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.

Jamie Sarai Margolin is an organizer, activist, author, artist, and filmmaker. She graduated in the class of 2024 at NYU Tisch Film & TV. She is a founder of the international youth climate justice movement called Zero Hour that led the "Youth Climate Marches" in Washington, DC and 25+ cities around the world during the summer of 2018. Zero Hour has over 200+ chapters worldwide and has been a leading organization in the climate movement. She is the author of a book called "Youth To Power: Your Voice and How To Use It,” which has been translated in many languages and sold all over the world. The book serves as a guide to organizing and activism, and is a recipient of the 2020 Gold Medal Nautilus Book Award for YA nonfiction.

Jamie is one of Teen Vogue’s “21 Under 21” girls changing the world in 2018, One of People Magazine's 25 women changing the world in 2018, Fuse TV’s Latina Trailblazer of 2018, one of The Today Show’s 18 under 18 Groundbreakers of 2019, MTV EMA Generation Change winner of 2019, one of the BBC's 100 most influential women of 2019, and one of GLAAD’s 20 under 20 LGBTQ+ people changing the world. She is on the OUT 100 list of 2020.

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.