14th Annual Young Women LEAD Indiana Conference Returns to Jasper on March 11

The 14th annual Young Women LEAD (YWL) Indiana Conference will bring 500 high school girls from across southern Indiana to the Jasper Arts Center and the Vincennes University Jasper Campus for a transformative day of leadership development, career exploration, and personal growth. As students walk through the doors on March 11, they will meet mentors, explore new possibilities, practice hope, and leave knowing their voice matters.

A Day Designed to Inspire and Equip

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Julia Garcia, a nationally recognized psychologist, author, and innovation leader. Dr. Garcia, author of The Five Habits of Hope (HarperCollins, 2025), is a defining voice on the mental habits and human capacities needed to lead in an AI-shaped world. Dr. Garcia has supported more than one million people through crisis, culture change, and community transformation. Her award- winning mental health technology has been featured on NPR and implemented in companies such as Salesforce and universities across the country. Her keynote blends science, storytelling, and immersive practice, emphasizing that hope is not passive—it is a practice.

Students will attend breakout sessions throughout the day, and will hear from the closing keynote speaker, Sue Ellspermann, Indiana’s 50th Lieutenant Governor and former President of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. Her career reflects visionary leadership in education, workforce development, and innovation.

About Young Women LEAD

Young Women LEAD is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering high school girls through leadership development programs and conferences. For more than a decade in Jasper, and sixteen years nationwide, Young Women LEAD has served 49,700 students that have attended 74 YWL conferences, building confidence, voice, and agency in the next generation of leaders. The Indiana conference is made possible through community support, grants, donations, and volunteers. The event is chaired and produced by SOAR, a leadership development program for young professionals, as part of their capstone project.