Summit Agenda
Welcome Reception
Thursday, October 22 at 6pm
Park & Grove
730 Rutledge Ave
Charleston, SC 29403
Kick off the WREN Summit with a unique opportunity to connect with fellow advocates, spark meaningful conversations, and build relationships in a relaxed, inspiring setting. Join us to set the tone for the Summit, deepen your network, and be part of a truly memorable evening.
October 23
7:30 – 9:00 AM
Arrivals + Connection
Registration, breakfast, and networking in the foyer. Come as you are!
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Opening Session
Main Ballroom
We ground, we gather, we set the tone. Welcome remarks from our CEO, Dr. Amalia Luxardo
With performance by Women of the River – an all-female drum group with members being enrolled tribal citizens of the Catawba Nation – rooted in tradition, community, and the strength of Native women’s voices.
10:15 – 11:15 AM
Breakout Sessions
In 2025, advocates across South Carolina successfully defeated Senate Bill 323, one of the most extreme abortion bans proposed in the country. This session explores the strategies that made that victory possible, including coalition coordination, grassroots organizing, strategic messaging, and targeted pressure on decision-makers. Through a real-world case study, participants will learn how advocates combined lived experience, expert voices, and community mobilization to stop harmful legislation. Attendees will leave with practical tools for building coalitions, aligning messaging, and turning grassroots energy into meaningful policy impact.
With
Emily Mayer
Campaigns & Operations Director, The Ford & Ford Group
Phil Ford
Founder & CEO, The Ford & Ford Group
Pregnancy criminalization occurs when someone is charged with a crime in relation to their pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or pregnancy-related medical care. South Carolina has a long history of pregnancy criminalization and our research study — which focuses on prosecutions that occurred in the three years after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion — finds that dozens of South Carolinian women faced criminal prosecutions for allegedly abusing or killing the embryos or fetuses they carried. These prosecutions often include allegations of drug use during pregnancy and can rely on information that came from healthcare providers. This means that, for some, seeking healthcare becomes a pathway to criminalization. This session will describe what we know about the current state of pregnancy criminalization in South Carolina: the laws that permit it, the number of prosecutions, and the lived experiences of those prosecuted.
With
Madalyn K. Wasilczuk, JD
Associate Professor of Law, University of South Carolina
Kendra Hutchens, PhD
Sociologist and Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Tennessee
This panel will explore how lived experience, clinical care, and policy intersect to shape reproductive freedom in the South, and what it will take to protect bodily autonomy for the next generation.
With
Andrea Boyd
Yoga Teacher, Doula, Author, Founder of Welcome AUM
Moderator
Kristin Dillensnyder
IVF Mindset Coach, Advocate, Founder of Empowered Infertility
Lacey Layne
Mother, Counselor, & Founding Organizer of Community Advocates for Public Education
Patricia Seal, MD
OB/GYN, South Carolina Chair for the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists
Ladrea Williams-Briggs, DrPH, MS
Public Health Leader, Maternal Health Advocate, Executive Director and Founder of #NotUsSC
This panel will explore how personal storytelling, creative advocacy, and historical narrative are transforming public understanding of gender justice and social change in the South.
With
Dominique Purdie
Interpersonal Violence Advocate with SAVIP, University of South Carolina
Moderator
Ashley Olayinka
Founder and CEO, The Hive Community Circle
Ericka Pursley
Behavioral Health Director, Catawba Nation of SC
Tayler Simon
Owner, Liberation is Lit
Emily Taylor, PhD
Independent Scholar and Writer, Creator of Hot Feminism: Letters from South Carolina Substack
Few of us have the privilege or resources to have a mentor, life coach, or therapist on speed dial. While nothing can replace the help of a skilled professional, therapeutic writing helps us gain a better understanding of how our own minds and hearts are impacted by particular events. These insights can then be shared and processed further with our supporters. As an additional benefit, we learn to trust ourselves as we navigate both professional and personal hurdles through the development of an intentional writing practice. In this workshop, attendees will learn a structured writing technique aimed at processing, analyzing, and overcoming challenges. In so doing, they can empower themselves to identify patterns and circumstances that lead to burnout and how overcome them.
With
Dr. Stacey Hettes
Professor, Wofford College
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Breakout Sessions
Mothers navigating major life transitions – birth, caregiving, returning to work, career disruption, and reintegration – are often expected to “bounce back” without adequate support from the systems around them. This session introduces the Maternal Transition Integration™ Framework, a community-informed approach that reframes maternal transition as a systems issue, not an individual failure.
With
Rho Sims
Founder and Director, BLK Maternal Health Collective & The Nurture Consulting Group
Moving policy forward takes more than passion. It requires knowing how to communicate in ways that earn trust, hold attention, and motivate action. Whether you’re advancing legislation, meeting with decision makers, or generating support for an issue, this session offers practical strategies to craft stronger messages, make clear and confident asks, and establish credibility where decisions are made. You’ll also learn how to strengthen relationships and shift your mindset so you can stay focused, strategic, and effective.
With
Lisel Petis, JD
Policy Director, R Street Institute
This panel will explore how women are building pathways into civic leadership, influencing public policy, and redefining power for future generations.
With
Nichole Echols
CEO, South Carolina Cancer Alliance
Adrien Lake
Founder, Ju’Stice and Founder, Nexus Point Strategy Group
Spencer Wetmore
House Representative for District 115, SC State House
Moderator
Beth Ruffin
Chief Engagement Officer, Richland Library and CEO, The Everyday Inclusionist
This panel will explore how healing, mental health, and collective care strengthen movements and sustain long-term social change leadership.
