Curious how Women in Automotive board member Joe Webb chooses the voices that land on its biggest stages? This inside look pulls back the curtain on WIA’s speaker selection—what he values, how proposals are weighed, and why certain topics rise to the top. For the past 5 years, Joe has overseen the speaker selection for Women in Automotive’s annual conference, and has been on the board for 5 prior to that as well. This, along with his own professional speaking experience, has allowed him to best identify the right talent for the WIA conference attendees. If you’ve ever wondered whether your idea is “conference-ready,” this piece explains the guardrails and green lights straight from the source, and points you to exactly what WIA asks for when you submit.
Beyond demystifying the process, the article is a roadmap to standing out: it connects the dots between WIA’s mission, current programming, and what readers can do next—think aligning your abstract to real attendee outcomes, tapping the Speakers Guild and mentoring network, and timing your pitch with upcoming themes. If you want your expertise to move from drafts folder to main stage, don’t skim—study this one and act on it. Read this article below by Dara Moore from an interview with Joe Webb and see if you have what it takes to grace the Women in Automotive stage in Austin in 2026.
https://womeninautomotive.com/inside-wia-speaker-selection
