Looking Back: The 2026 Atlantic Regional Conference
The last weekend in September, I drove to Lancaster, PA for the second bi-annual Atlantic Regional Conference, which ran from Friday afternoon through Sunday. It would be impossible to capture all the content from the main speakers and the break-out rooms, not to mention great ideas from other attendees shared across lunches and dinner. But I can share a few general impressions, as well as a few specific take-aways.
According to the hosts of the conference – AAUW Pennsylvania – there were 177 registrations from 14 states, and nearly 70 branch and local affiliations represented. Personally, I encountered women from Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, California (not part of the Atlantic region, but guests who are planning their own conference next year and attended as observers), Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and – proudly– New Jersey. I’m sure I’m missing a state or two. It was striking how different the branches are, in membership, community engagement, funding, and other facets. Yet our common ground – commitment to a mission, and to making a difference for the next generation – was even more present.
The theme of the conference was Unfinished Revolution: Together We Stand. AAUW CEO Gloria Blackwell gave the opening address, and in speaking about the women who’ve worked for equity before us, Gloria noted, “The revolution is unfinished, not because they failed, but because they trusted us to continue the long, hard work of change.” She also had three key themes for progress: “Stay focused; stay connected; stay engaged.”
Another inspiring speaker was Jill Fellows who serves as the Main Representative of the International Alliance of Women to the United Nations, at UN Headquarters. She spoke on advocacy, sharing four lessons she’s learned along the way: 1) Prepare for pushback, because you will certainly get it; 2) Unleash your inner wordsmith: advocacy is done on the page as well as in person through letters, opinion pieces, articles and papers; 3) Build partnerships, to learn and to leverage; and 4) Speak to your strengths, and identify best practices to build on.
The presentation by Dr. Joseph S. Thomas gave a new perspective on how policy affects women’s health care: access, cost, even the viability of local hospital systems. Dr. Thomas is a hospitalist physician at Buffalo Medical Group and assistant chair of Internal Medicine at Mercy Hospital at Buffalo. He is also a digital media editor for the Journal of Hospital Medicine and a nationally recognized public health educator. Since 2020, he has written the blog Managing Health Expectations. One particularly compelling point Dr. Thomas made concerns the explosion in the misinformation disseminated via social media, which he works to combat through his own blog and other media. In response, a guest member from California rose to tell us about an initiative the California State AAUW launched with student researchers: the Reproductive Health and Misinformation Project (RHOMP). The full report and informative webinar is posted on the state’s website. The team’s work was recognized by the California State Legislature in 2026!
These are just three of the outstanding speakers we heard at the conference. There were many more – a panel discussion on the upcoming vote, and how to engage young voters; the impact of the “Me Too” movement on our legal processes and outcomes; many examples of successful change-making, and a wonderful dramatic presentation on Eleanor Roosevelt.
On Saturday, we had our choice of breakout sessions covering a wide array of topics, from media to making change, reproductive health to justice reform. Each of the sessions used a different lens to examine how change happens, how leaders make a difference, and some of the key opportunities – and urgent need – for women to unite for change. I’ll mention one break-out session I attended on the concept of Social Wealth, which the facilitator defined as the resources available to you through your relationships. We can design our own personal social wealth by answering the question, who’s in my corner? And also, how can I help them, and how can they help me? As the facilitator framed it, “Everyone is carrying an invisible backpack, and inside it has both burdens and resources.” Her advice: Open the backpack! Tell people what help you need; they might be just the right resource. And listen for the help they need, the burdens they’re carrying.” Summit College Club is a great place to build and use your Social Wealth!
The next Regional Conference is tentatively planned for 2028 in Florida. I hope to go, and I hope some of our members will join me! It’s a great experience: Learning, connecting, gathering inspiration and (honestly!) having fun.
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