A celebration of the progress women have made in securing rights was tempered with concern that further progress is not only not guaranteed but existing progress could be undone, said speakers addressing the 37th Annual Women in the Forefront Luncheon, held June 11, 2026.
The event, hosted by The Chicago Network (TCN), an organization of Chicago’s most senior and influential women leaders, is an annual celebration of women’s accomplishments in business, civic affairs, philanthropy, and more. This year’s sold-out event filled the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago with about 1,500 participants.
The featured speakers at this year’s event were three women who’ve risen to the top of their field in very different professions—former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and First Lady Hillary Clinton; award-winning and internationally recognized architect Jeanne Gang; and visionary business leader Ann M. Drake. Talking with each other on stage, they shared stories, memories, hopes, and fears in a keynote conversation moderated by Drake.
President and CEO of The Chicago Network, Maria Doughty, set the tone for the conversation in her opening remarks. “It takes a village to get women to the top—a community of people who show up repeatedly for each other over time,” she told the audience. “Today’s speakers are a testament to that community. But it is also a celebration of everyone in this room who refuses to treat the advancement of women as optional, as finished, or as someone else’s problem.”
Introducing Drake as “someone I’ve had the joy of collaborating with as a colleague and the honor of calling a friend,” Doughty turned the mic over the three featured speakers, who took the stage to a standing ovation from the audience. Drake, who grew up in Park Ridge, IL with Clinton, started off by reminding Clinton of carpooling together to ballet class as girls and diving off the swim raft at summer camp on Geneva Lake as teens. Noting all that Clinton has accomplished since then, Drake said, “I’m so proud of you, my friend.”
Clinton underlined Doughty’s call to push back against those who currently seek to take away women’s right to vote and other gains made over many decades. “There is a concerted effort to undermine women’s authority, women’s voices, and woman’s positions,” she told the audience. “I see this all over the world. It used to be when I met with groups of young women that they would ask me things like, ‘How do you balance family and work?’ Now they ask about how to stay safe because of the threats that they get.”
Gang talked about the importance of maintaining a diverse set of perspectives in any effort because collaboration strengthens creativity, and diverse groups make better decisions. “I truly believe we make better architecture when it’s collaborative,” said Gang. Speaking about architecture, a professional that’s historically been male dominated, Gang noted that, “women make great architects—not simply because they’re women, but because of the abilities that they bring, and it’s really important that they bring those abilities.”
All three women also talked about finding a sense of purpose and feeling a sense of urgency around causes that align with their personal mission. For Drake, that’s engaging more women leaders to help address complex problems on the way to creating a better world for everyone, a vision that inspired her to build the Women’s Leadership Center at Williams Bay. For Gang, a heartfelt concern is protecting the environment and fighting climate change. For Clinton, it’s about sustaining and furthering advances women have made in multiple areas. “There’s no guarantee that the rights we’ve won and the opportunities now available will stay,” Clinton said. “Progress is possible, but it’s not guaranteed.”
She told the story of writing to NASA as a teenager in the 1960s because she was interested in going into space. NASA wrote back telling her, “Sorry, girls cannot be astronauts.” (Sally Ride became the first U.S. woman astronaut in 1983.) Noting that progress takes persistence and determination, she said, “Change is really hard. It’s hard in your life and it’s hard in a country’s life.” But, she added, the effort is worthwhile because “life is a constant learning opportunity.”
The Women’s Leadership Center at Williams Bay was a premier sponsor of the 2026 Women in the Forefront Luncheon.
Click below to watch the video of the full panel discussion.
