Grit and Grace Shape the Future at the 2026 Women in Maritime Leadership Conference

VALLEJO — The Women in Maritime Leadership Conference returned to Cal Poly Maritime Academy on March 13-14, bringing together nearly 90 maritime students and 50 Cal Poly faculty, staff and industry professionals for two days of dialogue, mentorship and leadership development. 

Centered on this year’s theme, Grit and Grace, the conference featured keynote speakers Larkin Bohn, a former maritime officer; Barbara Pickering, president of Chevron Shipping Co.; and Tosca Pinder, marine insurance broker at USI Insurance. Their remarks explored how resilience, identity and experience at sea shape leadership, offering guidance to the next generation of maritime professionals. 

Bohn highlighted the importance of authenticity in leadership, particularly in a traditionally male-dominated industry. 

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned at sea is from the women I’ve worked with — it’s what I call integrated leadership, where you don’t have to amputate parts of yourself to lead,” Bohn said. “You lead from a place of wholeness, where you integrate your feminine and masculine traits and don’t have to water anything down. You show up as you are. Until you see that embodied as a woman in a male-dominated field, it’s hard to believe that you can lead that way. But you can. It works, and it’s well respected.” 

In addition to keynote sessions, the conference held conversations around mentorship, representation and career pathways in the industry. Attendees connected across experience levels, reinforcing the value of community in navigating and advancing within the field.  

For students, it was also an opportunity to reflect on their identities and place in the industry. Mechanical engineering student Melanie Rodriguez-Rios only sees a handful of other female students in her classes, but she notes she’s “getting the same education, getting the same amount of thought put into me as a person, as a student.” 

“I can also work with cars,” Rodriguez-Rios said. “I can also work with an engine. I can work with a lot of things that a man can do. But I could also put in my two cents in a very big industry.” 

As the maritime industry continues to progress, the conference illustrated the importance of inclusive leadership and the key role young professionals play in shaping its future. This momentum will carry forward, as the Women in Maritime Leadership Conference returns in 2027 with further renewed purpose.