SAVE THE DATE:
Thursday, April 15, 2027
Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan
Mark your calendar for The Working Lunch 2027—and please note the April date!
Make your plan to support and attend today, and join hundreds of activists, community partners, and prominent leaders in philanthropy, business, media, and politics, who believe in and support removing barriers to economic equity and increasing the economic status of women. Despite continued assaults on our rights, WE is undeterred in our work to build the economic power of women, and we need YOU by our side to ensure we can succeed.
Thursday, April 15, 2027
11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. CT
The Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave
Ticket sales will open early in 2027, so please check back.
Sponsorships are available. For more information, contact Anne Puotinen, Director of Development, at apuotinen@womenemployed.org.
Relive Last Year's Luncheon
Thanks to all who joined us at The Working Lunch to
Celebrate the Power of WE
The Power of WE is the power to drive change. The power to transform lives and futures. Right now, our rights are under attack. Every day, we are witnessing the dismantling of our democratic structures and principles. This is a time to focus, to find our footing, and to call upon our power.
At The Working Lunch 2026, advocates, community partners, and prominent leaders in philanthropy, business, media, and politics, leveraged the Power of WE to both push back against the attacks, and push us forward to advance women’s workplace rights and build our economic power.
We honored and celebrated leaders who have harnessed their own power to defend our progress, ensure working women know their rights, and advance change so women, families, and communities can thrive.
MEET LAST YEAR'S HONOREES
SPECIAL GUEST
Whitney Reynolds believes in creating more seats at the table, finding inspiration in the hardest moments, and spreading hope for all. That philosophy shaped the Whitney Reynolds Show, which launched in 2012 on PBS with a mission that went against the grain—offering a safe space for real, often harrowing stories that uplift and connect.
Drawing from her own challenging childhood, Whitney combined personal resilience with her “gift of gab” to craft a program that flips the script—inviting viewers to feel seen for who they are and where they’ve been.
Today, she serves as Executive Producer, Host, and “Chief Inspo Officer” of the Telly Award-winning and two-time Emmy®-nominated Whitney Reynolds Show. Taped in Chicago at CineCity Studios, the show is nationally syndicated on PBS via NETA, airs coast to coast on PBS’ World Channel, and streams on Prime Video, Tubi, the PBS App, Roku and beyond. Before launching her nationally syndicated program, Whitney worked in news for NBC and created her first talk show on that network. She is a Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree and recipient of the Stevie Award for “Equality in Pay for Women.”
THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 SPONSORS
