2026 Inductees

Virginia Hall Goillot, (1906-1982)

Virginia Hall Goillot is one of World War II’s most remarkable heroines, though she would never admit it. Known today as a legendary World War II spy, the Gestapo dubbed her the “Limping Lady,” a nickname born from the hunting accident that led to the amputation of her left leg below the knee. But Dindy, as friends knew her, refused to let a prosthetic leg stop her from serving her country. After facing discrimination in the State Department, she turned to France, where she became an ambulance driver on the front lines as Hitler invaded, earning attention in her hometown papers.

When France fell, Hall made her way to London, where British intelligence quickly recognized her grit. By 1941, she was back in occupied France, working with the French Resistance to run clandestine cells and, eventually, serving as a radio operator—one of the most dangerous roles in the field. Her daring escape from the notorious Butcher of Lyon, by crossing the Pyrenees on foot, became legendary.

After the war, Hall joined the newly formed CIA as its first female operations officer, and one of only six women in senior clandestine roles. She later became one of the Agency’s first female Career Staff members, retiring at sixty.

Hall’s bravery earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre, and the MBE, making her the most highly decorated female civilian of the war. Yet she humbly insisted, “I was no heroine.” History, the National Women’s History Museum and National Women’s Hall of Fame, respectfully disagree.

Edith S. Green, (1910-1987)

Edith Louise Starrett Green transformed American education and expanded opportunities for women, leaving a legislative legacy that continues to shape classrooms and careers today. A ten-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon, she became an influential architect of federal education policy. Her work helped pass landmark legislation—earning her the nicknames “Mrs. Education” and “Mother of Title IX.”

Born in South Dakota in 1910 and raised in Oregon, Green was shaped early by a love of learning and public life. She began her career as a teacher during the Great Depression, later turning to radio and public advocacy before entering politics. In 1954, she was elected to Congress—the first woman to win a seat on her own—where she quickly rose to prominence on the House Education and Labor Committee.

Over nearly two decades, Green helped author landmark legislation, including the National Defense Education Act, the Higher Education Act, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, expanding access to education nationwide. She also championed the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act of 1963, advancing workplace equity for women.

Her most enduring achievement came with Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. Through hearings and relentless advocacy, Green helped ensure that women and girls would have equal access to educational opportunities.

Green died in 1987, leaving behind a legacy defined by access, equity, and the belief that education should open doors for all.

Harriet Jacobs, (1813-1897)

Harriet Jacobs was one of the most important writers of the antebellum African American and American women’s literary tradition. Born into slavery in 1813 in Edenton, North Carolina, she endured years of physical and sexual threats before making a daring bid for freedom—hiding for nearly seven years in a crawl space above her grandmother’s home to protect herself and secure her children’s future.

After escaping to the North in 1842, Jacobs lived as a fugitive while working, raising her children, and building ties within abolitionist circles. Nearly two decades later, with the support of Lydia Maria Child, she published her pathbreaking personal narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, becoming the first formerly enslaved African American woman to publish a full-length autobiography.

During the Civil War, Jacobs became a tireless advocate and relief agent for those who had escaped bondage. She traveled in 1862 to Washington, D.C., and Alexandria on behalf of William Lloyd Garrison’s The Liberator, returning in 1863 with aid from Quaker networks. There, she partnered with Julia Wilbur to challenge military authorities and advocate for humane conditions, including protesting plans to house orphans in a smallpox hospital, and in 1864 co-founded the Jacobs Free School with her daughter.

A decade later, Jacobs moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she managed boardinghouses and built a multiracial community of care; she later opened a charitable boardinghouse in Washington, D.C. Her legacy is one of interlaced intellectualism, activism, and community building in service of freedom, equality, and care for others.

Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections 

Georgeanna Emory Seegar Jones, M.D., (1912-2005)

Dr. Georgeanna Emory Seegar Jones helped turn the hope of parenthood into reality for countless families and, in the process, shaped an entire field of medicine. A pioneering reproductive endocrinologist, she spent decades uncovering the causes of infertility and advancing treatments at a time when options were limited and few women held leadership roles in medicine.

Born in Baltimore in 1912, Dr. Jones trained at Goucher College and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. By age 27, she was appointed Director of the Johns Hopkins Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology and led the Gynecological Endocrine Clinic—roles she held for 40 years. There, she became one of the nation’s first specialists in reproductive endocrinology, identifying key causes of infertility and effective treatments while mentoring generations of physicians who would further advance the field.

