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“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Feminist Pioneer

Perseverance
These words began Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s famous “Declaration of Sentiments” speech, delivered at Seneca Falls, N.Y. in 1848, and successfully echoed the sentiment of millions of women who understood the pitfalls of living inside the professional fist of male dominance.

Stanton’s warning: Women must speak their minds, or they will forever be silent.

In part by the heroic voice of women like Stanton, females earned the right to vote, learn, and earn. Today, women own half the workforce, and are continually performing successfully next to their male counterparts in fields traditionally reserved for men. Women continue to re-chart the map set forth by men in business.

At its core, the gaming industry defines a pioneering drive to promote workplace equality, including the inalienable rights of employees to express their unique, personal, moral, and social choices. Likewise, women are quickly becoming a powerful symbol reflecting our industry’s groundbreaking workplace diversity and unprecedented professionalism.

Diversity
“It’s important that we extend our hand to help grow a more diverse employee base in order to be prepared for the future,” Claudia Winkler, Great Women of Gaming honoree and president of GHI Solutions, Inc., said.

Winkler believes now is the time to embrace multiculturalism, since the gaming industry’s customer base is increasingly diverse. The Great Women of Gaming Conference, Winkler said, attends to the need for a broad mentorship based on the celebration of women and cultural diversity in the professional field of gaming.

“Women and minorities can’t do it without everyone,” Winkler, said.

“...Women are redefining positions of leadership, facing unique challenges, and finding unique solutions that have positive, long-term effects.” –Lynn Nay Valbuena, Executive Secretary, NIGA, Great Women of Gaming Keynote Speaker

Honor
As we prepare to celebrate Women’s History Month in March, as well as International Women’s Day, on March 8, CEM’s Great Women of Gaming Conference, Ceremony, and Gala, charts the course for a positive look at the best and brightest women working in gaming today.

 “The inaugural Great Women of Gaming Conference is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the remarkable impact women have had on the gaming industry,” Lynn Nay Valbuena, NIGA executive secretary and Great Women of Gaming keynote speaker, said.

Like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Valbuena said hard work and a strong spirit are all a woman need to find balance and success.

“As a Native American woman, the challenges of leadership in the gaming industry have been no less daunting, requiring a deft balance between my tribe, its gaming operations and other business interests, neighboring cities, and the state and federal governments,” Valbuena said. “These are challenges nevertheless, that compel me to continue to serve my tribe for the foreseeable future.”

Challenges for the positive advancement of all people could never be more motivating.

“In what has been a traditionally male-dominated business, women are redefining positions of leadership, facing unique challenges, and finding unique solutions that have positive, long-term effects,” Valbuena said.

Change
Great Women of Gaming attempts to answer Stanton’s call for justice in the workplace. Through a series of keynote speeches by Valbuena, E.D. Hill from FOX News Channel, and Hilary Kramer, AOL finance and money editor, attendees will rejuvenate their desire to promote social change and peace within the increasingly competitive workforce.