact at BYU’s Marriott School of Business
Michalyn Steele
Marion G. Romney professor of law at Brigham Young University
Betsy Bennion
Associate director at BYU Law School’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies and former U.S. diplomat
Elizabeth Fitzsimmons
Retired U.S. ambassador
Aditi Juneja
Executive director of Democracy 2076
Mychael-Ann Pelo
Director of communities for MWEG
Emmalyn Pykles
Educator, policy advocate, and experience designer
Melissa Dalton-Bradford
Author, nonprofit founder, humanitarian, educator
Mary Ellen Giess
Chief program officer at Interfaith America
Jamie Lundberg
Policy and government affairs associate at Philanthropy Roundtable
Emily Peterson
Curator and public historian
Brooke Romney
Speaker, community builder, best-selling author
Conference Schedule
Schedule and presenters are subject to change.
8:00am
Check-In Begins
9:00am
Welcome
Jennifer Walker Thomas & Emma Petty Addams
9:15am
Keynote Speaker
Shaina Taub | Theater as a Tool for Social Change
10:15am
Workshop Block 1
Mary Ellen Giess | Faith Is a Bridge: The Strength of American Religious Diversity
Betsy Bennion | International and Individual Peacemaking: Reflections From a Former Diplomat
MWEG Young Professionals Council Panel — Jamie Lundberg, Emily Peterson, Jill Piacitelli, Emmalyn Pykles | Imagining a Hopeful Future
11:15am
Workshop Block 2
Brooke Romney | Small Efforts Create Cohesive Communities
Sui Lang L. Panoke | Rethink Power: Ancestry. Identity. Purpose.
Karen Hall, Michalyn Steele | Understanding and Defending the Rule of Law
12:15pm
Lunch
1:30pm
Plenary Speaker
Jeannie L. Johnson | Spiritual Resilience
2:30pm
Workshop Block 3
Aditi Juneja, Mychael-Ann Pelo | Reimagining the Future of Democracy: A Conversation With Aditi Juneja
Melissa Dalton-Bradford | How We Save Democracy, Religious Freedom, and Christianity
Interfaith Panel — Brandon Ball, Jill Fairholm, Elizabeth Fitzsimmons | Faith in Action: Advancing Global Health Through Advocacy
3:30pm
Closing Remarks
Jennifer Walker Thomas & Emma Petty Addams
Download the MWEG Central app
Connect with the women you meet at the conference on MWEG Central!
MWEG Central is our ad-free, algorithm-free community space where women can practice peacemaking, ask meaningful questions, and build real relationships. Accessible by app or web browser, MWEG Central includes discussion spaces for each state, along with courses, member events, book group discussions, calls to action, and more!
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
