The Polk School 2026
Conference | This is a custom course, submit a request to bring it to your union.
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.
- Click here to apply for the 2026 school.
- Application deadline is March 6, 2026.
- Scholarships are available.
The Regina V. Polk Women's Labor Leadership Conference (The Polk School) is a multi-day participatory conference run by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Labor Education Program for working women that creates an open & invigorating space for rank and file women union activists & community leaders to learn from skilled instructors and one another.
Learn about the nuts and bolts of enforcing your union contract and building a stronger organization while also developing your skills as a leader. This is perfect for women who are just beginning their training as well as those with more experience so we can learn from one another.
The Polk School is a gender affirming and inclusive program. Our programming aims to create a safe and inclusive space for women and gender diverse people. We are committed to fostering a respectful community.
Stephanie Fortado
Prof. Fortado is a social and cultural historian of the modern United States, with a focus on African American working class and social movement history. She is especially interested in Civil Rights and Black Power history, and in labor history, especially as it relates to women’s history, environmental history and urban history. She is co-director of the Regina V. Polk Women's Leadership Programs.
Kay Emmert
Prof. Emmert is a Lecturer in the Labor Education Program, where she teaches labor law, grievance processing, arbitration, collective bargaining, communication and leadership skills to union members, unrepresented workers, and university undergraduates. As Lead Negotiator and bargaining advisor for the Non-Tenure Faculty Coalition at UIUC, she successfully negotiated multiple contracts, securing significant gains in wages, job security, and benefits. An expert in contract research, writing, and enforcement, she develops engaging, real-world curricula that empower workers with the knowledge and skills to advocate for fair labor practices and workplace protections.
Emily E. LB. Twarog
Prof. Twarog earned her PhD in American History at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s in Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her book Politics in the Pantry: Housewives, Food, and Consumer Protest in 20th Century America examines the ways in which housewives in America used food protests as political tools to gain influence both locally and nationally. She is also the author of several articles and book chapters related to the evolution of working class women’s leadership development as well as gender violence in the workplace. She is currently writing a book on the history of sexual harassment resistance in the service sector, “Hands Off: A History of Fighting Back against Sexual Harassment in the American Workplace.” She is co-director of the Regina V. Polk Women's Leadership Programs.