women posts

The MAKERS.com initiative continues to grow its video library of first-person stories from women who are firsts in their fields, visionary role models and frontline activists who sparked historic change for women. This week's newcomers: Roe v. Wade attorney Sarah Weddington, media educator Jean Kilbourne and influential chef Alice Waters.

Sarah Weddington stepped into the national spotlight when she successfully argued landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade at the age of 26. After her victory, Weddington was elected three times into the Texas House of Representatives, where she passed legislation focusing on health, women's rights, anti-discrimination, and early education.

Jean Kilbourne, a feminist author, speaker and filmmaker, is internationally recognized for her critical studies of the image of women in advertising. She's credited with introducing media literacy programs as a method to counteract problems resulting from mass media advertising campaigns.

Alice Waters is an American chef, activist and author whose Chez Panisse restaurant is consistently ranked among the world's 50 best. It's famous for organic, locally grown ingredients and for pioneering California cuisine.

Learn more about Alice by watching this video:

New @MAKERSwomen : Pioneers in Law, Media Literacy, Organic Food aol.it/MNAisz

- AOL PR (@AOLPR) June 13, 2012

The first female NBA referee, a U.S. Senator and a former Marine Corps captain share their stories on MAKERS.com this week.

Violet Palmer became the first woman to officiate in the NBA in 1997 as well as the first female official in any major U.S. professional sport. Fifteen years later, she's a respected league veteran with a growing number of playoff games under her belt.

Kirsten Gillibrand is a U.S. Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. She helped lead the fight to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" in the U.S. military, and is currently spearheading Off the Sidelines, a campaign to encourage when to speak out on political issues and to become involved with advocacy groups.

Anu Bhagwati is the Executive Director for the Service Women's Action Network, an organization that supports, defends and empowers servicewomen and women veterans. She's a former Marine Corps captain and company commander and was the second woman to complete the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program instructor trainer school.

Learn more about Bhagwati by watching this video:

Newest @MAKERSwomen Shaped by Sports, Politics, Military Service aol.it/MFm1QG

- AOL PR (@AOLPR) June 6, 2012

Meet this week's new MAKERS: Vendela Vida, a writer, columnist and journalist; Shirley Tilghman, a molecular biologist and the first woman president of Princeton, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Vendela Vida is an American writer, columnist, journalist, and editor. She is the author of And Now You Can Go, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, andThe Lovers. She is a co-editor of The Believer, and the co-founder of 826 Velencia, a nonprofit organization that teaches creative writing to children and teenagers.

Shirley Tilghman's appointment as the first woman president of Princeton University capped a career as a celebrated teacher, world-renowned scholar, and pioneer in molecular biology. She served on the committee that set the blueprint for the U.S. effort in the Human Genome Project and on the council that oversaw the initiative at NIH.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, broke legal and professional barriers for women as the second woman ever appointed to the high court. Although she graduated first in her class from Columbia, she found herself turned away by most law firms and judges who refused to hire a woman, according to her MAKERS profile.

Learn more about Ginsburg by watching this video:

Writer, Biologist, Supreme Court Justice Join @MAKERSWomen aol.it/Ks7hll

- AOL PR (@AOLPR) May 30, 2012

Joining MAKERS.com this week are the first black president of an Ivy League University and a global nutrition advocate.

Ruth Simmons is the current president of Brown University, and the first black president of an Ivy League University. She earned her bachelor's degree from Dillard University in New Orleans, and her master's and doctorate at Harvard.

Lauren Bush Lauren is CEO, Creative Director and Co-Founder of FEED Projects LLC, which focuses on creating good products to help feed the world.

Latest @MAKERSwomen Advocate for Education, World Nutrition aol.it/MtDWpU @LaurenBushTweet

- AOL PR (@AOLPR) May 24, 2012

This week's additions to MAKERS.com include an advocate for domestic workers who was just named to the 2012 TIME 100, an attorney who founded a firm offering flexible options to women attorneys raising families, and the CEO of ad powerhouse Ogilvy & Mather.

Ai-jen Poo is currently the Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, an organization that works to empower and organize domestic workers across 19 cities and 11 states.

Mae O'Malley is an attorney, entrepreneur and founder of Paragon Legal, a firm offering part-time contract work to senior attorneys requiring job flexibility.

Shelly Lazarus is one of only a handful of women to graduate from Columbia University with an MBA in the 1970s. After working her way up, she's now chairman and CEO of the powerhouse advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather.

To learn more about Shelly, watch the video below:

New @MAKERSwomen : Labor Advocate, Attorney, Ad Exec aol.it/L0tbZn

- AOL PR (@AOLPR) May 16, 2012