Women's Leadership Conference Draws Hundreds

More than 500 women converged on the Hilton hotel in McLean yesterday for a day-long conference on women's leadership. Among the attendees were college friends and workplace strivers Elizabeth Kramer, 29, of Alexandria and Jennifer Pesce, 28, of Atlanta.

The two sat in the back of the Hilton's cavernous grand ballroom, at a table surrounded by dozens of other tables ringed with power-suited women -- the majority seemed a generation older -- thumbing their BlackBerrys before the speeches.

The friends, who forged a connection as University of South Carolina students, share angst as young professionals maneuvering through the corporate world while contending with what they see as subtle pushback related to their gender. Kramer consults on government intelligence; Pesce is a corporate recruiter.

Sponsored by the Vienna-based nonprofit Women's Center, the 23rd annual conference featured talks focused on improving women's standing at work and balancing work with family life. Some of the lessons: Learn to be aggressive (but not overly aggressive). Don't be afraid to self-promote and ask for raises frequently. Take credit for original ideas before they are copied.

In the first speech, Margaret Heffernan, a former BBC producer, told the crowd, "Recessions are fantastic for entrepreneurs" and "You can have it all, just not at the same time."

During a break, Kramer and Pesce left the ballroom and strolled through the conference area filled with booths and vendors hawking books, including speaker Dee Dee Myers's "Why Women Should Rule the World." They started airing their concerns about the modern workplace, which go beyond sexism.

"I am one of the youngest in my organization -- [people in my generation] come into the workforce with high expectations, wanting to rise to the top immediately," Pesce said.

Kramer nodded and said sometimes her clients don't consider her as legitimate as her older male colleagues. "I do see somewhat being a female and young, it can be a challenge with clients . . . who don't take you as seriously."

Later, the friends split up, with Pesce going to a session on "Girl Power" and Kramer attending one called "Where Is Fear Holding You Back?" Pesce got out early and checked out some books, including Hannah Seligson's "New Girl on the Job." Then, she read a headline on one of the pages: "Crying at Work." She put the book back down and laughed.