The International Women's Forum (IWF), founded in 1974 as the Women's Forum of New York, is an invitation-only women's organization with some 7,000 members. Its mission is "to support the women leaders of today and tomorrow". The IWF hosts two conferences each year to address women's issues and it provides intensive leadership training programs for women. The Leadership Foundation, Inc., a supporting organization, provides a Fellows Program and the Women Athletes Business Network (WABN) Program.

Members

The IWF has been described as "highly influential." Notable members have included

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

Coretta King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she w ...

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book ''The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...

, and

Katharine Graham Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, whi ...

History

The group started as the Women's Forum of New York, founded in 1974 by

Elinor Guggenheimer Elinor Sophia Coleman "Ellie" Guggenheimer (11 April 1912 – 29 September 2008) was an American civic leader, author, and philanthropist in New York City.Nemy, Enid (December 19, 1973)To Elinor Guggenheimer, Affluence Is No Excuse to Take It Easy.' ...

, Muriel Siebert,

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, representing the District of Columbia since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Earl ...

, and

Muriel Fox Muriel Fox (born February 3, 1928) is an American public relations executive and feminist activist. Childhood and education Muriel Fox's parents were Anne Rubenstein Fox and M. Morris Fox. In 1980, Muriel said (at a Mother's Day rally for the Equa ...

. Over the next few years it expanded to Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. In 1982 it became international with the addition of the United Kingdom and was renamed the International Women's Forum in 1987. It is active in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East as well as the United States.

"Women Who Make a Difference"

The IWF maintains an International Hall of Fame and confers an annual "Women Who Make a Difference" award. Past awardees have included: * 2000: Italian politician Beatrice Rangoni Machiavelli * 2010: American judge Leigh Saufley * 2011: Singaporean urban planner and architect Dr. Cheong Koon Hean * 2012:

Nyamko Sabuni Nyamko Ana Sabuni (born 31 March 1969) is a Swedish politician who was Leader of the Liberals between June 2019 and April 2022. She previously served as Minister for Integration from 2006 to 2010 and as Minister for Gender Equality from 2006 t ...

, Swedish Minister for Gender Equality * 2014:

Zanele Mbeki Zanele Mbeki ( née Dlamini; born 18 November 1938) is a feminist South African social worker who founded the Women's Development Bank. She is also a former first lady of South Africa. Early life and education Zanele Dlamini was born in Alexand ...

, founder of the Women's Development Banking Trust and former First Lady of South Africa * 2015:

Sister Stanislaus Kennedy Sister Stanislaus ''Stan'' Kennedy is an Irish nun, social activist, and former member of the Irish Council of State. She was born Treasa Kennedy in 1939 or 1940 near Lispole on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. In 1958 she joined ...

, founder of

Focus Ireland Focus Ireland is a nonprofit organisation based in Dublin, Ireland that provides services for people who are homeless and people at risk of homelessness in Ireland. It was founded by Sister Stanislaus Kennedy in 1985, and is one of the largest hou ...

* 2016: American lawyer

Gloria Allred Gloria Rachel Allred ( Bloom; born July 3, 1941) is an American attorney known for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particularly those involving the protection of women's rights. She has been inducted into the National Women's ...

* 2016:

Ilya Espino de Marotta Ilya R. Espino de Marotta is an engineer best known for leading the Panama Canal expansion project, Panama Canal Expansion Project as Executive Vice President for Engineering in the Panama Canal Authority. Espino de Marotta was appointed to the ...

, engineer who led the

Panama Canal Expansion Project The Panama Canal expansion project ( es, ampliación del Canal de Panamá), also called the Third Set of Locks Project, doubled the capacity of the Panama Canal by adding a new lane of traffic allowing for a larger number of ships, and increasin ...

* 2017: American lawyer and academic

Danielle Conway Danielle Monique Conway (born April 26, 1968) is an American lawyer and academic. She has served as the Dean of Penn State Dickinson Law since 2019 and is an expert in government procurement law and intellectual property law. Her scholarship is f ...

* 2018: American author and organizer

Charlotte Bunch Charlotte Bunch (born October 13, 1944) is an American feminist author and organizer in women's rights and human rights movements. Bunch is currently the founding director and senior scholar at the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers ...

References

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External links

International Women's ForumThe Phenomenal Women Group
Organizations established in 1974 International women's organizations