Prominent Women Speakers

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Internationally known as Africa’s “Iron Lady,” President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first woman to lead an African nation. A Harvard educated former World Bank economist, she is a leading promoter of peace, justice, and democratic rule, working tirelessly end the corruption that has plagued her countr ...

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Former Prime Minister of Norway, Director-General of the World Health Organization, and Chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Dr. Brundtland has been a prominent force in addressing key issues such as healthcare, economic sustainability, and the challenges to the environment throughout the world. Sh ...

Mary Robinson

As first female President of Ireland, Robinson increased the status of the nation. Formerly the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, she now advises businesses worldwide on ethical practices and management. In addition to her role as Executive Director of the Ethical Globalization Initiative, she is one of five members ...

Gail Sheehy

As the best-selling author of over a dozen books, including Passages, Gail Sheehy has rocked the culture and changed the way millions of women and men look at the stages of their lives. A Library of Congress survey named Passages one of the ten most influential books of our time. In her latest book, Passag ...

Toni Morrison

One of the most prominent authors in world literature, the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning Morrison has authored such celebrated books as The Bluest Eye, Beloved, and Song of Solomon. A National Book Critics Award recipient, her writings are notable for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly de ...

Maureen Dowd

Maureen Dowd, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, became a columnist on The New York Times Op-Ed page in 1995 after having served as a correspondent in the paper's Washington bureau since 1986.

M. Joycelyn Elders

As a pediatric endocrinologist and 15th Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Elders has a deep concern for young people and teaches that education, prevention, and responsibility are the keys to a healthy life. An outspoken advocate on behalf of children, she is an expert on the prevention of child abuse, teen pregnan ...

Jehan Sadat

Beautiful, dignified, courageous, controversial, and known as The First Lady of the World, Madame Jehan Sadat has played a key role in many history-making events of today's Middle East. Madame Sadat, widow of the late President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, was born in Cairo, Egypt. Her autobiography is entitled A Woman of Eg ...

Kay Koplovitz

Koplovitz is the founder of USA Networks and the first woman network president in television history. A pioneer in cable television networks and new media ventures, she is a visionary woman who led the emergence of cable television from the backcountry of America to challenge the mighty broadcast networks for coveted audie ...

Laura Ingraham

Political journalist, Ingraham is the host of "The Laura Ingraham Show," a nationally syndicated radio program. Ingraham appears regularly on several television programs, and is known for her unique ability to jump back and forth between the political, entertainment, and media worlds with her signature wit and pithy analys ...

Lee Woodruff

After her husband, ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, sustained a critical brain injury in Iraq, they together penned In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing, The New York Times best-selling book about their family’s difficult journey through Bob’s recovery. Now, in her latest book, Perfect ...

Terry McMillan

Since McMillan's breakout novel Waiting to Exhale surged onto The New York Times bestseller list, critics and readers alike have been captivated by her irreverent, often-hilarious take on the issues faced by contemporary African American women. With several of her bestsellers, including Waiting to Exhale, ...

Kim Campbell

Having made history as Canada's first female Prime Minister, The Right Honorable Campbell is among the most celebrated world leaders. Expanding her global influence, she was instrumental as Co-Founder of Club of Madrid, an organization of current and former heads of state and government dedicated to strengthening democracy ...

Robin Chase

Changing the way we drive, and introducing sustainability to transportation, Chase founded ZipCar and GoLoco, a rideshare startup that connects social networking with a dash of environmental conscience. Stemming from her personal ecoawakening, she always aims to create efficient ways to support the environment.

Mariane Pearl

Pearl is a unique and versatile award-winning journalist who has written A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl, a gripping and profound narrative of her experience and the pursuit of those who captured and killed her husband, Daniel Pearl, the South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Stree ...