With
Rhonda Bush
Veteran, Founder of Girl, Get Up Society
Ericka Plater
CEO and Principal, GroundWell Collective
Dafina Ward, JD
Nia Creative Solutions, LLC
Moderator
Emme Smith, LPCS-C
Founder and CEO, GraySpace Counseling Group
This interactive workshop explores how lived experience—especially from women, gender-expansive people, and justice involved citizens in South Carolina—can be transformed into collective power and policy change. Participants will learn practical tools for translating personal stories into advocacy, organizing, and systems-level impact without sacrificing joy or well-being. Grounded in real-world examples from justice reform, community development, and public policy, the session will guide participants through storytelling, power mapping, and action planning. Attendees will leave with tangible strategies for engaging decision-makers, building coalitions, and sustaining momentum beyond the summit.
With
Radia Baxter
CEO, Louie B. & Co Consulting
12:30 – 1:00 PM
Pause + Gather
Grab lunch and move into the Main Ballroom.
12:45 PM
Grounding Moment
A poetic offering from Marcus Amaker to center us before keynote.
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Keynote + Lunch | Main Ballroom
A powerful conversation with Jotaka Eaddy on leadership, movement-building, and what comes next.
Jotaka L. Eaddy, founder and CEO of Full Circle Strategies, is a nationally recognized strategist and social impact leader with more than two decades of experience advancing policy, advocacy, and movement building at the highest levels. Dubbed the “Olivia Pope of Silicon Valley” by Forbes, she has worked across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors to drive transformative change and bridge the gap between Washington, D.C. and the tech industry. Jotaka is the founder of #WinWithBlackWomen, a powerful intergenerational network credited with mobilizing historic engagement and influencing the 2020 election. A former NAACP senior advisor and C-suite executive, her work has shaped major voting rights victories, contributed to landmark Supreme Court decisions, and advanced equity across systems in the U.S. and globally. A proud University of South Carolina alumna and trailblazing student body president, Jotaka continues to champion inclusive leadership, civic engagement, and lasting social change.
2:45 – 3:45 PM
Breakout Sessions
This interactive session explores the experiences of women, girls, and families impacted by incarceration in South Carolina – communities often missing from data and policy conversations. Participants begin with a brief visual activity responding to prompts that highlight shared experiences and introduce the concept of data absence as harm. The session then moves into a hands-on systems-mapping exercise where attendees work together to map barriers across the carceral continuum: before detention, during detention, and after release. By identifying connections between challenges and potential leverage points for change, participants will gain a clearer understanding of the structural conditions shaping carceral pathways and opportunities for advocacy, policy change, and community support.
With
Toni Etheridge, PhD
Founder and Principal, Collaborative Leadership Mindset
Women of color continue to navigate a “double bind” in the workplace shaped by racism, sexism, and organizational systems that were not designed with their leadership or wellbeing in mind. While many organizations have publicly committed to gender equity, recent data shows stalled progress and declining institutional support for women of color. In this interactive session, Vanity Jenkins and Rachel Vicente draw on their lived experiences, their work as leadership development practitioners and executive coaches, and recent McKinsey Women in the Workplace research to explore how the double bind shows up across roles and sectors. Participants will examine key trends related to representation, manager support, microaggressions, and the impact of declining DEI investments on women of color’s wellbeing and advancement. Through guided reflection, small-group dialogue, and whole-group sensemaking, participants will connect data to lived experience and identify concrete practices that individuals, managers, and organizations can implement to better support women of color. This session centers women of color while inviting all participants to reflect on their positionality, power, and role in creating more equitable and humane workplace cultures.
With
Rachel Vincente
CEO and Founder, Rachel Vicente Consulting
Vanity Jenkins
Founder and Principal Consultant, ShiftED Consulting
This panel will explore how youth voices are driving movement innovation and what established organizations must do to support next-generation leadership.
With
Shanika Aiken
Founder, SAFE (Self-esteem, Advocacy, Faith and Education) Organization
Tiffany Johnson, MSW
Postpartum Doula
Vanessa Louis-Jean
Gen Z Community Advocate and Builder
Moderator
Katie Dattilio
Senior Legislative Affairs Associate, WREN
You don’t have to run for office to have a voice in government. Boards and commissions are a powerful way to serve your community, yet most people know very little about how they work, the opportunities available, or how to put their name forward. It’s time to change that. This workshop dives into the role boards and commissions play in government, the types of boards commonly found in local communities, what is expected of board members, and how the application and appointment process works. We’ll also explore MatchBoard, WREN’s platform used by local governments across the state to connect citizens with opportunities for board and commission service. Whether your goal is to become more involved in your community, find a way to effect real change, or begin laying the groundwork for running for office, boards and commissions are the perfect place to start.
With
Emily Bowerman
Creator, MatchBoard Tech
Securing funding is one of the biggest challenges facing nonprofit leaders today. In this workshop, participants will learn practical strategies for identifying funding opportunities, building strong funder relationships, and developing compelling grant proposals that align with organizational goals. The workshop will cover how to move beyond one-time grants toward sustainable funding strategies, including positioning your work to attract long-term philanthropic investment.
With
Amy Lachuk, PhD
Founder of GRANTed Professional Writing Services LLC
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Closing Session | Main Ballroom
We reflect.
We name what we’re carrying forward.
And we step into what’s next, together.
Media inquiries
For interviews, media credentials, or to cover the WREN Summit, please contact press@scwren.org