On June 12, 2025, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Women’s Leadership Conference at the DCU Center. As always, it was an inspiring convergence of energy, empowerment, and enterprise. But this year’s event offered more than just networking and empowerment—it was a deep dive into one of the most urgent challenges and opportunities facing women in leadership today: technology.
While women continue to make strides in business, education, public service, and finance, the conversation is shifting from “how do we get a seat at the table?” to “how do we use the tools available to us without being penalized for them?” And nowhere was that dialogue more alive than at this year’s conference.
Beyond Self-Care and Hashtags: Why Women Show Up
Leadership conferences often get dismissed as feel-good events wrapped in motivational quotes and selfie booths. While these touches exist, the true heart of events like the Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference lies in real conversations, strategic insights, and tangible tools.
Women come to build, not just bond.
Yes, there are gift bags and breakout sessions. But more importantly, there are workshops on finance, marketing, AI integration, leadership dynamics, and how to amplify your authority in spaces that don’t always recognize it. For many women—even those who own their businesses or run departments—it’s not uncommon to still be questioned, doubted, or dismissed.
The conference doesn’t shy away from this reality. Instead, it tackles it head-on.
The Power and Pitfalls of Tech for Women in Leadership
One of the day’s most talked-about keynote speakers was Erica Dhawan, a globally recognized management thinker and bestselling author. Her work on “connectional intelligence” and “digital body language” opened the floor to a much-needed conversation: Is technology helping or hurting women’s leadership goals?
The answer, as Dhawan highlighted, depends entirely on how it’s used—and how it’s perceived.
In her keynote, she referenced a study on workplace email communication that sparked nods and sighs from many in the room. A young man sending a message peppered with emojis was seen as warm and personable. A young woman using the same emojis? She was seen as unprofessional.
The exact same behavior. Two very different judgments.
Dhawan’s message: digital communication mirrors our cultural biases, and without awareness, technology may continue to reflect and reinforce outdated perceptions of professionalism and leadership—especially for women.
A Leveling Tool for the Quiet Leaders
Despite the pitfalls, Dhawan also pointed to the unexpected strengths of digital platforms, particularly for women who don’t naturally command physical or vocal presence in traditional meetings.
“I’ve heard from so many introverts,” Dhawan said. “They tell me, ‘I don’t have to talk over the loud extroverts anymore.’” In email threads, Slack channels, and collaborative platforms, the focus can shift to quality of thought, not volume of voice. For many women, this has created a more even playing field.
When performance is judged by insight rather than intonation, doors open.
But the key is learning how to navigate digital dynamics strategically—to understand not just what you say, but how it’s interpreted. That’s the kind of nuanced leadership intelligence that’s rarely taught but deeply needed, and that’s exactly what conferences like Worcester’s are providing.
Holding Space for Real Conversations
What made the 2025 Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference stand out wasn’t just the impressive speaker lineup or the wide array of professional fields represented—from finance and healthcare to politics and academia. It was the shared willingness to sit with hard questions, especially the ones that don’t have easy answers.
What happens when you’re the only woman in the room, still?
What if you’re not just a woman, but also young—or older—or a woman of color—or disabled—or LGBTQ+?
How do you push past not just gender bias, but the layered biases of race, religion, age, and appearance?
The conference didn’t pretend these issues weren’t there. It embraced them.
Caitlin Lubelczyk, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, captured this spirit best in her statement:
“Recognizing the challenges that women continue to face in the workplace, the conference offers a space to share stories, celebrate achievements, and foster meaningful dialogue among accomplished and emerging leaders.”
Building Forward Together
Since 2009, the Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference has been more than an event—it’s been a movement. A movement that reminds women they don’t have to change who they are to lead. A space that insists leadership isn’t a one-size-fits-all suit. And perhaps most importantly, a gathering where women don’t have to explain why they’re in the room—they already belong.
In 2025, as we navigate AI tools, evolving communication, and an increasingly digital world, the challenge is no longer just about access—it’s about agency. Women know how to lead. The world just needs to learn how to listen.
And if the conversations at Worcester are any indication, that change is already happening. One speaker, one question, one keystroke at a time.
