J. Monroe Butler II, Post-Gazette photos Judge Marjorie Rendell Click photo for larger image.

Pennsylvania's first lady, Judge Marjorie Rendell, took time out from yesterday's All-Star festivities to promote another big event headed to Pittsburgh: the Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women, hosted by her husband, Gov. Ed Rendell, and the Pennsylvania Commission for Women.

The conference is expected to bring 3,000 to 5,000 women from across the state to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Sept. 14 for a day of speakers, seminars and networking. It's the third annual installment of the event, and the first time in Pittsburgh.

"It's another way to showcase the city," said Judge Rendell, who sits on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "People who haven't been here may not realize how beautiful it is. We're trying to get them to come the night before and stay overnight because there's so much to do here, and so they don't miss the opening speakers the next day."

Keynoters will include Mia Farrow, recently back from Darfur as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF; Maria Bartiromo, CNBC financial journalist; and Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund.

Other speakers include authors Ann Crittenden and Jacquelyn Mitchard; Katherine Chon, founder of the Polaris Project combating human trafficking; Teresa Heinz Kerry, chairwoman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies; Pittsburgh native and Hollywood comedy writer Maxine Lapiduss; and health expert Dr. Andrea Pennington.

Seminars will cover health and wellness, business and finance, personal and professional development, the news media and issues affecting women worldwide. In addition, a young women's program will feature sessions geared to high school juniors and seniors.

The event will introduce the first Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women Scholarships. Forty Pennsylvania colleges and universities are providing four-year grants of $2,500 a year for women of all ages to further their educations.

Leslie Stiles Click photo for larger image.

The conference was described by Judge Rendell as "a day of education and inspiration, with something for everyone, no matter what they're interested in."

The conference has become an annual event under Mr. Rendell. Both of the previous sessions were held in Philadelphia.

Last year's featured Madeleine Albright and Sandra Day O'Connor and drew 4,700 women from across the state.

"Midge refers to it as a spa for the mind," said Leslie Stiles, executive director of the commission for women and a friend of the first lady.

"It's a joy to see women from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg all together. The energy in that room could light the world."

The conference is nonprofit and nonpartisan, she said, with all funding coming from businesses and foundations.

The registration fee is $100 for the day, including a continental breakfast and sit-down luncheon, plus all speakers, seminars and access to the accompanying expo.

For information and registration, go to www.PAGovernorsConferenceForWomen.org or call 1-866-251-3537.