Jewish Women in the Workplace: Navigating Identity, Ambition & Belonging, is a three-part series designed to help Jewish women navigate antisemitism in the workplace.
Built in response to findings from JWI’s national survey, Unpacking the Experiences of Young Jewish-American Women in a Post-October 7 World, the workshops will empower Jewish women to navigate challenges with confidence and community.
Each workshop is intentionally named:
Show Up: Bringing Your Full Self to Work will discuss how we bring our Jewish identity into the workplace
Speak Up: Navigating Bias, Boundaries, and Advocacy will provide tools to respond when faced with antisemitism
Build Up: Creating a Career That Supports Your Success will create foundations of support from peers and mentors
This series is designed for women at every stage of their careers. Whether you’re looking for guidance, perspective, and connection — or you’re ready to share what you’ve learned with the next generation — your experience belongs in this room. Each event will conclude with an hour of networking, cocktails, and conversation, giving you time to build relationships beyond the workshop itself.
Workshop 2
Speak Up: Navigating Bias, Boundaries, and Advocacy
October 28 | 6:30–8:30 PM | New York City
Workshop + networking reception
Akin | One Bryant Park | Bank of America Tower | New York, NY
Please be sure the name you register with matches your photo ID. All attendees must present a photo ID to Akin lobby security at check-in.
Space is limited to ensure a meaningful experience.
Know a Jewish woman who would benefit from this series — or someone who has valuable experience to share? Invite her to join us and be part of the conversation.
Interested in bringing this series to your community? Reach out here
Speakers:
Cameron Leax is the Head of Human Capital at ICONIQ and sits on the firm’s Operating and Management Committees. Prior to her current role, Ms. Leax was Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for BlackRock's Human Resources and Finance & Corporate Strategy departments, overseeing business strategy, operations, and the firm’s talent, culture, and people analytics agendas. She also led HR’s Global Ventures Team, focused on M&A, strategic partnerships, and market expansion. Her earlier roles included Global Head of Talent Management and lead HR Business Partner for ETF & Index Investments, with prior experience in Corporate Strategy, the Office of the President and COO, and iShares Capital Markets at BlackRock. Ms. Leax holds dual B.S. degrees with honors in Business Economics and Architecture from Brown University.
Sharon Leslie is the Founding Executive Director of Blue Compass, a national network for Jewish professionals working in secular nonprofits and philanthropy. Blue Compass supports professionals by building peer networks and practical tools to address workplace antisemitism and enable them to thrive in the sector. Sharon writes and speaks on antisemitism in the nonprofit workplace, including in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Before Blue Compass she founded and led several initiatives at the intersection of health, equity, and community building, including the Cancer Rehabilitation Program at Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Vaxvolunteers.org, and worked in humanitarian health research at Johns Hopkins. She is a Trustee of American Jewish World Service.
Lauren Leyden is a Partner at Akin Gump. She focuses on labor and pension matters in corporate and special situations transactions and in- and out-of-court restructurings for Akin.
Lauren practices at the nexus of traditional labor and pension law and cutting-edge restructuring and corporate transactions. Particularly in the context of high profile special situations and restructuring transactions and “off the run” corporate matters, she has significant experience with:
Managing workforce liabilities
Collective bargaining agreements
Defined benefit pension plans
Transfer, hiring or separation of executives and employees
Layoffs
Executive and employee agreements
Anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training and counseling
Employee communications and crisis management
Complex HR counseling and investigations