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Women’s eNews, a nonprofit news service covering issues of particular concern to women, has announced the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century 2012. They will be honored Thursday, May 3, 2012 at a gala dinner held in New York’s Jumeirah Essex House.

“The 21 Leaders list is a rare ‘best of’ list that doesn’t rely on the achievements of men and champions a focus on women’s lives around the world,” said Rita Henley Jensen, founder and editor in chief of Women’s eNews. “We include one man on the list,” Henley Jensen added, “because male allies in the push for equality are essential and recognition of their work is scarce as well.”

The 21 Leaders for the 21st Century 2012 have all demonstrated outstanding achievements in business, education, philanthropy and the media. Seven honorees are intensely engaged in changing the power balance in the political world through training and recruitment of women interested in running for public office.

Previous Women’s eNews 21 Leaders include Leymah Gbowee and the late Wangari Maathai, both Nobel Laureates; Michele Bachelet, the executive director of the UNWomen; and Lily Ledbetter, the name behind the Fair Pay Act of 2009, the first bill signed into law by President Obama.

For more information, to interview honorees or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities please email Charlotte Cooper at charlotte@womensenews.org or call 212-244-1744

21 Leaders for the 21st Century 2012

Seven Who Catalyze Culture

Carol Jenkins
Founding president of the Women’s Media Center, chair of the African Medical and Research Foundation.

Elizabeth Colton
Founding president of the International Museum of Women

Pat Mitchell
President and CEO of The Paley Center for Media in NYC and LA

Deborah Santana
Writer, philanthropist and award-winning filmmaker

Deborah Tolman
Co-founder of SPARK, a girl-fueled movement against the sexualization, objectification and violence against women and girls in the media

Beverly Willis
Founder of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation for women

Monica Winsor
Founding Vice Chair of Women Moving Millions

Seven Who Engender Ballots

Siobhan “Sam” Bennett
President and CEO of the Women’s Campaign Fund

Deedee Corradini
Champion for women in the Olympics

Mary Hughes
Founder of the 2012 Project, increasing the number of women in Congress and state legislatures

Kamala Lopez
Founder of the ERA Education Project, informing women on the significance of the Equal Rights Amendment

Karen Middleton
Leader of Emerge America, improving the numbers of Democratic women working as state legislators and the number of seats women hold in the U.S. Congress.

Robin Read
President and CEO of the National Foundation for Women Legislators

Ann Stone
Founder and chair of Republicans for Choice

Seven Who Leverage Power

Susan L. Blount
Founder of the Inclusion Initiative at Prudential Financial

Nancy Duff Campbell and Marcia D. Greenberger
Co-founders of the National Women’s Law Center

Joseph Keefe
Founder and president and CEO of Pax World, an investment fund that lobbies for corporate board diversity

Yousriya Loza-Sawiris
Founder of Banat El Ghad: Girls of Tomorrow in Egypt

Natalia Oberti Noguera
Founder of the Pipeline Fellowship training women to become Venture Capitalists

Sue Osthoff
Founder of National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women

Juhu Thukral
Strategist for the rights of low-income, immigrant women and the LGBTQ community and sex workers

About Women’s eNews
Women’s eNews is an award-winning nonprofit news service covering issues of concern to women and women’s perspectives on public policy in English and Arabic. It enhances women’s abilities to define their own lives and to participate fully in every sector of human endeavor.

To learn more, visit www.womensenews.org