Just over a year ago, we pointed out that while 2024 was a BIG year, 2025 was shaping up to be even BIGGER. It did not disappoint. Along with our partners, collaborators, sisters, daughters, and friends, we continued to move progress forward. In fact, despite disasters, elections (or disastrous elections), and more than a few tense moments, we also celebrated plenty of victories.
As we step into 2026, our commitment to achieving gender equality and empowering women to lead remains at the forefront, and we remain confident that we can achieve our goals and build a truly equitable world that benefits us all.
A Defining Year
2025 was a year of growth, reflection, and renewed commitment for Women Connect4Good. While we continued to support and collaborate with organizations advancing women and girls, we also took an important step forward by launching Connect4Impact, our first in-house leadership initiative designed to engage and support the next generation of women leaders. This move marked a new chapter in our work – one focused on bringing young women directly into conversations and experiences that shape leadership, philanthropy, and social change.
We launched our first cohort in September, and participants are currently engaged in hands-on learning, leadership development, mentorship, and civic engagement, all led by powerhouse leaders in their fields. They are exploring how change happens – from advocacy and policymaking to philanthropy and participatory grantmaking – while building the confidence and skills needed to lead in their schools, communities, and beyond.
Connect4Impact represents our belief that when young women are given access, mentorship, and a seat at the table, they don’t just prepare for the future—they help shape it. As we built this program, we were lucky to work with partners who share our commitment to reaching and supporting young women. Their guidance helped us establish a strong foundation – making sure this initiative is thoughtful, impactful, and built to last.
Campaigns
Following a successful year of growth in 2024 for our Lift Women Up campaign, 2025 followed the same model, with bi-weekly email delivery and calendar notifications. The posts and new modes of delivery allowed us to pivot when necessary and be more responsive to world events, partner activities, etc.
As Dr. Nancy always says, you don’t know what you don’t know, and after the 2024 election, we realized the depth of that statement and how many things people just don’t know. While it may sound obvious, change starts with facts. Recognizing that gender inequality thrives on myths and misinformation, Did You Know? was launched to challenge misconceptions and open the door to conversations that drive equality and opportunity. Much like Lift Women Up, Did You Know has a bi-weekly topic and resource to learn more. This campaign allowed us to inform our followers on things like the ERA, DEI, the wage gap, myths around American exceptionalism, and more. It also served as a vehicle to better reach/appeal to younger women and girls.
So Many Opportunities!
In January 2025, Diversity Woman Magazine not only celebrated its 20th year of publication but was also rebranded as Executive Woman Magazine. Dr. Nancy was featured in the inaugural issue of Executive Woman, in the “Woman Changing The Game” feature, and Team Leader Melissa Miller Young was featured in the annual Power 100 List, which highlights 100 extraordinary women on the fast track to the executive ranks. In November, Dr. Nancy, Melissa, and Connect4Impact Coordinator Claire Sakoaka headed to Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 20-year milestone during the National Business Leadership Conference, which was aptly themed “The New Rules of Leadership: Reimagine, Reach, Rise.”
On Jan 20th, 2025, We Are Here Gatherings took place virtually and in-person across the country. The events, sponsored by Women Connect4Good and Let It Ripple Studio, were created to gain perspective, highlight women’s accomplishments throughout history—even in the 2024 election—and remind us that we are here, still advancing in support of one another. Virtual and in-person hosts showed four of Tiffany Shlain’s short films, some updated for this moment and some re-released. Tiffany’s team also shared a short film that allowed participants to hear an excerpt directly from one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speeches. The hosts also received discussion points and a list of specific follow-up actions for attendees.
The National Women’s History Museum’s Women Making History Awards Gala took place on Thursday, March 20, at The Anthem in Washington, DC. The event honored the extraordinary, trailblazing women who have made significant contributions to society and inspired the next generation of leaders, change agents, and history-makers. 2025 honorees included inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Sara Blakely; Dr. Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”; and Shirley Welsh Ryan, an advocate for transformative research and education. Mattel, celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, received the inaugural Evelyn Y. Davis Women Making History Corporate Changemaker Award, which was accepted by Mattel EVP and Chief Brand Officer Lisa McKnight. Dr. Nancy served as the gala co-chair. Award-winning actress and icon Meryl Streep served as the honorary chair of the evening, and CBS News award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell hosted the program. The gala also featured live entertainment, including the premiere of the organization’s inaugural song, composed by Grammy Award-winning artist Tena Clark. Dr. Nancy, her daughter Ragan Thomson, Claire Sakaoka, and Melissa traveled to DC for the event and hosted two tables of women making history to mark the occasion.
