Jessica Mendoza, Victoria Arlen, Ashleigh Johnson and Emily Calandrelli headline 4th annual “Empowering Girls for Life” event September 12

ESPN sportscaster Jessica Mendoza, Paralympian Victoria Arlen, Olympian Ashleigh Johnson and Netflix Emily’s Wonder Lab host Emily Calandrelli will headline the fourth annual “Empowering Girls for Life,” a free event to be held virtually.

“The purpose of the event is to reach out to young women and girls and to get the message out on motivating and empowering young girls to be the best that they can be,” said Empowering Girls for Life creator Bill Conroy. Conroy started the Beverly Bandits, a nationally recognized elite fast pitch softball team that has won numerous national championships and has sent more than 400 young women to Division 1 college scholarships over the last 20 years.

Empowering Girls for Life is committed to shifting the perception that women do not have the ability or opportunity to achieve as much as their male counterparts.  By creating channels to meet, interact with and learn from diverse, high-profile women, Empowering Girls for Life aims to inspire and enable personal and professional success for girls and women everywhere.

The free virtual program will start at 8:30 AM CST and a complete schedule of events will be released in July.

To register or to get more information, go to: www.empoweringgirlsforlife.com.  The entire event can be viewed until September 26th with registration.  Attendees can choose to watch one or multiple speakers throughout the two weeks that the event will be available. All registrants will have access to an exclusive virtual swag bag as well as the ability to engage with sponsors.

Empowering Girls for Life is powered by ComEd, an Exelon Company.  ComEd not only provides electricity to approximately 4 million homes and businesses across northern Illinois, it supports programs that help young women pursue their interests in STEM-related education and be better prepared to join the workforce of tomorrow.

Featured Speakers

Jessica Mendoza is an Olympic softball Gold and Silver Medalist and trailblazer.  She joined ESPN in 2007 and in 2015 became the first woman to serve as an analyst for nationally televised MLB games. At Stanford University, she was 4-time First Team All-American and played professionally in National Pro Fastpitch, being named 2011 Player of the Year and finishing career as one the top-10 for batting average and slugging percentage.

Victoria Arlen lost the ability to speak, eat, walk and move age 11. At age 15, she began the nearly impossible fight back to life, learning how to speak, eat and move all over again.  Since then she has worked as a motivational speaker, television host and swimmer, winning three silvers and a gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.  In 2015 she joined ESPN as one of the youngest on-air talents and then learned to dance as a contestant on Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars.

Ashleigh Johnson was the first ever African American woman to compete for Team USA in water polo, being crowned tournament MVP in helping lead Team USA to the Gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.  A psychology major graduate of Princeton University, she finished as her career as Princeton’s all-time leader in saves (1,362) and compiled 100 career victories.  She is currently training for the Tokyo Games.

Emily Calandrelli is an MIT-engineer turned Emmy-nominated science TV host. She’s the Host and Co-Executive Producer of Emily’s Wonder Lab on Netflix, and a featured correspondent on Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World and an Executive Producer and host of FOX’s Xploration Outer Space. Emily is the author of the science chapter book series, the Ada Lace Adventures.

Shree Bose was the grand prize winner of the 2011 Google Science Fair for her research on the chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, taken by women with ovarian cancer.  She is currently an MSTP student at Duke University School of Medicine after graduating from Harvard College. In 2014, she co-founded Piper, a STEM education company that creates computer engineering kits to teach children about engineering through the game of Minecraft.

Gitanjali Rao was selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as TIME’s first ever Kid of the Year. At 15 years old, she is using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over. She is the author of the book, “Young innovator’s Guide to STEM”.

Cheryl Maletich is the Senior Vice President of Transmission and Substation at ComEd, a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corp. She oversees engineering and design, work management, transmission and substation construction and maintenance, and substation relay and testing at ComEd. Cheryl is an active member of the Chicago Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers and Women’s Energy Network, serves on the board of the Penedo Charitable Organization, and is a member of the Energetic Women’s Committee for the Midwest Energy Association.

Wells Fargo Roundtable discussion members

• Jennifer Doyle, Managing Director Head of Asset-Backed Finance Sales, Trading and Syndicate Corporate & Investment Banking Wells Fargo & Company
• Kristy Fercho, Executive Vice President Head of Home Lending Wells Fargo & Company
• Amanda G. Norton, Chief Risk Officer Corporate Risk Wells Fargo & Company
• Kristin Lesher, Executive Vice President and Head of East Region Wells Fargo & Company
• Mary Katherine DuBose, Executive Vice President Chief Credit Officer Credit Risk Wells Fargo & Company

Event Emcee Katie Caldwell is a freelance sports broadcaster, mental health advocate and accomplished dancer. She has a range of experience on-air and behind-the-scenes with outlets including TSN, Sportsnet650, the NHL Network at SiriusXM, Puck Talks Live, GALvanize and the Nashville Predators. After her cancer diagnosis in 2017, Katie ventured into public speaking to share her experience with adversity and mental illness.

About Empowering Girls for Life

Empowering Girls for Life is committed to shifting the perception that women do not have the ability or opportunity to achieve as much as their male counterparts. By creating channels to meet, interact with and learn from diverse, high-profile women, Empowering Girls for Life aims to inspire and enable personal and professional success for girls and women everywhere.