After months of taking walks in the woods and recovering from her loss in the 2016 Presidential Election, Hillary Clinton is back and more fired up than many might have expected.
The former Secretary of State spoke to a crowd of over 6,000 women at the Professional Business Women of California conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, and Glassdoor was in attendance for the rousing speech and inspirational day of speakers. After coming out to a standing ovation of cheers and flashing camera phones, Clinton, wearing an edgy black leather blazer, warmed the crowd with a few funny yet self-deprecating jokes.
“I’m thrilled to be out of the woods,” she said smiling. “There is no place I’d rather be than here with you…other than the White House.”
As the crowd of women warmed and settled down, Clinton dove right in talking about the conference’s theme “Inclusion Now” and the importance of diversity in the workplace. “We want diversity and inclusion in everything we do in our country.”
Standing in the heart of Silicon Valley, Clinton was sure to discuss the state of women in tech, addressing both recent sexism scandals as well as the persistent under-representation of women at tech companies and in leadership.
“There’s still a woeful lack of women in the upper reaches of science and technology,” Clinton said. “We need to reset the table so women are no longer required to accept and adapt to sexism at work.”
“Stereotypes and bias run rampant even at companies that pride themselves in forward thinking,” Clinton said, making mention of companies like Uber and praising female engineer, Susan Fowler Rigetti, who bravely spoke out. “I am here today to urge us not to grow tired. Not to be discouraged and disappointed. Not to throw up our hands because change is not happening fast enough,” Clinton said. “We need more women at any table, at any conference call or email chain where decisions are made. Now is the time to demand the progress that we want to see.”
Despite keeping a low profile since November, it seems as though Clinton is eager and ready to rejoin the national conversation. She briefly spoke about fighting for healthcare, access to fair wages and job creation. “The private sector must be an engine of change,” she said directly to the audience of women from companies including Bank of the West, Genentech, Cisco Systems and Kaiser Permanente. “You have an opportunity and an obligation to help employees reach their potential at home and on the job.”
While many women in the crowd buzzed about Clinton and whether she’d run for President again in the next election, the majority were simply excited to still see her fired up about the issues that matter to women most.
“Sure the last few months haven’t been exactly what I envisioned,” Clinton said in her closing remarks, “although I do know what I’m still fighting for. I’m fighting for a fairer, big-hearted, inclusive America.”