Reese Witherspoon joins Amal Clooney as speaker at women’s conference in San Jose

Reese Witherspoon, a leading Time’s Up proponent who has remade her Academy Award-winning career as an actress into the powerhouse producer of “Big Little Lies” and other series, will join Amal Clooney as part of a formidable lineup of keynote speakers at the Watermark Conference for Women Silicon Valley on Feb. 23.

Alas, the conference to be held at the San Jose Convention Center is sold out. It is expected to draw more than 6,500 attendees, making it the largest of its kind on the West Coast.

Witherspoon will be part of the lineup of speakers whom the conference calls “influential champions of women” offering up inspirational messages.

The other speakers include international human rights attorney Clooney and Jodi Kantor, the New York Times reporter who co-authored the first report on sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Kantor’s reporting helped spark the #TimesUp social media phenomenon and launch the Time’s Up anti-sexual harassment initiative, led by Witherspoon and other prominent women in the entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, last year’s Watermark speakers included Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright.

Ann Barlow, chair of Watermark and West Coast president of Peppercomm, said in a statement that the conference comes at a particularly crucial time as the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements shine the national spotlight on gender equity and workplace culture.

“This is a critical time in our nation, with women at all levels standing up to be heard. We are proud to help elevate this national dialog,” Barlow said. “We hope that these outstanding speakers will inspire attendees to make their mark as leaders in their companies, careers and communities.”

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