Women's Leadership Summit 10/8/2026 9:00 AM - 10/8/2026 3:00 PM

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:19:55 GMT

Join us for the Women's Leadership Summit: The Future of Work: Women Leading, What’s Next. Our annual event brings professional women throughout Santa Cruz County and beyond together for renewal, growth, and inspiration. Through networking opportunities, engaging keynote speaker, dynamic breakout sessions, and our power panel, participants will embark on a journey to lead with authenticity, purpose, and renewal.

The summit will take place at Mission Springs in Scotts Valley. We will start our day by gathering under the redwood trees and around firepits to connect over a cup of tea or coffee. Attendees are encouraged to dress comfortably, allowing for ease of movement throughout the day. Yoga pants are most welcome!

With the generous support of our title sponsor, Dignity Health Management Services, we are excited to create a space where women can come together to reenergize, cultivate relationships, and emerge empowered from the stories we share with women growing through every season of our lives and careers.

Ticket Prices
Members: $150 Individual / $700 Team Package (5 Tickets - $10 discount per ticket!)
Non-Members: $175 Individual / $825 Team Package (5 Tickets - $10 discount per ticket!)

AGENDA

9:00 - 9:45 AM - Registration & Networking (Coffee, Tea, Refreshments)

10:00 - 11:00 AM - Welcome & Opening Keynote

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM - Breakout Session

12:30 - 1:30 PM - Lunch & Networking

1:45 - 2:45 PM - Closing Panel Discussion

3:00 PM - Adjourn

Click here to download our 2026 Women in Business Summit Flyer - and share!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

The Women in Business program is led by the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit organization. Sponsorships are crucial to help offset the costs of programming. Sponsorship provides the opportunity to enrich relationships while highlighting your commitment to women's empowerment. Click here for a detailed listing of all sponsorship packages and the benefits included.

Event Sponsors

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Women's Health - Dr Anne Marie Jackson, MD - wanted to become a doctor since childhood. Although there were no doctors in her family, she always felt it was her calling. Her favorite part of her work is performing surgery — knowing she is helping patients heal while guiding them through an important and often intimidating life event. Outside of work, she enjoys cycling, including biking to work, traveling, spending time with dogs, and playing the accordion and piano.

She views her role as both an advisor and advocate for her patients. Her approach begins with understanding each patient’s greatest concerns and then using the knowledge and experience gained through medical school, residency, and years of practice to help them make informed decisions about their health. She practices gynecology exclusively, allowing her to focus specifically on women’s health beyond childbearing.

Elaine Johnson is a proud Bronx native whose upbringing in a close-knit community in the housing projects shaped her lifelong commitment to justice, collaboration, and community-led change. From an early age, she witnessed firsthand how stable housing can restore dignity, unlock opportunity, and transform lives, an experience that continues to guide her work today.

Elaine holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Juris Doctor from Monterey College of Law. Her professional background spans criminal law, juvenile dependency, mediation, and nonprofit leadership. She brings extensive expertise in housing equity, affordable housing policy, restorative justice, and community advocacy, using her legal and conflict-resolution training to advance equitable, people-centered housing solutions and build broad, cross-sector coalitions.

Elaine serves as the Executive Director of Housing Santa Cruz County (HSCC), where she leads countywide efforts to advance affordable housing through public education, policy advocacy, and community engagement. She also successfully led Measure C in the City of Santa Cruz (November 2024), a voter-approved initiative that expanded local funding for affordable housing, demonstrating the power of informed, organized, and community-driven policy change.

In addition to her role at HSCC, Elaine serves on several local boards, including Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, the Community Action Board, and Monarch Services, and she is President of the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch.

When asked what motivates her work, Elaine reflects on her upbringing and the lessons it instilled. “I learned early that community is not an individual responsibility—it is a collective commitment. I watched what seemed like no way turn into a way. I watched no’s turn into yeses. I watched fear turn into faith.” That foundation is her why, and it continues to drive her work to ensure housing is not a privilege for some, but a promise we make to one another.

Outside of her professional work, Elaine enjoys watching football, singing, air hockey and spending time with her wife, Shinehah, in Santa Cruz, California.

PANEL SESSION EMCEE

Lauren Seaver, KSBW News Anchor, began her career with KSBW 8 in 2014 as a weekend evening anchor and was promoted to weekday Sunrise anchor in 2017 (which is when she started drinking coffee by the pot!). During Lauren's time with KSBW 8, she's covered many big stories and events, including wildfires, winter storms, political rallies for presidential contenders, AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm, California Rodeo Salinas, Monterey Car Week, and Pebble Beach Food and Wine, where she had the opportunity to make tacos with Guy Fieri. Lauren is grateful to call the Central Coast home and live near family on the Monterey Peninsula. Being a KSBW 8 news anchor runs in her family—her aunt anchored KSBW 8's 5 p.m. newscast with Dan Green back in the 90s.

CLOSING GENERAL SESSION PANEL SPEAKERS

Sharon Papo (she/her) is the CEO and Co-Founder of two companies. Indigo Skies Consulting is a firm that has helped local nonprofits collectively raise over $100M. Her other company, LGBTQ eLearning, provides live and self-paced training and consulting to build LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace cultures. The impact of Sharon's work was recognized by the City of Santa Cruz when they declared January 12, "Sharon Papo Day," to honor Sharon’s local leadership. Sharon is also an Amazon best-selling co-author of the book Success Redefined with Jack Canfield (the Chicken Soup for the Soul author). Sharon is a UCSC undergraduate alum and a UC Berkeley graduate school alum.

Stephanie Barron Lu fervently believes in the power and potential of community building and strengthening families. She is currently in her 8th year as Executive Director of Positive Discipline Community Resources (PDCR), a social justice, grassroots nonprofit committed to serving local families across sectors of our community. Through her personal and professional values, she stands for courage, compassion, dignity, well-being, and joy for herself and all others. She serves our community through various leadership and volunteer positions such as the current co-chair of WILDR (Women In Leadership for Diverse Representation), current member of the Children Youth and Family Well-being cabinet, was the former co-chair of the United Way Children’s Network Cabinet leading April’s Child Abuse Prevention activities for the County of Santa Cruz, served as Board Secretary of the YWCA of Watsonville, as well as part of the Family First Prevention Advisory Committee for the State of California representing Santa Cruz County. She is a member of our local County CARESJ Equity advisory group, and RISE Together coalition and a member of the Pajaro Valley Collaborative of BIPOC leaders working collaboratively to advance racial equity in Santa Cruz County. Her most sacred work, however, is at home with her high school sweetheart/husband, re-parenting, learning, and growing whilst raising two beautiful children together.