The Matriots 2025 Speaker Series, is a four-part series designed to engage our audience around the unique barriers people face when considering either a run for public office or supporting a candidate for public office. Many of these challenges are prompted by the factors including gender and race, family role, income level, education, or lived experience. At each event, our speakers and panelists will shed a light on each barrier and offer skill-building opportunities and first steps towards overcoming these challenges.
Each session in our Speaker Series will feature a expert panel with knowledge around the subject matter and navigating the space through either being an elected official or a supporting community member. Experts will share their unique perspectives and ideas, with time allotted for audience questions and general networking.
The themes for the four-part 2025 Matriots Speaker Series are:
- Finance: Better understand and leverage the power of your dollars.
- Leadership: Utilize your inherent strengths and skills to lead others in ares which support your beliefs.
- Hidden Barriers: Acknowledge hidden barriers to participation and create systems to reduce.
- Embracing (Y)Our Power: Identify expectations that society places on individuals and develop skills to overcome.
If you would like information on becoming a speaker event sponsor, please email Sara Brintnall at sara@matriotsohio.com. An overview of our sponsorship package can be found here.
Event #3: Beyond the Ballot: Breaking Barriers & Building Resilience
The Matriots Education Fund in partnership with Enlightened Solutions wants to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to engage in advocacy. Not just the visible work of campaigning or activating, but the hidden barriers that too often go unspoken, like financial pressures, bias, family responsibilities, and systemic inequities.
At the same time, this event will highlight resilience, i.e., how candidates and leaders develop the inner strength, strategies, and community support needed to push through obstacles and stay grounded in their purpose.
The event is both interactive and reflective: part storytelling, part skill-building, and part community connection.
This event is free to attend and is presented with generous support from the following philanthropic partners.
Spots are Limited.
Event #2: Braver Together, Cincinnati
Anyone can lead — and action can be contagious.
Presenting Sponsor:
Are you ready to get more involved and activated? Are you interested in learning how everyday Ohioans can impact our communities? There are so many important issues on the minds of Ohioans across the state. Join us for our Braver Together event and explore how you can get involved!
Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Cincinnati Memorial Hall
You have time, treasure, and talents that can positively impact the issues most important to you. Hear from a powerful line-up of speakers and ask your burning questions as they share information about the State of Ohio and their activation journeys. Immediately following the speaker event portion of the evening, stay with us and explore our Activism Fair where you’ll get connected to local organizations and next steps on how YOU can get involved and engage in the issues important to you!
We hope that you will join us and leave feeling inspired to hope for a more equitable Ohio and bold enough to take action! Together we can be brave enough to hope.
A collaborative event sponsored by the Hamilton County Commission on Women & Girls, RepresentWomen, and The Matriots Education Fund.
This event is free and open to all!
Event #1: Her Money Talks, March 11th, 2025, Columbus
Presenting Sponsor:
Resources:
- Women’s Fund of Central Ohio 2025 Report: Making Women Wealthy (and Free)
- Center for American Women and Politics: Even Including Small-Dollar Amounts, Men are Outgiving Women; Women Candidates Receive Smaller Average Donations
- Center for American Women and Politics: Gender Disparities in Congressional Fundraising
- Center for American Women and Politics: The State View: A Deep Dive into 10 States
- Center for American Women and Politics: Donor Gaps Demographics Analysis
- Stanford Social Innovation Review: Are Women Donors the Key to Unlocking More Giving?
- Wright-Patt Credit Union, Inc. Education Center: A quick access point to free financial calculators, worksheets, on-demand classes to watch over a myriad of different financial topics, and a way to register for free classes in person and online.
