<h2>The one-day annual event will feature keynote speeches and as well as panel discussions and other events related to ‘connection, motivation, inspiration and skill-building’ for women of all ages and at all stages of their careers</h2>
<img decoding="async" src="https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SimoneBiles.jpeg?w=525" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: Simone Biles speaks during Netflix's Simone Biles Rising premiere event at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on October 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)">
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 23: Simone Biles speaks during Netflix’s Simone Biles Rising premiere event at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on October 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
Gymnast Simone Biles, Oscar-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda, WNBA star Brittney Griner and Food Network host Padma Lakshmi are among the accomplished and famous women delivering keynote speeches at the 5th Annual California Conference for Women in San Jose on Feb. 12.
Just weeks before March Women’s History Month, some 5,000 female leaders in business, nonprofit and other organizations will gather for the one-day event at San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center. The day features a line-up of speeches, panel discussions and other events on a range of topics, related to “connection, motivation, inspiration and skill-building” for women of all ages and at all stages of their careers.
<img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/JaneFonda-.jpeg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1" alt="BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Jane Fonda, wearing Max Mara, attends the 2024 WIF Honors Presented by Max Mara with Visionary Sponsor ShivHans Pictures, and additional support from Amazon MGM Studios, Lexus, M&amp;M's, Netflix, And STARZ #TakeTheLead at The Beverly Hilton on October 24, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for WIF)" width="3936">BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 24: Jane Fonda, wearing Max Mara, attends the 2024 WIF Honors Presented by Max Mara with Visionary Sponsor ShivHans Pictures, and additional support from Amazon MGM Studios, Lexus, M&amp;M’s, Netflix, And STARZ #TakeTheLead at The Beverly Hilton on October 24, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for WIF) 
The highlight of the day, of course, will be the keynote speeches. Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, with 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, will speak on resilience, longevity in sports, transforming gymnastics culture and whether she’ll compete in the 2028 Olympics at the age of 31 — traditionally long past when top female gymnasts tend to retire.
Biles also has become an advocate for protecting the mental health and safety of young athletes, after she was among the scores of gymnasts who alleged that USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar sexually assaulted her and that USA Gymnastics helped cover it up. Biles also changed the conversation about athletes taking a break from competition to preserve their mental health, when she withdrew from the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 but triumphantly rebounded. She won the all-around competition at the World Championships in 2023 and the all-around gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, in addition to two gold medals and a silver in the team, vault and floor-routine competitions.
The 87-year-old Fonda will speak on her latest cause, climate change, as well as how to redefine wellness as one ages. Fonda is known for her lifetime of activism that began in the 1960s counterculture, as well as her 64-year career in Hollywood that included hit comedies and dramas, best actress Oscar triumphs in “Klute” and “Coming Home” and her empire of Jane Fonda workout videos.
<img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Griner.jpeg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1" alt="ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 04: Brittney Griner #42 speaks to the media during a press conference after being introduced as one of the new free agent signings for the Atlanta Dream with Shatori Walker-Kimbrough #32 and Brionna Jones #24 at Ventanas on February 04, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)" width="4288">ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 04: Brittney Griner #42 speaks to the media during a press conference after being introduced as one of the new free agent signings for the Atlanta Dream with Shatori Walker-Kimbrough #32 and Brionna Jones #24 at Ventanas on February 04, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) 
Griner, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, became an unwitting pawn in Russia’s growing hostility to the United States when she was arrested in that country on drug smuggling charges in February 2022, just ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She had been playing basketball with the Russian Premier League during the WNBA off-season when Russian customs officers say they found less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil, illegal in Russia, in her luggage.
After being sentenced to nine years in prison, Griner, 34, spent 10 months in a Russian penal colony before being released in a prisoner exchange. Griner has since returned to the WNBA and continues her advocacy for LGBTQ+ causes. In conversation with journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Griner is likely to talk about courage, perseverance and rebuilding after adversity.
Meanwhile, Lakshmi, also a New York Times best-selling cookbook author, is scheduled to speak about using food to bridge cultures, as well as championing equality, immigrants’ rights, and women’s empowerment in her work as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and ACLU Artist Ambassador.
The conference begins at 8 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m. at the convention center, 150 W San Carlos St., San Jose. Tickets are $475 per person, but readers of the Mercury News and the Bay Area News Group are eligible for a $150 discount when they register online and use the code “MERCURY.”

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Simone Biles, Jane Fonda and Brittney Griner headline women’s conference in San Jose