For Media Planning Purposes
Sec. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Filmmaker Ava DuVernay, Philanthropist & Fashion Designer Diane von Furstenberg, Queen Latifah’s Queen Collective, Marketing Hall of Famer Bozoma Saint John, Actress & Activist Ashley Judd, and more to take part in the award-winning global event that celebrates women leaders.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, October 25, Vital Voices Global Partnership will host the 22nd Annual Global Leadership Awards to honor women leaders who have embraced the ‘Power of Possible.’ This year’s 2023 honorees are five trailblazing women whose life’s work revolves around advancing gender equality, social justice, and creating solutions to build a safer, more sustainable world.
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Vital Voices co-founder, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
Ava DuVernay has been named the Global Trailblazer Award recipient for her work as a social impact filmmaker who celebrates and explores themes of human rights and racial equity. Climate activist and social entrepreneur Inna Braverman, Gender-based Violence Activist Hellen Lunkuse, Disability Rights Activist Sara Minkara and Sudanese Human Rights & Peace Activist Enass Muzamel, will be recognized for their steadfast commitment to solving the world’s greatest challenges surrounding climate, gender-based violence, and disability rights.
In addition, Vital Voices will premiere its 2023 honoree films created through its new female filmmakers initiative, DirectHers Cut. DirectHers Cut is Vital Voices’ latest move to scale leadership opportunities for women globally by harnessing the talents of women producers and directors to drive the storytelling narrative of the women leaders being honored. This year’s honoree films were produced by members of the Queen Collective, a program supporting multicultural women and non-binary directors developed in partnership with Procter & Gamble, Queen Latifah and Flavor Unit Entertainment.
What:
Vital Voices 22nd Annual Global Leadership Awards
Where:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566
When:
6:30 pm ET Press Check-In Begins
7:30 pm ET Awards Presentation
9:00 pm ET Interview Availability & Post-Event Reception
Who:
Keynote Speaker:
Vital Voices Cofounder, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
Special Guests:
Grammy & Emmy Winning Composer, Songwriter, Producer, & Pianist Emily Bear
Author of “Unmasking AI” & star of “Coded Bias” on Netflix Dr. Joy Buolamwini
Social Impact Filmmaker Ava DuVernay
Philanthropist and Fashion Designer Diane von Furstenberg
Actress & Activist Ashley Judd
NBCUniversal’s Chief Content Officer Donna Langley, D.B.E.
Co-anchor of PBS NewsHour Amna Nawaz
President and CEO of Vital Voices Alyse Nelson
Marketing Hall of Famer, Author & Entrepreneur Bozoma Saint John
The Global Leadership Awards Honorees are:
Inna Braverman
Inna Braverman, founder and CEO of Eco Wave Power, is a technology entrepreneur who is harnessing ocean wave power to produce clean energy and fight climate change.
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay will receive the 2023 Global Trailblazer Award for her work as a social impact filmmaker who celebrates and explores themes of human rights and racial equity through cinema, using her art as activism to advance American society – and the world.
Hellen Lunkuse
Hellen Lunkuse is a fearless human rights defender who supports survivors of gender-based violence and advocates for marginalized communities in Uganda. She is founder of the Rape Hurts Foundation, a non-profit serving women, girls and diverse populations in Uganda.
Sara Minkara
Sara Minkara, who went blind at the age of 7, is a pioneering advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She is our nation’s highest-ranking disabled diplomat as a presidential appointee serving in the role of Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. State Department.
Enass Muzamel
Enass Muzamel is a pro-democracy activist and women’s rights advocate who is leading critical relief efforts to support women and girls affected by gender-based violence and the ongoing war in Sudan.
To cover the event, the media can REGISTER FOR PRESS CREDENTIALS.
Interviews will be available upon request
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Markette Sheppard, Vital Voices
310-853-3408
markettes@vitalvoices.org
Jacqueline Lara, MPact PR
240-305-2133
Nicolla Hewitt, Nicolla Hewitt Communications
917-770-3166
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About Vital Voices Global Partnership
Vital Voices Global Partnership was cofounded in 1997 by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and the late Secretary Madeleine Albright. Now celebrating 26 years, Vital Voices has directly invested in more than 20,000 women leaders across 185 countries and territories since its inception. Driven by the universal truth that women are the key to progress in their communities and nations cannot move forward without women in leadership positions, Vital Voices has provided early support for leaders who went on to become Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, U.S. Youth Poet Laureates, prime ministers, award-winning innovators, pioneering human rights defenders, and breakthrough social entrepreneurs, including Amanda Gorman and Malala Yousafzai. In an effort to advance and expand this work, in 2022 Vital Voices opened the doors to the world’s first global embassy for women, the Vital Voices Global Headquarters for Women’s Leadership. It is a first-of-its-kind space that allows for convening, innovation, planning, and action—all in the pursuit of serving women leaders who are taking on the world’s greatest challenges.
Find Vital Voices Online:
Facebook: facebook.com/vitalvoices
Twitter: @vitalvoices
Instagram: @vitalvoices
LinkedIn: Vital Voices Global Partnership
Meet our Honorees
