i'm kristen sze in for cheryl jennings. congresswoman jackie speier co-founded professional businesswomen of california, or pbwc, in 1989. the nonprofit has evolved over the years from its initial membership of long-term volunteers to what we see today, with corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders from both public and private sectors. joining me now in the studio is curshanda cusseaux woods from kaiser permanente. she's the northern california community relations manager. thanks for coming in. >> thanks for having me, kristen. >> all right, curshanda. so, kaiser, we should mention, is this year's pbwc headline sponsor. that's a yearlong sponsorship. >> yes. >> talk to us about why kaiser is doing it. what does that mean for you? >> well, we've been a partner with pbwc for over 12 years, and we kind of dipped our toe into the waters last year by being a major sponsor, and we really saw that it gives us the opportunity to really spread the information that pbwc shares with not only our employees, our employee resourc

she spoke with cheryl jennings and talked about this conference and how the me too discussion is timely and important. >> we are truly changing the culture at work for all time so our daughters and grand daughters are never going to have to deal with frankly what we had to deal >> reporter: other speakers including maria shriver and actresses jane fonda and lilly tomlin. the key is to take it into the business world tomorrow and beyond. the organization is doing that. throughout the year it hosts workshops and fosters mentorships to empower women in their work lives. reporting live in san francisco, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> you're going to be there this morning. we're so excited to be speaking, jess will be speaking as well, mike will be there. it's such a great event and you leave energized. >> please come by and say hi if you happen to be going this morning. mike, what's the weather going to be like for people getting ready to go? >> it's a great event, love meeting everyone. the energy is amazing, quite palpable. let's talk about the weather. it's going to be great, a little co

the lineup includes maria shriver, rosie rios, alexander roddy and cheryl jennings. i'll be there as well. spencer christian, many of us here at abc news. we have been a proud sponsor since the beginning. >>> abc is turning up the heat with a brand-new episode of "station 19." alexis smith spoke with the stars of the gray aes natomy spinoff. >>> he says his new career as a firefighter is thrilling both for his character and for him as an actor. >> ben's been trying to get closer and closer to the action. he was an anesthesiologist, became a surgeon and now first responder. he's at the source of a person's problems. the adrenaline that got him in trouble as a surgeon is now a tool he can use as a first responder. >> andy is trying to fill her father's role as captain, something she says can be difficult in a male-dominated industry. for andi it comes as second nature. >> its not a big deal. right on. a woman telling me what to do, i've experienced it, i met with two female captains and i saw them give orders to other guys in the station. and it was no big deal. >> and

>> now, from abc7, "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings. >> welcome to "beyond the headlines." today we're talking about the dangers of premature birth. babies born even a few weeks early face serious risks of death and long-term disability, including possible respiratory problems, cerebral palsy, and underdeveloped organs. according to the march of dimes, 1 in 10 babies in the united states is born prematurely, making it the leading cause of newborn death. that is nearly 380,000 babies, a staggering number with a devastating impact on the family. prematurity costs the nation more than $26 billion every year, and sadly there is no clear cause in nearly half of all premature births. but hopefully, that is going to change dramatically and soon, thanks to the creation of march of dimes prematurity research centers across the country. doctors and scientists are working to solve the mysteries of preterm birth. joining me in the studio right now is wendy armstrong. she and her husband volunteer with the march of dimes board of directors, and their family has been a march of dimes mis

. >> now, from abc7, "beyond the headlines with cheryl jennings." >> being addicted to opiates is likesing a dragon -- you're constantly seeking that first high. but what's gonna happen if you actually catch it? >> more than 50,000 people die every year from drug overdoses. that's according to the centers for disease control and prevention, and about half of those deaths are from something called opiates, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, or fentanyl and heroin. the government says opiate abuse is the leading cause of deaths by accident in the united states. i hope that shocks you, because it certainly shocked me. here in the stio with me to talk about this, two mothers whose college-aged children died from accidental overdoses. from the east bay, april rovero, who lost her son joey, and from marin county, susan kim. you lost your son trey in april. i want to start with you. we've worked together for several years now, been on a couple of panels together. and i want folks to know about joey. what was he like, and what happened to him? >> hmm, well, joey was a senior at arizona state univ

she recently appeared on abc 7's "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings and said this discussionmely and important. >> we are truly changing the culture at work for all time. so that our daughters and granddaughters are never, ever going to have to deal with frankly what we had to deal with. >> other speakers this year include former california first lady maria shriver and actress jane fonda and lily tomlin. the two have been outspoken their entire careers about women's rights. members of the abc 7 news team will lead panels designed to help women gain career confidence, media skills and more. but pbwc goes well beyond this one-day conference. throughout the year, the organization works with its corporate partners to offer workshops, associates and mentorships. all designed to empower women in the workplace and in their lives. abc 7 news. >>> now abc 7 has been a proud sponsor of the professional businesswomen of california conference since the beginning. this year, former first lady of california maria shriver will give the keynote speech. other speakers include former u.s. trea

she recently appeared on "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings and said the discussion is timely and important. >> we are truly changing the culture at work for all time so that our daughters and granddaughters are never, ever going to have to deal with frankly what we had to deal with. >> reporter: other speakers are maria shriver, jane fonda and lily tomlin. the two have been outspoken their entire careers about women's rights. members of the abc 7 news team will lead panels designed to help women gain career confidence, media skills and more. but it goes well beyond this one-day conference. throughout the year the organization works with its corporate partners to offer workshops, socials and mentorships, all designed to empower women in the workplace and in their lives. kristen sze, abc 7 news. >> abc 7 has been a proud sponsor of the professional businesswomen of california conference since the beginning. this year maria shriver will give the keynote speech. other speakers include rosie rios, manual al-sharif, jackie speier and alexandra roddy. tickets have sold out. >> but y