Melinda French Gates Announces $1B Commitment to Advance Women's Power Globally

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a pioneering psychologist, scientist, author, founder, and expert devoted to mental health and suicide prevention in intersectional youth and young adults of color, including LGBTQ+ youth and those with disabilities. She is the founder of The AAKOMA Project.

Allyson Felix is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes of all time and an advocate for Black maternal health, pay equity, and pregnancy protections. She is also the founder of the women’s specific footwear company Saysh.

Ava DuVernay is an award-winning filmmaker whose groundbreaking work aims to advance equity and social justice by telling stories that change hearts and minds. She is the founder of ARRAY, a multi-platform arts and social impact collective.

Crystal Echo Hawk is a leader and advocate working to advance contemporary stories of Native Americans in an effort to shift public perception and increase support for Native peoples and issues. She is the founder and CEO of IllumiNative.

Gary Barker works to promote gender equality and create a world free from violence by engaging men and boys in partnership with women, girls, and individuals of all gender identities. He is the CEO and founder of Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice.

Hauwa Ojeifo started a movement that gives mental health a voice in Nigeria, enabling those with mental health conditions to tell their own stories, co-create solutions, and advocate for their own rights. She is the founder of She Writes Woman.

Jacinda Ardern is the former prime minister of New Zealand who has shown the world how leading with compassion can drive impact. She is a passionate advocate for climate action and a fierce champion for women, including through her continued leadership of the Christchurch Call.

Leymah Roberta Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, is a Liberian peace activist, trained social worker, and women’s rights advocate. An award-winning global thought leader for peace and social justice, she is the founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa and the executive director of the Institute on Gender, Law, and Transformative Peace at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law.

M. V. Lee Badgett is an economist focusing on economic and social inequality for LGBTI people. Her research explores strategies for improving people’s lives and livelihoods, along with building ideas for the global advancement of LGBTI economic power. She is a founding partner of Koppa: The LGBTI+ Economic Power Lab.

Richard V. Reeves is a scholar working toward gender equality for all by raising awareness of the problems faced by boys and men today. He is the founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men.

Sabrina Habib works to improve access to quality, affordable early childhood care in East Africa’s low-income communities. She is co-founder and CEO of Kidogo.

Shabana Basij-Rasikh has dedicated her entire life to ensuring Afghan girls’ access to education. She is the co-founder of the School of Leadership Afghanistan.