In 1978, she joined Eastern Virginia Medical School where, with her husband, Dr. Howard W. Jones Jr., she founded the first in vitro fertilization program in the United States. In 1981, their work led to the nation’s first successful IVF birth, transforming reproductive medicine and expanding possibilities for millions.

A trailblazer and teacher, Dr. Jones was the first woman President of the American Fertility Society. She also was named to the Society of Hopkins Scholars and recognized as Woman Scientist of the Year by the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She died in 2005, leaving a legacy defined by both scientific progress and lives changed.

Jackie Koyner-Kersee

Jackie Joyner-Kersee is celebrated as one of the greatest athletes in history—a six-time Olympic medalist whose career redefined excellence in women’s track and field. Across four consecutive Olympic Games (1984–1996), she captured three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, dominating the heptathlon and long jump. Her heptathlon world record of 7,291 points, set in 1988, still stands today. She also earned four World Championship medals, solidifying her status as a trailblazer for women in sports.

Her accomplishments extend far beyond her historic athletic career. Joyner-Kersee earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and has been awarded 11 honorary doctorates degrees in recognition of her contributions to athletics, education, and community service. She is also the recipient of numerous prestigious honors, reflecting her enduring impact as both a global sports icon and a dedicated humanitarian.

In 1988, she founded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in her hometown of East St. Louis, Illinois, to provide youth, adults, and families with transformative educational, athletic, leadership, and health programs. The Foundation operates from the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center —home to the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Academy (serving K–5 students) and the JJK Food Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center. The Foundation serves over 10,000 individuals annually and distributes more than 50,000 meals each year.

Its flagship initiative, the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Winning in Life® Program, instills values of responsibility, resilience and respect while providing STEAM education, literacy support, athletics, workforce readiness and life skills training. Over 25 years, these efforts have empowered generations to rise above challenges and pursue excellence.

Audre Lorde, (1934-1992)

Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, and activist whose work gave voice to the realities of race, gender, sexuality, and power. Born in New York City in 1934 to Caribbean immigrant parents, she grew up in a world that often tried to silence difference—an experience she transformed into a lifelong practice of speaking truth.

Lorde described herself as “Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet,” insisting that each identity was essential and inseparable. Her poetry, including Coal and The Black Unicorn, confronted injustice while celebrating resilience, love, and self-definition. In essays, she challenged oppression and urged people to see difference as a source of strength. Her landmark essay, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House.” argued that real change cannot come from within the structures that sustain inequality.

Her work was deeply personal as well as political. In Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, which she called a “biomythography,” Lorde traced her journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring the evolution of her sexuality and self-awareness with honesty and imagination.

Beyond her writing, Lorde was deeply engaged in movements for civil rights, feminism, and LGBTQ+ equality—pushing feminist spaces to confront racism and urging Black liberation movements to address sexism and homophobia. She taught at Lehman College and John Jay College, where she fought to establish a Black studies department, and later returned to Hunter College as the Thomas Hunter Distinguished Professor. In 1980, she co-founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, creating space for voices long excluded.

Until her death in 1992, Lorde remained a powerful voice for justice—insisting that difference could be a force for transformation.

Adele Smith Simmons

Adele Smith Simmons has spent her career building bridges—between sectors, across borders, and toward a more sustainable and equitable world. A leader in global philanthropy and public policy, she has shaped institutions and initiatives that tackle some of the most complex challenges of our time, from climate change to human security.

Simmons rose to national prominence as President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation from 1989 to 1999—the first woman to lead a major U.S. foundation. During her tenure, she guided more than $1.5 billion in grants and helped redefine the Foundation’s focus on global security and sustainability, and human and community development. Under her leadership, MacArthur expanded internationally, opening offices across multiple continents and launching efforts that contributed to nuclear threat reduction and global conservation. Several grantees supported during this time were later awarded Nobel Peace Prizes.

Her commitment to climate and sustainability has been a throughline, from helping establish the Energy Foundation to advancing the Chicago Climate Action Plan and convening cross-sector leaders to reduce emissions. Earlier in her career, she broke barriers in higher education as the first woman to serve as dean at Princeton University and later as the first female president of Hampshire College.

Today, Simmons continues to foster global collaboration through her Simmons Center for Global Chicago and as President of Global Philanthropy Partnership. Her legacy is one of vision and connection, bringing people and ideas together to create lasting impact.

