NBC's Andrea Mitchell to Keynote Annual PBWC Conference; Bay Area's Premiere Women's Professional Development Forum Expected to Draw Thousands of Entrepreneurs, Executives and Students.

SAN FRANCISCO -- NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell will serve as keynote speaker at this year's Professional BusinessWomen of California (PBWC) conference on Tuesday, May 2, 2006, at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center. She and her fellow speakers and hosts, including KGO Newstalk's Rosie Allen and ABC7 News' Cheryl Jennings, are expected to address more than 5,000 attendees on a variety of professional and personal issues unique to women.

The PBWC conference, the largest yearly gathering of businesswomen in Northern California, is a day-long event that allows entrepreneurs, seasoned and new professionals, and students from a host of backgrounds and industries to enhance their skills, exchange ideas, network and be inspired by women role models. This year's program, "The Power of Connection," will feature panel sessions in eight tracks ranging from career advancement to health to entrepreneurial strategies.

"We have a tremendously rich array of sessions to choose from at this year's conference," said PBWC President Debra Boblitt. "And with women from so many professions, industries and levels of experience taking part, attendees can also expect a wonderful opportunity to network."

In addition to Mitchell, Allen and Jennings, featured speakers will include Bertice Berry, Ph.D., sociologist; Dr. Kiran Bedi, civilian police advisor, U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations; Sam Horn, president, Action Seminars; and State Senator and PBWC founder Jackie Speier.

Corporate sponsors, who also encourage their female employees to attend, include: American Airlines, AT&T, Bank of America, BMW, California Pacific Medical Center, California State Automobile Association, California Teachers Association, Charles Schwab, Chevron, Cisco Systems, Genentech, Guidant, Hewlett-Packard, Hyundai, Intel Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, Merrill Lynch, Microsoft corporation, Oracle, Peppercom Strategic Communications, PricewaterhouseCoopers, State Farm Insurance, Target, Wells Fargo and Western Digital. Media sponsors include: ABC7, KGO NEWSTALK AM810, San Francisco Business Times, Small Business Technology magazine and WomensCalendar.

The Professional BusinessWomen of California is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the professional and personal development of Bay Area women by providing tools, resources, training and inspiration. For a full conference brochure and to register, go to http://www.pbwc.org. Those interested in exhibiting, contact PBWC at [phone].