WHAT IS THE CONCLAVE?

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The STEM Women of Color Conclave is a national forum for STEM faculty from institutions of higher education. It serves as a catalyst for harnessing a centralized body of knowledge and best practices that holistically promote their personal and professional development in the academy. ​​

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This Year's Theme:

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AIN'T I WORTH MORE THAN THIS?...

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Let’s not get it twisted…we have always brought more gifts, talents, wisdom, and skills to the table than our degrees. But for us – and the “600,000” – this past year has made something else especially clear. Shifts in national priorities have interrupted our lives. Our bodies have demanded our attention. Higher education structures have contributed little to our wellbeing. Loss, illness, caregiving demands, unexpected transitions, and more have changed us and sharpened some soul-stirring questions we are now asking of ourselves: What matters to me now? What have I been waiting to do? And how am I going to use the God-given gifts I still have to do it?

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If Sojourner were here, I’d like to think she would ask, Ain’t we worth more than what we can do for you?

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The 2026 STEM Women of Color Conclave invites us to take a fresh look at what is already in our hands – and imagine what else we can do with it. What knowledge could become a book, a consultancy, a patent, or a new venture? What problem have we learned to solve that others need help solving? What idea have we been sitting on? What part of ourselves are we ready to reclaim, reimagine, or finally put to work – for us?

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STEM is part of that conversation. Our spirituality is also part of that conversation. And so is entrepreneurship. But this Conclave is about something bigger. It is about taking the next giant leaps of faith to trust…in who we are and whose we are. This Conclave, the fifteenth in the series, creates space to explore new possibilities within and beyond the academy together – to learn from those who are experienced in turning knowledge into new ventures, to talk candidly about wealth and ownership, to understand the practical steps of entrepreneurship, and to consider what it means to build something that reflects who we are, what we value, and how we want to live now and years from now.  

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Because sometimes the experiences that interrupt the life we planned also remind us that we don't have to keep postponing the life we want to create.

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