In honor of Women’s History Month, Marquis Who’s Who (MWW), the world’s leading biographical publisher for over 120 years, has released its Women Luminaries list for 2021 as a part of their Maker’s List Series. The series is spearheaded by MWW CEO Erica Lee and American lawyer, award-winning media personality, and women’s and diversity advocate, Star Jones, who serves as the executive editor of the Maker’s Lists. The Women Luminaries list features 58 honorees, representative of the 58 facets of a marquise diamond.
Released monthly, the Maker’s Lists highlight a specific theme and celebrate the most influential thought leaders, some of whom are well-known and others that are intended to surprise and educate the public. Upcoming list categories will include Finance & Business, Medicine, Health Care & Science, American Education, Engineering & Technology, American Law, Philanthropy, Art & Culture, and more.
“Our aim for the Women Luminaries list is to drive attention to the women in America leading the charge and breaking down different barriers every day,” said CEO Erica Lee. “We wanted to ensure that we paid respect not only to those that have been heavily noted in the media, but those who have yet to be discovered. We want these lists to shine a light on people who haven’t yet been recognized for their incredible achievements.”
“As a longtime women’s advocate, it’s probably not surprising that I’ve found true inspiration in women who are pursuing their passions and working to make our world a better place, and over the years that inspiration has fueled me,” said Star Jones, executive editor of the Maker’s List Series. “I believe that by celebrating women and their extraordinary achievements with our Women Luminaries list we do more than simply tell their stories; in fact, we inspire other women to find and pursue their passions, too.”
Selected honorees for the MWW Women Luminaries list include the following:
- Alexis McGill Johnson: McGill Johnson is an American academic and social justice advocate. She is the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Planned Parenthood provides vital health services to 2.4 million people each year through more than 600 health centers across the country. McGill Johnson is also the co-founder of the Perception Institute, an anti-bias research group, and she co-created the guide for Starbucks’ racial bias training in 2018.
- Alice Wong: Wong is an American disability rights activist and journalist. She was born with spinal muscular atrophy, which affected her ability to walk at an early age. She is the founder and project coordinator of the Disability Visibility Project (DVP), which collects the oral histories of people with disabilities in the U.S. and is run alongside StoryCorps. Wong also operates the Disabled Writers project, a resource to help editors and disabled writers and journalists connect. She was selected as a Ford Foundation Disabilities Futures Fellow in 2020.
- Christina Koch and Jessica Meir: Koch and Meir are NASA astronauts that participated in the first all-female spacewalk.
- Chrissy Teigen: Teigen is an American model, TV personality, author and chef, who gained additional attention in 2020 after posting publicly on social media about her experience with miscarriage.
- Cynthia Marshall: CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Marshall is the first Black woman to serve as a business leader of an NBA team.
- Deb Haaland: In a groundbreaking year for Indigenous women elected to House and Senate roles, Haaland was selected as President Biden’s Interior Secretary. Upon her selection, she stated that addressing the issue of murdered and missing Indigenous women would be a priority of her service.
- Evan Rachel Wood: Wood wrote the Phoenix Act domestic violence bill, increasing the statute of limitations on domestic violence felonies from three to five years and requiring police officers to have additional training on intimate partner violence. She recently went public with abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson (Brian Warner) and encouraged many more women to come forward to tell their stories.
- Jennifer Doudna: Doudna is an American biochemist known for her work in CRISPR gene editing. She was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work alongside Emmanuelle Charpentier. Studies have shown that CRISPR technology can be used to alter the DNA of the HIV virus in human cells.
- Kathrin Jansen: Jansen is the head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer. She is largely responsible for the successful development of the COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with German startup BioNTech.
- Susan Wojcicki: Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube and was involved in the founding of Google, becoming Google’s first marketing manager as the leader of Google’s original video service. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2015 and was later named by TIME as “the most powerful woman on the internet.”
- Tammy Duckworth: Duckworth is a Junior Senator from Illinois who became the first double-amputee and first Thai American to serve in the U.S. Congress. She has served as an inspiration to female veterans.
Apart from the Women Luminaries list, MWW has also released the Next Wave Ten list, featuring up-and-coming women who are set to make waves in 2021. Honorees include:
- Amanda Gorman: Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. The National Youth Poet Laureate performed “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration, and quickly gained international acclaim. Most recently, she performed her poem “Chorus of the Captains” at Super Bowl LV.
- Tara Houska: Houska is an attorney that fights for Indigenous rights and justice. She was a former advisor on Native American affairs to Bernie Sanders and spent six months working in North Dakota to fight the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The complete Women Luminaries list is included below in alphabetical order by first name:
- Abigail Johnson
- Alexis McGill Johnson
- Alice Wong
- Alicia Garza
- Andrea Jung
- Barbara Corcoran
- Carol Greider
- Carol Tomé
- Chrissy Teigen
- Christina Koch and Jessica Meir
- Cynthia Marshall
- Dana Canedy
- Deb Haaland
- Dolly Parton
- Evan Rachel Wood
- Gretchen Whitmer
- Gwynne Shotwell
- Hartina “Tina” Flournoy
- Indra Nooyi
- Janet Yellen
- Jennifer Doudna
- Jensine Larsen
- Jill Biden
- Julie Sweet
- Kamala Harris
- Kathrin Jansen
- Kathy Sullivan
- Katie Sowers
- Kimberly Bryant
- Latanya Mapp Frett
- Lauren Gardner
- Lisa Jackson
- Marillyn Hewson
- Mary Barra
- Melinda Gates
- Michelle Obama
- Nancy Patricia Pelosi
- Nikole Hannah-Jones
- Oprah Winfrey
- Radhika Jones
- Ramona Hood
- Rashida Jones
- Reshma Saujani
- Robin Roberts
- Rosalind Brewer
- Sarah Thomas
- Serena Williams
- Sheryl Sandberg
- Shonda Rhimes
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Stacey Abrams
- Susan Wojcicki
- Suzanne Clark
- Tammy Duckworth
- The “Colored Girls” (Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry & Minyon Moore)
- Vera Wang
- Vernetta M Nay Moberly
- Viola Davis
The Next Wave Ten list honorees appear below in alphabetical order by first name:
- Amanda Gorman
- Janelle Monáe
- Kendall Reynolds
- Patricia Russo
- Sandra Lindsay
- Sarumathi “Saru” Jayaraman
- Swoon (aka Caledonia Curry)
- Tiffany Sorya
- Tara Houska
- Victoria Moll-Ramírez
About Marquis Who’s Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the first edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion, and entertainment. Today, Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians, and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited via the official Marquis Who’s Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
