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Award-Winning Artist and Activist Laura Dern to Join the Mainstage at Blackbaud’s bbcon 2021 Virtual Conference
The tech conference for a better world will take place Oct. 13–15 as a free, virtual event
Charleston, S.C. (July 16, 2021) — Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB),the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, today announced that award-winning actor, producer and activist Laura Dern will take the mainstage at bbcon 2021 Virtual, the tech conference for a better world. This year’s conference will again be free and virtual, making the event globally accessible, Oct. 13–15. Dern will speak during the opening session.
“We’re so excited to kick off bbcon 2021 Virtual with Laura Dern,” said Catherine LaCour, chief marketing officer, Blackbaud. “Not only is Laura incredibly talented as a filmmaker, but she has also dedicated so much of her career to important causes—from advocating for women in the industry, to using her voice as a force for good to support nonprofits and organizations working to make the world a better place. We’re thrilled to bring her insights and passion to our audience of social good professionals.”
Dern has touched audiences and critics around the world with her moving performances, most recently starring on the big screen in Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” and Netflix’s “Marriage Story,” as well as the HBO series “Big Little Lies.” Other notable films include “Jurassic Park,” “The Master,” “Blue Velvet,” “Wild,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
In addition to her numerous accolades and extensive film and television credits, Dern is deeply committed to advocating for women’s empowerment and gender equality—propelled by her experiences in the industry. She is also an activist working with Everytown for Gun Safety, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Oceana. She has been a partner and friend to the American Lung Association since 2015 and, more recently, an advisor to its National Board of Directors, helping lean into initiatives that support communities affected by lung disease and raising money for research and education.
Last year, the first bbcon Virtual drew over 38,000 registrants from around the world. Only two months into open registration for bbcon 2021 Virtual, over 8,000 participants have registered. The conference will include over 100 informative sessions that will provide social good professionals with tips, real-life success stories, thought leadership discussions, cutting-edge content and more. Sessions include content for all regions, role types and markets—arts and cultural organizations, cause-based nonprofits, educational institutions, faith communities, healthcare organizations, foundations, corporate giving and more. Attendees will learn from leading social good experts and professionals all working to build a better world and will walk away with concrete strategies to help move their missions forward.
Get more information about bbcon 2021 Virtual and register for free here.
About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, higher education institutions, K–12 schools, healthcare organizations, faith communities, arts and cultural organizations, foundations, companies and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility, school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for four decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
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