𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.
What began as a Saturday morning gathering at the Linden High School gymnasium quickly became a catalyst for transformation. The 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹’𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗛𝗘𝗥𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝟭𝟮𝟱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻from across the district and the Linden community for a half-day of bold ideas, powerful storytelling, and unapologetic empowerment.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞—𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞—𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞, “𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬” wasn’t just printed on programs—it was lived and breathed by every participant who walked through the doors. From the opening welcome to the final heartfelt applause, the event centered on women as leaders, nurturers, and changemakers. And according to those who attended, the message still rings loud and clear: 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬.
𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟐, in the high school gymnasium, the LeadHERship Conference was a half-day experience that blended inspiration, professional growth, and meaningful community. It was more than a gathering—i𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠—𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐫. 𝐀𝐭𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐘. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐑.𝐎.𝐀.𝐑. (Resilience, Opportunities, Achievements, and Relationships) set the tone for the day.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Perkins encouraged attendees to reflect on the strength within: “We’re going with the theme ‘Women. Wellness. Wins,’ because each of you is already a leader,” she said. “When I say Lead Her, I’m talking about you. But here’s the truth—you must first lead yourself before you can lead anyone else.”
She later shared a personal story that became one of the most talked-about moments of the day—a glow-in-the-dark dance party she planned for her students that didn’t go exactly as expected. “The cafeteria was too bright,” she recalled. “The glow sticks didn’t shine the way we’d hoped. But the kids didn’t care—they danced anyway. And guess who ended up in the middle of the dance circle? Me.” The message? Joy and leadership still show up even when the lights aren’t perfect.
𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: 𝐀 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬
The conference’s 𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐃𝐫. 𝐌𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐞, currently serving as the Chief Academic Officer for New York City Public Schools, delivered a powerful and deeply personal call to action rooted in the philosophy of her book, "Finding Your Fearlessness."
With a commanding presence and heartfelt authenticity, Dr. Pate invited attendees to embark on a transformative journey titled “Empowering Our ROAR,” structured around five decisive steps: Recognize, Align, Explore, Manage, and Commit.
“Each step will help you master your inner self-talk, align your leadership with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), and create actionable personal and professional growth strategies,” she explained. “Let’s embark on this journey together.”
The journey began with 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞—a moment that struck emotional chords and drew laughter from the crowd. With clarity and humor, Dr. Pate introduced the internal “𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬” 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥:
• 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫 – 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟…?”
• 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦 – 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, “𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.”
• 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 – 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, “𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.”
• 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜 – 𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.”
Heads nodded, and laughter rippled through the gymnasium in recognition of these all-too-familiar voices. But Dr. Pate wasn’t there to dwell in doubt—she was there to equip.
She walked attendees through aligning their leadership goals with PSEL standards, exploring new perspectives through dialogue, and managing mindset using her powerful 𝐂.𝐀.𝐋.𝐌. 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤:
• Check your thoughts
• Adjust your language
• Let go of perfectionism
• Manage your brand
Finally, she encouraged women to commit—to intentional steps, to affirmations, and to the power of showing up, again and again, for themselves.
“Fearlessness isn’t about never feeling afraid,” she said. “It’s about taking action anyway.”
Her message was more than motivational—it was transformational, leaving attendees energized and ready to reclaim their voices as fearless leaders.
𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
Board of Education President 𝐃𝐫. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 sparked the morning conversation about women in leadership with a powerful reflection on the emotional core of what it truly means to lead.
“Do you know what the most important 18 inches are?” she asked. “It’s the distance from your head to your heart.”
That simple yet profound truth encapsulated the day’s focus: leading with heart, humanity, and hope.
𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡-𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 “𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞, 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬” 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦—a colorful blend of puppetry, storytelling, and empowerment- adding a joyful and multicultural flair to the morning. Her message? That leadership knows no age, culture, or background. It’s about lifting one another and celebrating who we are—together.
𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬 captivated attendees with her vibrant session on “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭.” Drawing from nature’s wisdom, Louis explained that just as marigolds nurture the plants around them, people, too, need positive influences to thrive. “Be a marigold for someone else,” she encouraged. “Plant yourself where you’re celebrated and encouraged to grow.”
And while the seats may be empty, the momentum is anything but.
Linden’s Women’s LeadHERship Conference was more than a Saturday morning—it was a spark that continues to light the path forward. From boardrooms to classrooms, kitchens to counseling centers, the women of Linden are leading with courage, clarity, and ROAR.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.