Home - Women as Changemakers 2026

Join us on Friday, October 23, 2026, at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart for a day that celebrates women making an impact in bold and meaningful ways. The Women as Changemakers Conference brings together community members, alumni, and students for inspiring keynotes, dynamic panels, and conversations that spark new ideas.

From hearing the stories of incredible women leaders to connecting with others who care about creating change, you’ll leave with fresh inspiration, practical takeaways, and new connections. It’s more than a conference — it’s a celebration of what happens when women come together to lead, to innovate, and to reimagine the future.

Award-winning science journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa has spent her career exploring the connection between neuroscience, emotion, and mental health. She is the author of ten books, including Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media, named one of the best health books of 2022 by The Washington Post and Mashable, and Mind Drama, which explores the science behind our inner dialogue and how we can change it.

Her work has appeared in Wired, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Psychology Today, and Health Affairs, and she has been featured on the Today show and NPR. Her books have been translated into fifteen languages and include The Angel and the Assassin, named one of Wired’s best books of 2020, and Childhood Disrupted, a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Award. Donna speaks at universities and organizations across the country, translating complex science into compelling insights about how our experiences shape our brains, our health, and who we become.

Kaliswa Brewster ’01 is an actress, producer, educator, and advocate whose career reflects the power of storytelling to create connection, open doors, and inspire change.

A first-generation Liberian-American based in New York City, Kaliswa has built a multifaceted career across theater, television, film, and education. As an actor, her credits include Billions, Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Daredevil, Time After Time, and HBO’s Paterno. As a producer, she is passionate about championing artists and stories that deserve a larger stage and creating opportunities for voices and perspectives that have historically been underrepresented.

In 2026, Kaliswa was named one of the Broadway Women’s Fund’s Women to Watch on Broadway, recognizing women making an impact across the theater industry. She also made her Broadway co-producing debut with Cats: The Jellicle Ball, following her commercial producing work on the Off-Broadway production Duke & Roya.

Beyond the stage and screen, Kaliswa serves as Board President of Molière in the Park, which brings free professional theater to thousands of people in Brooklyn each year. She teaches The Business of Acting in Brooklyn College’s MFA program and has worked with colleges and universities across the country to foster community, authenticity, and connection through the arts.

A 2001 graduate of Forest Ridge and the school’s 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Kaliswa brings her work full circle as the keynote speaker for Women as Changemakers, sharing what she has learned about finding your voice, building a career on your own terms, taking creative risks, and making space for others along the way.