Jacqueline Cooke is Regional Administrator, NE Women’s Bureau, US Department of Labor.

Ms. Cooke will discuss the recent White House National Summit on Working Families, the six lead up regional Women’s Bureau Forums, and the follow up initiatives in Washington, D.C. and across the country. Women comprise nearly half the workforce, but still hold a majority of the minimum wage jobs. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation without a paid leave law. Both women and men face challenges bonding with a new baby, caring for children, and helping aging parents. Ms. Cooke will discuss how families, businesses, and the U.S. economy can all prosper and thrive in the 21st century.