Promotional photo by Annie Leibovitz
Doris Kearns Goodwin
George Washington’s Mount Vernon will present the inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit: The Guardians of Heritage on March 4–6, 2026. This landmark event, exploring the pivotal roles women have played in preserving history, shaping American memory, and defining our national legacy, is a signature program of Mount Vernon’s celebration of America’s semiquincentennial commemorating 250 years of the United States’ founding.
The summit will convene leading voices in history, preservation, media, and civic leadership for three days of engaging talks, interactive sessions, and meaningful dialogue. The program opens with the 2026 Martha Washington Lecture featuring Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and includes conversations with distinguished speakers such as Judy Woodruff, Anne Applebaum, Annette Gordon Reed, and other acclaimed leaders.
“We are thrilled to welcome scholars, practitioners, and emerging leaders to this first-of-its-kind summit here at Mount Vernon,” said Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library. “As we mark America’s 250th anniversary, this summit reflects our commitment to honoring the often-overlooked contributions of women in forging our nation’s heritage and inspiring future generations to steward our shared legacy.”
The summit is rooted in Mount Vernon’s own origin story of women-led preservation. In the mid-19th century, a group of determined women formed the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, the nation’s first historic preservation organization, saving George Washington’s home from ruin and establishing the model for historic preservation in the United States. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, their legacy underscores how women have long been guardians of America’s heritage and continue to shape how its history is preserved and told.
Event highlights include:
- March 4: Annual Martha Washington Lecture with Doris Kearns Goodwin and reception.
- March 5: Sessions on women’s historic impact in preservation, leadership, and storytelling.
- March 6: Conversations on women as contemporary change-makers and reflections on legacy.
Tickets are available for in-person and virtual attendance. In-person registration includes all lectures, meals, and receptions. Learn more.
Mount Vernon’s celebration of America’s semiquincentennial centers on programs that illuminate the transformative people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States over the past 250 years. The Women’s Leadership Summit continues this mission by spotlighting the leadership, creativity, and resilience of women in American history.
Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States. The estate is open to visitors and includes the Mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, tombs, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill, as well as the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.
