Photo: A panel hosted on the first day of the summit.

On April 9th-10th, 2018, the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN) hosted its annual summit at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and USC Alumni Center.

Registrants had the opportunity to engage in conversation with diverse business owners, community leaders, students, and advocates while taking part in hands-on skill-building activities designed to address and increase women’s economic empowerment in South Carolina. Topics included salary negotiation training, speaking your own greatness, innovative strategies for working mothers, and advocating and organizing for women’s rights.

The Gubernatorial Forum, which culminated on Equal Pay Day, served as the summit’s closing event and featured Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant, Rep. James Smith, Catherine Templeton, and Marguerite Willis. They focused primarily on the economic well-being of women, and other topics that arose included healthcare access and leadership opportunities.

“The Gubernatorial Forum today elevated the attention to issues affecting women and families in our state and gave candidates a chance to talk about how they see the issues," said WREN CEO Ann Warner. "It also gave voters a chance to hear and consider the differences in the candidates’ approaches to improving women’s health, education, safety, workforce participation, and more. On Equal Pay Day, it’s so important to acknowledge the progress we have made as well as the distance we still have to go to reach true equality."