This event has ended.

Click here to watch a recording of the Livestream

Click here to fulfill your event donation pledge

ERA’s Gala is a premiere annual celebration in the gender justice and civil rights movements, bringing together hundreds of advocates, business leaders, philanthropists, and partners from across the country in an inspiring celebration of our collective power to drive change.

• Speakers & Honorees
• Event Sponsors

Gender Justice Honoree: Nancy Pelosi

U.S. House Speaker Emerita

Nancy Pelosi served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker. Speaker Emerita Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained the Speakership – the first person to do so in more than six decades. Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress for 35 years. Currently serving as the Representative for California’s 11th Congressional District, she is fighting For The People to lower costs, grow paychecks and create jobs. She is the architect of generation-defining legislation, including the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan, and a defender of democracy at home and abroad. Married to Paul Pelosi, she is a proud mother of five and grandmother of nine. 

Gender Justice Honoree: Hon. Tani Cantil-Sakauye

Former California Supreme Court Chief Justice • President & CEO: Public Policy Institute of California

From 2011 to 2022, Tani Cantil-Sakauye served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. Before she was elected statewide as the Chief Justice of California, she served more than 20 years on California appellate and trial courts and was appointed or elevated to higher office by three governors. Earlier in her career, she served as a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and on the senior staff of Governor Deukmejian, first as deputy legal affairs secretary and later as a deputy legislative secretary. She holds a BA and a JD from the University of California, Davis. Read more.

Gender Justice Honoree: Equal Pay Today Roundtable

Accepted by Cassandra Welchlin, Executive Director, Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable

Noreen Farrell, Executive Director, Equal Rights Advocates

Emcee: Karina Nova, ABC7

Emmy Award Journalist

Our accomplished Emcee, Karina Nova, is a California girl despite her Ohio upbringing. From Baku, Azerbaijan, her family immigrated to the United States, settling in Northeast Ohio where she mastered English. Karina’s early fascination with journalism led her to study the craft at Kent State University, with notable internships at C-SPAN and Voice of America. She embarked on a 15-year career at WBNS, ascending from a traffic reporter to a celebrated weekday morning anchor. Karina’s dedication to factual reporting earned her an Emmy for her exceptional coverage of a major train derailment. Alongside her professional achievements, she actively volunteers, emcees events, and promotes nature as the spokesperson for Metro Parks. Eager to explore the parks of Northern California and indulge her love for paddleboarding, Karina shares her exciting adventures on social media.

Also featuring:

Gala 2023 Chair: Joi Chaney

Event Sponsors

Do you or your employer want to sponsor this event? View sponsorship options. Thank you for your support!

Thanks to our generous sponsors, including our Honorary Steering Committee members, whose support advances gender justice across the country.

Title Sponsors

Louette Colombano Philanthropic Fund; Wells Fargo 

Platinum Sponsors

Morrison & Foerster and The Morrison & Foerster Foundation 

Gold Sponsors

Gold Sponsors: Allen Matkins, Coblentz Patch Duffy Bass, Cruise, Delta Dental, Fenwick & West, Google, Jenner & Block LLP:, Kaiser Permanente, Kirkland & Ellis, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, Locke Lord LLP, Marci Rubin, Maynard Nexsen, Morgan Lewis, Paulette Meyer and David Friedman, Quinn Delaney, Sanford Heisler Sharp, Sasha Rao, Sunrun, Veritext, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation

Silver Sponsors: Altshuler Berzon, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Cooley, EMC Communications, Farella Braun + Martel, Gibbs Law Group, Hanson Bridgett, Hemming Morse LLP, Hunter Pyle Law, Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation, Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, Latham & Watkins, Lichten & Liss-Riordan P.C, Natalie Fleming Nolen, Nia Impact Capital, Nossaman, O’Melveny & Myers, Orrick, Outten & Golden, Paul Weiss, Perkins Coie LLP, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld, Rudy Exelrod Zieff and Lowe, Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP, Shartis Friese, Susie T. Buell, Valerian Law and Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger

Bronze Sponsors: BakerHostetler, Brandi Law Firm, California Civil Rights Law Group, Duane Morris, Epiq, Golden State Warriors, Happily, Hinman and Carmichael, Liu Peterson-Fisher LLP, Neyhart Anderson Flynn & Grosboll, Oppenheimer Investigations Group and Saber Law

Event hosts: Anita Elliot, Cohen Milstein, Dale Schroedel & Lisa Honig, Delia Coleman, Drucilla Ramey, Farrah Wilder, Feinberg Jackson, Genie Harrison, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Irma Herrera, Jachimowicz Law Group, Judith Goldkrand and Nancy Geenen, Joi Chaney, Kathi Pugh and Josh Maddox, Mary Alexander and Associates, Natalie Dement, Pami Vyas, Renne Public Law Group, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, San Francisco Giants, Sara Sanderson, and Eric and Andrew Weaver and The Sturdevant Law Firm.

Advocates: ADR Services, Andrus Anderson LLP, Barbara Marshall, Barry Goldstein, Berman Tabacco, Bijal Vakil, Bill Tamayo, Doris Ng, Emi Uyehara, Evidentia Consulting, Futures without Violence, Gilda Turitz, Kathleen Burke, KCC, Lawless, Lawless and McGarth, Law Office of Glicel Sumagaysay, Lorie Nachlis, Lucy Wang, Nancy Cotton, Nichols Kaster PLLP, Olivier & Schreiber LLP, Phillip Bokovoy, Rukin Hyland & Riggin, Rust Consulting, Varsity, Wendy Williams, William Tamayo & Debbie Lee and Zachary Hill.