Women Speakers

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 ...

Diane Keaton

An actress, director, and producer, the Oscar-winning Keaton has over 50 films under her belt, including The Godfather, Something’s Gotta Give, and Father of the Bride. Admired for her intelligent humor, Keaton’s keynotes on gender and aging in Hollywood, being fearless, and balancing both work and ...

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 ...

Erin Gruwell

Erin Gruwell leveraged the power of education to transform Long Beach's "unteachables," by teaching tolerance through literature and writing. Her tenacity and commitment to her students is chronicled in The Freedom Writers Diary - How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them ...

Naomi Klein

Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, and author of the international bestseller, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Exploring the flaws of neoliberal economics and globalization, her stunning revelations and well-researched insight provides a backdrop to the connections betwee ...

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 ...

Susan L. Taylor

As editorial director of Essence, Taylor was the driving force behind one of the most celebrated black-owned business success stories in recent times. Her firm belief in personal empowerment and tapping into the power within motivates and inspired her employees to lead Essence to become a successful global mul ...

Goldie Hawn

Hawn's Academy Award-winning roles and lasting impressions have gained her adoring audiences worldwide. A woman of many talents, she is not only a gifted actor and celebrity speaker, but also a creative director, savvy producer, successful entrepreneur, respected CEO, and loving parent. Managing to balance her life with su ...

Sarah Lacy

Sarah Lacy knows Silicon Valley and the power of the Web 2.0 technology like few others. As a veteran reporter covering start ups—from technology innovation to cultural underpinnings—Lacy is an expert in translating the mystique and the might of this hub of technology to the rest of the world.

Jane Seymour

Truly a modern Renaissance woman, award-winning actress Seymour has found success in all aspects of her rich life. Recently a hit on Dancing with the Stars, she has gone from leading roles in films, on Broadway and on television in Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman to tapping into her talent as accomplished artist, be ...

Judge Glenda Hatchett

Judge Hatchett is the former Chief Presiding Judge of the Fulton County Juvenile Court in Atlanta. Her highly successful court television series, Judge Hatchett, provides a forum where she can reach beyond her courtroom to a larger and more diverse audience. She is the author of Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say! ...

Claire Shipman

An experienced broadcast journalist who has covered stories in both the United States and Moscow, Shipman can be seen as the senior national correspondent for ABC News' Good Morning America. She has also reported on presidential policy and politics for NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and The Today Show ...

Deborah Tannen

Dr. Tannen is best known for her book You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, which was onThe New York Times bestseller list for over three years, including eight months as number one, and has been translated into twenty-nine languages. In her latest book, You’re Wearing That? Understan ...

Victoria Rowell

Emmy-nominated Rowell has been honored with 12 NAACP Image Awards and is a staunch advocate for foster children. Her memoir, The Women Who Raised Me, reveals the transformational power of mentoring, love, art, and womanhood that inspires and empowers women and families. Her newest book, Secrets of a Soap Opera D ...

Gail Sheehy

Best-selling author and cultural observer Gail Sheehy has changed the way millions of people throughout the world look at their lives. Her original landmark work, Passages, made history, remaining on The New York Times best-seller list for more than three years and appearing in 28 languages. A Library of Congr ...

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 ...

Shirin Ebadi

An extraordinary woman of many firsts, Iranian lawyer and activist Ebadi has made history as the first Muslim to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous defense of human rights in Iran. One of the most intelligent, passionate, and respected voices of dissent from within this complex nation, she speaks to the world ...

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 ...

Andie MacDowell

Actress from Four Weddings and a Funeral, MacDowell believes that believing in yourself and the greater good in life can change lives for the better. A woman of renowned grace and beauty, she emphasizes that aging is not something to endure, but to embrace, in achieving a happy, full life at any age.

Vivian Stringer

The master builder of basketball programs, Rutgers head coach and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Vivian Stringer has catapulted three different college basketball programs from obscurity to national prominence during her 35 years as a head coach. A pioneer, visionary, and innovator during her three decades on t ...