UMass Boston

A special note regarding virtual participation: Virtual registrants will have access to and can tune in to the morning greeting/remarks from our distinguished VIPs, our keynote session, breakout sessions on COVID 19 and reproductive justice and one other breakout session TBA, as well as our wrap-up at the end of the day. 

A few weeks after the conference, Erin Hayes, the owner of MediaBossTV (a women-owned firm) will provide CWPPP with a special link to recorded conference sessions that we will share with both our virtual and in-person registrants. With permission from CWPPP, sessions from the conference may be used for educational, community, and other related purposes that could be beneficial to your organization. If you have any specific questions about the conference, please email CWPPP Director, Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson at la.nsiahjefferson@umb.edu .

New England Women's Policy Initiative

The New England Women’s Policy Initiative (NEWPI) is a long-term, nonpartisan effort to advance economic security, health, and wellbeing of women and their families.  NEWPI is spearheaded by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and co-convened by regional partners including women’s commissions, women’s funds, and nonprofit organizations serving women, and particularly women of color, in the six New England states. 

Given the widening wealth gap in our society, the on-going gender gap in women's wages—especially for women of color—women's continued exclusion from many well paying occupations, and their lack of support for family caregiving, the co-conveners of the NEWPI have joined together to forge a multi-year plan for policy development, policy action, and measuring progress on key policy issues. 

The work of NEWPI falls in four broad areas:

1. Conferences and Trainings: "The New England Women's Policy Conference" is a regional event held every other year.  
   • The 5th New England Women's Policy Conference will be a hybrid event to be held on Friday, December 2nd at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate (please see full details above).
   • The 4th New England Women's Policy Conference was held in December, 2020 as a virtual event, with the theme “The Time is Now: Gender Justice, Antiracism, and Systemic Change” with keynote speaker Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). 
   • The 3rd New England Women's Policy Conference took place in November 2018 at the JFK Library and Museum in Boston, and featured Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, as the keynote speaker.
   • The 2nd New England Women's Policy Conference took place in November 2016 at the UMass Boston Campus Center, and featured keynote speakers Dr. Mary Frances Berry, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought, Professor of History, former Chair, US Commission on Civil Rights (1993-2004) and Alison Quirk, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources and Citizenship Office, State Street Corporation.
   • The 1st New England Women's Policy Conference took place in November 2014 with Dr. Julianne Malveaux, President and Founder, Economic Education as the keynote speaker. 
2. New England Women's Policy Network: Individuals and organizations may join the network and become members (no fee involved) of an online "learning community."
3. Policy-Relevant Research: Policy briefs and reports are developed, including state and regional level data, to inform policy development on NEWPI priority issues.
4. Policy Action: The co-conveners of the first New England Women's Policy Conference drafted the CALL TO ACTION: A Policy Framework for Women’s Economic Security to focus attention on key policy issues needed to advance women's economic security.
    

Steering Committee

Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy
The Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity
IGNITE
Maine's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
Mass NOW
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women
New Hampshire Women's Foundation
Permanent Commission on the Status of Women in Connecticut
Saheli (Massachusetts)
Tamaquag Museum (Rhode Island)
Women's Fund of Rhode Island
Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts
Vermont's Commission on Women