S. Mona Sinha

S. Mona Sinha has built her career at the intersection of law, equity, and global change—working to ensure that where a girl is born does not determine her rights or her future. As Chief Executive Officer of Equality Now, she leads worldwide efforts to reform laws that discriminate against women and girls, helping drive changes to more than 135 laws across the globe.

With more than 25 years of experience spanning philanthropy, advocacy, and social enterprise, Sinha has worked alongside governments, nonprofits, and grassroots leaders to turn bold ideas into measurable progress. Her work has consistently focused on closing the gap between what laws promise and what women experience in their daily lives. Over the course of her career, she has supported more than 90 organizations advancing social justice—strengthening movements and amplifying voices often left unheard.

A trusted leader and coalition builder, Sinha has served as Board Chair of Women Moving Millions and the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition, helping mobilize resources and momentum for gender equity. She continues to shape the global conversation through advisory roles with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, Columbia University’s Tamer Institute of Social Enterprise, and the Reykjavík Global Forum.

Her leadership has earned recognition from Forbes and Apolitical, as earned her the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Yet her impact is best measured in the growing number of women and girls whose rights are not just imagined—but protected under law.

Marie Tharp, (1920-2006)

In 1948, when Marie Tharp began working at the Lamont Geological Laboratory (now the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University), the seafloor was believed to be mostly flat and featureless.

When Tharp and her colleague Bruce Heezen published the first map of the Atlantic in 1957, her painstaking hand-drawn work revealed a seafloor shaped by canyons, ridges, and mountains. Over time, she uncovered the mid-ocean ridge system—a continuous chain of undersea mountains stretching more than 40,000 miles around the globe.

In 1977, Tharp and Heezen published the first complete world map of the ocean floors. Their work helped confirm plate tectonics—the once-controversial theory that continents move over time. The discovery revolutionized our understanding of how nearly everything on the planet works.

Tharp began her career at a time when few women worked as scientists. Barred from the ships collecting seafloor data, she didn’t set foot on a research cruise until 1968. When she first identified evidence of seafloor spreading, it was dismissed as ‘girl talk.’

Today, Marie Tharp is recognized as the groundbreaking geologist and oceanographic cartographer she was. In 1997, the Library of Congress named her one of the four greatest cartographers of the 20th century. She died in 2006 at the age of 86, but her legacy endures—in the science she reshaped and the generations of women she inspired.

Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst has spent a lifetime capturing the humor, heartache, and hard-won wisdom of everyday life—writing with a voice that feels at once deeply personal and universally true. Best known for her beloved children’s classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, she has also built a remarkable body of work spanning nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and musical theater. Across it all, she has explored what goes on inside us—and what unfolds between us and the people we love.

Born in 1931 and raised in New Jersey, Viorst graduated from Rutgers University before moving to Greenwich Village and eventually settling in Washington, D.C., where she has lived since 1960. There, she built both a family—raising three children with her husband, political writer Milton Viorst—and a prolific writing career that explores the full arc of human experience. A graduate of the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, she brings psychological insight to her work, most notably in her bestselling book Necessary Losses, which examines the inevitable transitions and challenges of life.

Viorst’s writing ranges from science books and essays to poetry collections that reflect on each decade from twenty to ninety, often with wit and candor. She has also collaborated with composer Shelly Markham on musical theater productions.

Her 2025 book, Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered, continues that journey—an honest, often humorous reflection on aging, resilience, and finding meaning in life’s later years.

Janet L. Yellen

Janet L. Yellen has spent her career shaping the economic course of the United States and the world. She served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chair of the Federal Reserve, and Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers—the only person to lead all three. As Treasury Secretary from 2021 to 2025, she guided the nation through complex financial challenges. Today, she is a Distinguished Fellow in Residence at the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution.

Her Federal Reserve leadership is historic: she was Chair from 2014 to 2018, Vice Chair from 2010 to 2014, and president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2004 to 2010. She also chaired the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton and served on the Fed Board in the 1990s.

Yellen began her career in academia, teaching at Harvard and the London School of Economics before joining the University of California, Berkeley, as Eugene E. and Catherine M. Trefethen Professor of Business and Professor of Economics.

She graduated from Brown University in 1967 and earned her PhD from Yale in 1971. She has received numerous honorary degrees, is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations, and served as President of the American Economic Association and Western Economic Association. As a respected scholar, Yellen’s work has left a lasting mark on macroeconomics and labor economics, shaping policy and guiding economic thought worldwide.