About the Event
In current events around the world, women are at the forefront of the issues we are facing and serve as catalysts for change and progress in the fight for equity, equality, and freedom. Global growth across all sectors is limited due to the barriers facing women - providing space for women and girls to have a more prominent role and voice in addressing our changing world will encourage a more prosperous future for all.
The Vermont Council on World Affairs invites you to our annual International Women’s Day event to celebrate the impactful work women do locally and globally. This event will provide you the opportunity to:
Connect with individuals and organizations who collectively support the work to advance women’s rights and the role women play as agents of change
Discuss how supporting women and girls impacts all of the world’s people
Hear from special guest speakers
When women succeed, we all succeed - join us as we celebrate women breaking barriers and coming together for the collective good.
Registration
Keynote Speaker
Ambassador Adela Raz
Former Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations and Ambassador from Afghanistan to the United States
Ambassador Adela Raz was the first female permanent representative and ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations. At the U.N., Ambassador Raz was the vice president of the 75th session of the General Assembly, and she was also appointed by the president of the General Assembly to serve as the General Assembly’s co-coordinator on COVID-19-related initiatives.
Prior to her U.N. appointment, Ambassador Raz was the deputy minister for economic cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2013, she served as the first female deputy spokesperson and director of communications for President Hamid Karzai.
She began her career with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and continued to work in a variety of positions at international development organizations in the U.S. and Afghanistan.
Ambassador Raz holds a master's degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She holds a bachelor's degree with honors, triple majoring in international relations, political science, and economics, from Simmons University in Boston. She also earned a certificate in international development from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Panelists
Charity Clark
Vermont Attorney General
Attorney General Clark is the first woman to serve as Attorney General of Vermont. She began her career in the Attorney General’s Office in 2014 when she was hired by Attorney General Bill Sorrell to serve as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Protection Division. She was later appointed Chief of Staff by Attorney General T.J. Donovan in 2018 and served in the role until 2022.
Attorney General Clark was born and raised in southern Vermont and is a graduate of Burr & Burton Academy in Manchester, the University of Vermont, and Boston College Law School. Before she entered law school, Attorney General Clark was a policy analyst at the Vermont Governor’s Office. In 2005, she began her legal career as an associate at law firms in Burlington, Vermont, and later New York City.
Akshata Nayak
Founder and Chief Product Officer, Little Patakha
Akshata Nayak wanted to design a book so her daughter could learn her native language, Konkani. This single idea blossomed into Little Patakha, a minority woman-owned media company that helps young minds discover a diverse world of different people, stories and ideas.
Akshata was born and brought up in Bangalore, India. She moved to the US in 2003 and earned two Master of Science degrees, in Biochemistry and Applied Clinical Nutrition. She is a serial entrepreneur with Little Patakha being her third successful business.
Moderator
Denise Johnson
The Honorable Denise R. Johnson was the first woman to be appointed a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. She served on the Court for 21 years.
She participated in historic decisions regarding public school funding, gay marriage, and the right to privacy in one’s home, as well as numerous decisions reviewing criminal trials and procedure.
