Viola Davis is keynote speaker at Central California Women's Conference

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Central California Women's Conference has just revealed Viola Davis will be this year's keynote speaker. The Screen Actors Guild, Tony and People's choice award winner will join dozens of other national and local speakers at the fall conference.

Davis began her acting career in the 1996. But it wasn't until 2008 when she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar in "Doubt' that her career took off. Three years later she received critical acclaim for her starring role as a maid, Aibileen Clark, in the box office hit "The Help." Drawing from her own experience of growing up in extreme poverty -- she made Aibileen her own.

Davis said, "She discovers her voice, much like I have done in the course of this whole movie and justifying my choices in taking it."

Davis has said that she is passionate about ensuring women of color are part of the narrative on all artistic platforms. It's one of the reasons Time magazine named her one of the most influential people of 2012.

Currently Davis is playing the complicated role of professor Annalise Keating on "How To Get Away With Murder" seen right her on ABC30. She lectures, she plots, she outsmarts, but she is also vulnerable.

The role has already earned her accolades in this award season, winning a Screen Actors Guild award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series. In her acceptance speech she thanked all those involved with the TV series.

Davis added, "For thinking a sexualized, messy, mysterious woman could be a 49-year-old dark skinned African American woman who looks like me."

The 28th Annual Central California Women's Conference is on September 22. With Viola Davis speaking the event will surely sell-out.

Early Bird tickets at $100 will be on sale April 1 through May 31. Regular priced tickets of $110 will go on sale June 1.

More information about the conference and speakers is available at www.ccwc-fresno.org