Lt. Gov. Polito to keynote WEMO Leadership Conference on Oct. 15

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will be the keynote speaker for the Women Elected Municipal Officials’ third annual Leadership Conference, which will be held as a Zoom meeting on Friday, Oct. 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

The free conference — “Women Leading Resilient Communities” — will focus on the crucial role that women leaders play in recovery efforts to establish strong, healthy communities.

Polito will discuss the state’s COVID-19 ongoing response and recovery efforts. Following the keynote, the WEMO Steering Committee, chaired by Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday, will lead a facilitated discussion about recovery efforts at the municipal level.

The second half of the conference will feature two simultaneous breakout sessions — on diversity, equity and inclusion, and on climate adaptation and resilience — with an emphasis on municipal initiatives to address these challenges.

The first session, “Leading Equitable Communities,” will be led by Easton Select Board Chair and WEMO Committee Member Dottie Fulginiti. Eunice Zeigler, a Methuen councillor and first vice chair of WEMO, and Debra Roberts, vice chair of the Stoughton Select Board, will be featured panelists.

The climate session, “Leading Sustainable Communities,” will be led by WEMO Chair Donna Holaday, with panelists Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll and Malden Councillor Amanda Linehan, a WEMO Committee member.

Participants may select the breakout session they wish to participate in during the live event. Both breakouts will be recorded and shared with all attendees after the event.

A registration link was emailed to all WEMO members in mid-September, and advance registration is required.