SANDRA SOBIERAJ WESTFALL

During her tenure as White House Correspondent for the Associated Press, Sandra had a front-row seat to history. As the AP correspondent, she was in every press pool, in the front row of the briefing room, in a front-aisle seat on Air Force One and had the first question at every press conference. Her credits include front-page coverage of high-stakes crises including President Clinton's impeachment, the 2000 presidential election recount and President Bush's response to the 9/11 attacks, as well as complex issues ranging from the federal budget to war powers.

After nine years at the AP, she became the Washington Bureau Chief and National Political Correspondent for Time, Inc./People Magazine in 2003. As Bureau Chief, she devised and executed a branding, marketing and priority-messaging strategy; established enduring People traditions including the first joint interview with the presidential and vice presidential nominees; and conceived and hosted events bringing together top newsmakers and Time Inc. senior executives. As a correspondent at People and a consummate story-teller, she represented the magazine on live national TV and radio discussing breaking-news stories and was able to tell the personal stories of the headline makers and reveal what they are like as real people.

She was twice the recipient of the White House Correspondents Association most prestigious award, the Merriman-Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage under Deadline Pressure. She also received Time Inc.'s inaugural "Most Valuable Performer" award from across the company's 86 brands and 50 global offices.

She is the co-author of #StillWithHer, released in 2018. A consummate story-teller and with lessons learned from the political world, she will focus on how the likeability factor impacts women's success in the professional world. 

White House Correspondent, AP, Bureau Chief & National Political Correspondent for Time Inc./People

Past speaker
Yes