"I'm honored to share this evening with you, it gives me great hope that there are women like you all over the country waiting to make a difference," she said.
Simpson said she had never planned to be a leader at the beginning of her career, but that the sexual and racial discrimination she encountered as an up-and-coming reporter forced her to take a vocal stance against injustice.
"Things just happened, and they made me angry, I had to do something," Simpson said.
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Simpson encouraged audience members to set high goals for themselves and said she herself was eyeing the top position at ABC.
"You always have to set a goal, or else you get complacent and satisfied," she said. "Now I want to be president of ABC News."