The full lineup of speakers has been announced for the 4th annual Edmonds International Women’s Day. The event will be held the afternoon of Saturday, March 5,  at the Edmonds Waterfront Center, with a VIP reception at Workhorse HQ. It is being planned as a hybrid event. The international theme for 2022 is #BreakTheBias and will feature local speakers with regional and international reach.

According to event organizers Alicia Crank of Crank’d Up Consulting and Megan Wolfe of Girls on the Run Snohomish County, the event will feature two panels:

Women judges in Snohomish County

• Honorable Anna Alexander, Snohomish County Superior Court
• Honorable Cassandra Lopez-Shaw, Snohomish County Superior Court
• Honorable Whitney Rivera, Edmonds Municipal Court

Women in leadership at the Edmonds Police Department

• Michelle Bennett, Chief of Police
• Julie Govantes, Detective, Financial Crimes
• Tabatha Shoemake, Community Engagement Officer

There will also be two keynote conversations:

• Tracy Taylor, traffic anchor at KIRO 7 (Women in Media)
• Melissa Sassi, Chief Penguin at IBM Z (Women in Tech/Overcoming International Obstacles)Tabatha Shoemake, Community Engagement Officer

“Each of these women have an amazing story, both personal and professional,” Crank said. “Dr. Sassi, for example, was able to turn having her children kidnapped from her to creating a youth-led digital skills movement that has been taught to tens of thousands of young people to code across 12 countries. Everyone who attends this event will walk away with greater knowledge and encouragement in challenging the status quo.”

Crank, an Edmonds resident, founded Edmonds International Women’s Day in 2019. She said that the #BreakTheBias themes are a direct connection to what is happening and top of mind for many Edmonds community members. “Bias isn’t just about race, gender and sexual orientation. Disability inclusion and accessibility is also an issue in the community and the workplace. Many times, our bias can be unconscious. The speakers we are lining up for this event will be able to shed more light on how we can break these biases.”

Crank is accepting event sponsorship, to help underwrite the free program. “It’s important to me to keep this event accessible to all members of our community, especially in this economic downturn many of our family, friends and neighbors are experiencing,” she said. “There will also be a lunch option available for purchase, and we hope to raise additional funds to cover those costs, especially for youth that attend the in-person portion of the day. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to cover these expenses.”

The event’s current sponsor/partners are Cline Jewelers, DME CPA Group, Michelle M. Osborne, J.D. &Associates, Rogue Boutique, Morgan & Moss, Workhorse HQ, National Organization for Women – Seattle Chapter, KDMC, KIRO 7, and EPIC Group Writers. Anyone interested in sponsoring can view the sponsorship packet here.

Those interested in attending or would like to learn more about the event can visitwww.aliciainedmonds.com for more information.

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and politicalachievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to this the Socialist Partyof America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women’s equality.