ShelterBox to Host Inspiring Panel for International Women’s Day

On Thursday, March 7th, ShelterBox USA will convene a powerhouse panel of trailblazing women at the Music Academy in recognition of International Women’s Day. The conversation is intended to recognize women’s achievements, raise awareness on gender equality issues, and inspire action towards a more equitable world.

The free community event, taking place from 5-7 pm, will feature a reception at 5 pm followed by a panel discussion at 5:45 pm focused on this year’s International Women’s Day theme – “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”

“I really like to host an event every year and convene a panel for discussion around International Women’s Day to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and to raise awareness of the importance of closing the global gender gap,” said Kerri Murray, President of ShelterBox USA. “We still have a long way to go globally in closing the gender gap, and so we’ve tried to build awareness around this.”

ShelterBox is a global humanitarian organization that provides emergency shelter and vital household supplies to families displaced by natural disasters and conflict. In its disaster response work around the world, ShelterBox has seen firsthand the disproportionate impact crises have on women and girls.

“Women are absolutely at the heart of and are pivotal for community recovery. So we work to empower women with the tools and training they need to rebuild their lives and their communities after losing everything,” Murray explained.

This year’s International Women’s Day panel will showcase a diverse group of trailblazing women leaders from a variety of backgrounds:

Catherine Reitman – Creator, executive producer, writer, actress, and star of the Emmy-nominated show Workin’ Moms, now in its 7th season on Netflix

Janine Berridge – President of Giving List Women and co-founder of the Global Lab for Research in Action at UCLA

Anne Beagan – Former FBI special agent and criminal investigator turned TV consultant and production company founder

Eileen Boris – Distinguished Professor of Feminist Studies at UCSB and author on women workers and labor rights

Nahla Kayali – Founder and Executive Director of Access California Services, recipient of President Obama’s Champion of Change award for her work with refugees and immigrants

Kerri Murray – President of ShelterBox USA and moderator of the International Women’s Day panel

Murray hopes the panel discussion will inspire community members to continue pushing for progress on gender equality. “I hope that people lean in, not just gathering in the moment, but making a commitment to continue to push forward, push for progress, and actively get involved in causes that impact women,” she said.

Janine Berridge, President of Giving List Women, will speak about intersectional feminist philanthropy and the importance of investing in women and girls.

Berridge has a long history working globally in international development, including roles empowering women entrepreneurs and adolescent girls in places like Zambia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone.

“I have always cared about gender equality and global development work. But when you look at many of the challenges you face in the developing world, you see those same challenges in the places that we live – whether that’s access to opportunity, education, poverty, or financial exclusion,” Berridge explained.

Her diverse experience includes leading the L.A. region of a youth mentoring nonprofit called Spark and co-founding an applied research institute translating data and facts on global issues into digestible formats for policymakers and the public.

Now with Giving List Women, Berridge is focused on shifting philanthropic dollars towards female-facing organizations and causes.

“Unfortunately, only 1.8% of philanthropic dollars goes towards women and girl-focused organizations. So that’s really what we’re trying to achieve with Giving List Women – building a movement of individuals, impact philanthropists, and nonprofits who believe in investing in women and girls,” Berridge said.

The Giving List Women, founded by the Montecito Journal Media Group, will bring together some of the world’s most powerful philanthropic leaders to strengthen the narrative around Intersectional Feminist Philanthropy. The goal is to help donors at all levels understand that women and girls are a key philanthropic lever for moving the needle on our world’s most pressing problems – that Women and Girls should be a lens on, not merely a lane in, the philanthropic space. The GLW Summit, being held in Montecito in late April, will bring to life the inaugural Giving List Women’s book, which engagingly tells the stories of 50 nonprofit organizations around the world that support women and girls in every area of philanthropy. The book will also tell the stories of Giving List Women Partner organizations that are key supporters of organizations focused on women and girls – 175,000 copies of the book will be strategically distributed nationwide.

Berridge sees The Giving List Women evolving into a broader network and movement. “I would describe Giving List Women as organic and growing. There’s a publication and a summit, but we’re really building a movement, a network of networks consisting of individuals and organizations committed to investing in women and girls.” 

That networked spirit of collaboration and openness to new models is very much the ethos of International Women’s Day itself.

ShelterBox’s Murray emphasized, “this is all about recognizing achievements, but also educating, raising awareness, and calling for positive change to advance women.”

With a powerful lineup of glass-ceiling-shattering women sharing their stories at the Music Academy on March 7th, ShelterBox’s International Women’s Day event promises to inform, inspire, and catalyze continued progress towards women’s equality worldwide.