JAWS’ 40th anniversary CAMP was held September 5-7 at The Royal Sonesta - Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Stay tuned for photos & highlights from the conference!
The Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle
Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle
2121 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Stay at the CAMP meeting venue and use the reservation link below for the discounted booking rate.
Conference Speakers & Programming
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Sally Buzbee is the U.S.-Canada editor for Reuters, overseeing coverage of the Trump administration and general news across the U.S. and Canada. She was the first woman to serve as executive editor of The Washington Post and also previously served as executive editor of The Associated Press. She began her career as a reporter in Kansas City, California and Washington, DC and spent five years in the Middle East overseeing AP’s coverage of the Iraq war. She has two grown daughters.
Gina Chua is Executive Editor at Semafor, a new global news startup. Prior to joining Semafor, she was Executive Editor at Reuters, where she oversaw newsroom operations, logistics, budgets, safety and security, and worked with technology teams to develop newsroom tools, among other responsibilities. Gina was also the editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post and The Asian Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong; a deputy managing editor at The Wall Street Journal in New York; a foreign correspondent in Singapore, Manila and Hanoi; and a television and radio journalist in Singapore. A native of Singapore, she graduated with a bachelor’s in mathematics from the University of Chicago and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Gina transitioned in late 2020.
Panel: Press Freedom & the First Amendment
JAWS will host a panel at this year’s conference titled Press Freedom & the First Amendment, featuring speakers from the Associated Press, Ballard Spahr, and Democracy Forward. This panel of legal experts will discuss the challenges facing journalists and newsrooms in our current era and how the industry is battling threats to a free press and free speech.
Empowering Women Narratives in a Hostile Environment with Christian F. Nunes
JAWS will host a session at this year’s conference titled Empowering Women Narratives in a Hostile Environment, a workshop featuring mental health and gender equity expert Christian F. Nunes, MBA, MS, LCSW. With over two decades of experience advocating for AI & digital safety, mental health, and gender equity, Christian has drafted significant legislation, co-authored policy surveys, and launched transformative initiatives.
Christian F. Nunes, MBA, MS, LCSW, is a formidable advocate, international speaker, strategist, and leader who made history as the second African American President of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 2020. As the Founder and CEO of Equity Bound Solutions LLC, she is committed to creating equitable solutions for organizations by effectively blending principles of equity, mental health wellness, and social justice.
Breakfast with Washington Press Club Foundation President Deborah Berry
The Washington Press Club Foundation (WPCF) will host a breakfast at the conference on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 8 a.m. featuring remarks from WPCF President Deborah Barfield Berry, who currently works as a national correspondent for USA TODAY where she focuses on voting rights, civil rights and politics.
Berry, an award-winning journalist, has spent most of her journalism career in Washington, DC, where she has covered Congress and national politics. She serves as president of the board for the Washington Press Club Foundation. Her journalism career includes reporting for Gannett News Service, Newsday, Knight Ridder News Service, the Providence Journal, the Times Herald Record and the Star Democrat.
Books & Browse Authors Panel: Nonfiction Discoveries of Social Justice, Corruption, Racial Injustice, Ambition, Work and Hope by Six JAWS Authors in Memoir, Biography and Investigation
Maura Casey, Saving Ellen: A Memoir of Hope and Recovery
Debbie Hines, Get Off My Neck: Black Lives, White Justice and a Former Prosecutor's Quest for Reform
Susan Page, THE RULEBREAKER: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters
Mary Annette Pember, Medicine River: A Story of Survival and Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools
Brigid Schulte, Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life
C-SPAN’s Media Relations Specialist, Robin Newton, will teach attendees how C-SPAN can serve as a resource for journalists. Learn about C-SPAN’S vast video library and how to access it as well as other valuable tools available online.
Robin will be joined by her colleagues, Rachel Katz and Molly Connors, who will share information about the history and mission at C-SPAN as well as other programming and offerings.
Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work with Randi Braun
JAWS will host a session at this year’s conference with Randi Braun, the Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author of Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work, a speaker, and CEO of the leadership coaching and advisory firm, Something Major. This session empowers attendees to increase their energy, motivation, and fulfillment at work.
Optimized for high performers whose worlds operate six minutes at a time, participants will gain:
● A New Understanding: of the Self Care Myths that hold high performers back and how to break out of them
● Actionable Tools and Tactics: for shifting your mindset and resetting your priorities when you’re stressed and overwhelmed
● Leadership Insights: for changing patterns and setting a tone on your own team that “walks the walk” on work/life balance... without sacrificing deadlines and deliverables in the process
Panel: The Business of Freelancing
Join us on Sunday, Sept. 7 for a panel dedicated to the business of freelancing, from starting your own Substack to managing your money the right way. This year’s panelists include award-winning investigative journalist and freelance Substack writer Kirstin Garriss, financial planner and wealth management expert Anna N'Jie Konte and Katherine Reynolds Lewis, founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists.
FAQs
Where is Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP) 2025? CAMP 2025 will be held September 5-7 at The Royal Sonesta Hotel, located at 2121 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. The hotel is centrally located in a vibrant area near convenient public transportation access, restaurants, coffee shops, a community park, and more.
The CAMP Site Selection Committee chose Washington D.C. based on feedback from members urging a balance between an urban setting allowing easier travel with access to a get-away-from-it-all vibe. The committee also took into account the venue’s capacity, support for conferences, cost and central location.
What happens at CAMP? This will be JAWS’ 40th CAMP. While the format and size have varied over the years, the goal has not: to bring women* journalists together from different specialties, beats, demographics and geographies to share with, learn from and empower each other. There will be structured presentations and workshops, planned social events and free time for unstructured relationship-building and city exploration. The current, rough agenda is as follows:
Sept. 4: Self-organized social activities for early arrivals
Sept. 5: Afternoon workshops, evening welcome reception
Sept. 6: Breakfast provided, morning plenaries, lunch provided, afternoon breakout sessions, evening small bites reception
Sept. 7: Morning member meeting and breakout sessions (one meal provided, will be breakfast or lunch)
Sept. 8: Self-organized social activities for late departures
Will meals be provided? The Friday night reception will include light appetizers. Breakfast and lunch will be provided on Saturday and Sunday. A small bites reception will be provided on Saturday evening. Other meals will be unstructured, allowing attendees to explore nearby eateries and spend time together away from the venue.
What is the CAMP refund policy? CAMP registration at the Early Bird rate is non-refundable and non-transferable. Regular registration can be transferred before August 25, 2025 upon written request to hello@jaws.org.
Is conference sponsorship available? Yes! CAMP sponsors support programming and other CAMP activities, making it possible to keep the conference affordable for participants. More information is available below.
* “Women” at JAWS includes anyone who self-identifies as a woman, or as a non-binary, gender-nonconforming or agender person.
