Eighteen Women Leaders from U.S., Kenya, Nigeria and Switzerland Selected for SOAR Fellowship Devoted to Improving Lives of Women and Girls
Contact: Tsion Ghedamu
Aspen Institute Forum on Women and Girls
tsion.ghedamu@aspeninstitute.org | 404.453.7803
Washington, DC, August 17, 2022 – Today, the Aspen Institute announced the second cohort of women leaders of the SOAR fellowship. The second class of 18 barrier-breakers and society-shapers is committed to pursuing bold change on issues ranging from working to build a social change movement for Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls to empowering girls with mothers in prison to break the cycle of incarceration to changing the philanthropic landscape on the African continent.
They are each powerful and fearless in their own right, and working together over the next 18 months, they will have a chance to inspire, challenge and support each other to grow their leadership in exponential ways.
“What I value most about the SOAR Fellowship program is peer support and the investment in my leadership that has encouraged me to create an action plan and to refine that action plan. And I’ve actually been able to use that action plan to fundraise, to make a big shift at my organization, and to implement my vision.” Rebecca Dixon, executive director, National Employment Law Project, and 2020 SOAR Fellow.
The fellowship is an integral part of the Aspen Forum on Women and Girls, a partnership between Ascend at the Aspen Institute, Aspen Global Innovators Group, and the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute.
“Women and girls around the world are facing an untenable tension; while they are the backbone of the care economy and the health workforce, an absence of global policies that center their well-being are placing their lives at greater risk. This cohort of courageous and committed SOAR Fellows exemplify the leadership needed to propel women and girls toward greater opportunity around the world,” said Lola Adedokun, co-chair of the Aspen Institute Forum on Women and Girls and executive director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group.
“Each of these leaders is a force in their community with a clear vision for gender equality and justice,” said Anne Mosle, vice president, Aspen Institute, and co-chair, Aspen Institute Forum on Women and Girls. “We are honored to set the table for them to build relationships and power and stretch each other to be the most courageous version of themselves. Their individual and collective impact will be far-reaching.”
The SOAR Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Charlotte Perret Family Trust.
The 2022 class joins the inaugural class of 12 SOAR Fellows, selected for their visionary leadership and readiness to pursue bold ideas to improve the lives of women, girls and families around the world. Below is a list of all 18 SOAR Fellows:
- Stacy Aldinger – Chief of Staff and Strategy, CARE (Georgia, USA)
- Patricia Ashanti – Founder & CEO, Delta Circles (Arkansas, USA)
- Brittany Barnett – Founder, Girls Embracing Mothers (Texas, USA)
- Jamila Belabidi – Purchases Director, Global Women Economic Empowerment and Global Innovation, Procter & Gamble (Geneva, Switzerland)
- Sung Yeon Choimorrow – Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (Illinois, USA)
- Verónica Colón Rosario – Executive Director, Puerto Rico Women’s Foundation (Puerto Rico)
- Siobhan Davenport – Consultant, Capacity Partners (Maryland, USA)
- Clarissa Doutherd – Director, Parent Voices Oakland (California, USA)
- Mosun Layode – Executive Director, African Philanthropy Forum (Lagos, Nigeria)
- Nicole Lynn Lewis – Founder & CEO, Generation Hope (Washington D.C., USA)
- Ellen Liu – Vice President, Ms. Foundation for Women (Maryland, USA)
- Stephanie Lopez – Program Manager, Latinas Represent (California, USA)
- Christina Lowery – CEO, Girl Rising (New York, USA)
- Amalia Luxardo – CEO, The Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona (Arizona, USA)
- Lea Kilenga Masamo Bey – Executive Director, Africa Sickle Cell Organization (Taveta, Kenya)
- Sharonne Navas – Executive Director, Education in Equity Coalition (Washington, USA)
- Ashley Thomas – Founder & Executive Director, The Hive Community Circle (South Carolina, USA)
- Ola Wadibia – Vice President | Women on the Move, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Washington D.C., USA)
The Aspen Institute Forum on Women and Girls lifts up promising ideas and leaders and builds on the strength of families to support women and girls in the U.S. and around the world in moving toward opportunity and equality. The Forum hosts a series of conversations and programs with diverse, creative, and bold social justice leaders to advance women’s economic justice, political participation, civic engagement, and leadership. For more information, visit https://aspenwomenandgirls.org.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
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