Inside the Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Awards Gala
Over 200 guests attended the 19th annual 21 Leaders for the 21st Century awards gala honoring 21 women and men who have helped promote and empower women and girls around the world. The event, presented by Women’s eNews, took place on Monday, May 6th, at Club 101 in New York City.
The evening was hosted by Tamsen Fadal, eleven-time Emmy award-winning journalist and anchor of PIX 11 News, author, executive producer and host of Broadway Profiles for The Broadway Channel. Lori Sokol, Executive Director of Women’s eNews, presided over the event.
Loreen Arbus, President of The Loreen Arbus Foundation, The Goldenson-Arbus Foundation, and Loreen Arbus Productions, Inc., was the Honorary Gala Chair. Honorary Gala Co-Chairs were Abigail Disney, documentary filmmaker and co-founder, Level Forward; Lauren Embrey, President, Embrey Family Foundation; and Suzanne Lerner, Co-Founder and President, Michael Stars.
Loreen Arbus presented The Loreen Arbus Champion for Disabilities Award to Jd Michaels. Lauren Embrey presented The Rita Henley Jensen Investigative Journalist Award to Danielle Belton, Editor-in-Chief at The Root. Wendy Davis, former Texas State Senator, 2014 Texas Democratic Gubernatorial nominee, and Founding Director of Deeds not Words, was the keynote speaker for the gala as well as an honoree.
The evenings honorees were: Gisselle Acevedo, President + CEO, The Ackerman Institute for the Family; Danielle Belton, Editor-in-Chief, The Root; Dr. Susan M. Blaustein, Founder + Director, WomenStrong International; Ted Bunch, Chief Development Officer, A Call To Men; Carolyn A. Butts, Founder + Executive Director, African Voices; Wendy Davis, Founder + Director, Deeds not Words; Robyn Hatcher, Founder + Owner, SpeakEtc.; Meika Hollander, Co-Founder + CEO, Sustain Natural; Katja Iversen, President + CEO, Women Deliver; Cynthia López, Executive Director, New York Women in Film and Television; Rosalind McLymont, Executive Editor, The Network Journal; Brette McSweeney, President, Eleanor’s Legacy; Ana Oliveira, President + CEO, New York Women’s Foundation; Tony Porter, CEO, A Call To Men; Stephanie Sandberg, Executive Director, LPAC; Sean Strub, Executive Director, Sero Project; and Alicia Syrett, Founder + CEO, Pantegrion Capital LLC.
VIPs in attendance included: Women’s eNews Board Chair Ambassador Alice Dear; Board Members Kimberly Seals Allers and Xian Horn; Maysoon Zayid, Lee Llambelis, Julie Burton, Teresa C. Younger, Gloria Feldt, Gloria Joseph, Joan Jedell, Martha Fling, Debbie Werner, Leslie Roberts, Tari Hartman Squire, Camilla Barungi, Lauren LoGiudice, and Marie Wilson.
This year’s gala presented an ‘In Memory of’ in tribute to Lenora Lapidus, the head of the Women’s Project of the ACLU, who passed away earlier this week from breast cancer. She was a 2017 ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ honoree.