Mount Saint Mary’s – Report on the Status of Women and Girls event also took place in March, and Melissa traveled to Los Angeles to represent Women Connect4Good. The only comprehensive report of its kind, The Report has been a valuable resource for advocates, business leaders, elected officials, and engaged citizens since 2011. Each year, Mount Saint Mary’s releases the findings from The Report at a public event, gathering over 500 thought-leaders to foster conversation and inspire action to address inequalities and gender gaps in California.
Women Connect4Good supported Project Dandelion and Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, in the fight for climate action, by offering free screenings of the documentary MRS ROBINSON, which details Mary’s inspiring story of hope and justice. The documentary film is a blueprint for modern leadership, and from International Women’s Day, March 8, to Earth Day, April 22, we encouraged our community and people around the world to host screenings. This film is both a tribute to her legacy and a call to action. It can do more than inspire – it can mobilize.
New York, New York!
To celebrate the leadership and legacy of the ERA Coalition Forward’s new Chair Emerita, Carol Jenkins, Dr. Nancy, and Melissa traveled to New York to attend an intimate salon in her honor held at the home of her friend and renowned journalist and feminist, Gloria Steinem. ERA Coalition Chair Lisa Ann Walter, star of the hit comedy Abbott Elementary, served as co-chair of the host committee and also attended. Host committee members, including Dr. Nancy, were also invited to join an exclusive reception with Jenkins, Steinem, and Walter before the salon. The event was limited in size for two reasons – it was held in Steinem’s home, and organizers hoped those in attendance would have the opportunity to have meaningful discussions. The next day, Jenkins summed it up as an “evening one dreams of – a room full of smart, kind women who together can save the world,” adding that she is looking forward to all the great things that will come from the event’s conversation.
On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, Dr. Nancy spoke at the historic Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York. Promoted as “An Evening with Author and Advocate for Women’s Advancement Dr. Nancy O’Reilly,” the event provided an opportunity for Dr. Nancy to talk about the work of Women Connect4Good, the Mission Matters: Mission-Based Leaders Share Inspiring Stories on Power and Purpose, and Timeless Women Speak: Power, Purpose, and Feeling Your Best at Every Age. She participated in a conversation for a portion of the program with the former longtime congresswoman, now the Eleanor Roosevelt Distinguished Leader in Residence at Roosevelt House, Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney. In-person tickets went quickly, and by the evening of the event, a full auditorium and a robust virtual crowd gathered to celebrate Dr. Nancy’s commitment to gender equity and to learn how they, too, could advance women’s leadership and promote equality of women and girls.
Advancing Equality
Dr. Nancy was also honored as the 2025 Community Leader of the Year by the Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation at a celebratory luncheon. She spoke about the work of Women Connect4Good and her own leadership journey. She, along with three other Missouri leaders, inspired attendees and organization leaders with their stories and shared their commitment to creating more opportunities for all women.
Dr. Nancy, Melissa, and Claire traveled to Washington DC for the annual Take The Lead Power Up Conference on August 26, Women’s Equality Day. The theme, “Power Up Courage to Lead,” was specifically designed for our times and served as a call to action, driving momentum to transform the leadership of our era into a positive force of women who choose to accept and utilize their power to make change. Recognizing the importance of Take The Lead Co-Founder and President Gloria Feldt’s Power Tool #5, Carpe the Chaos, Take The Lead powered up its conference in the hub of the nation’s power center, and speakers from numerous sectors delivered actionable strategies to help attendees fuel their leadership journey with cutting-edge insights on leadership, resilience, and empowerment. The night before the conference, Take The Lead hosted a VIP dinner and a private concert performance by Marina Arsenijevic. This magical evening was the perfect kick-off for connecting with speakers and special guests. The music continued, and the conference closed with a post-conference dance party featuring longtime artist-activists, BETTY.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2025 Annual Meeting brought thought leaders from around the world together to talk about the issues and make plans to take action on some of the world’s most pressing challenges—together. Dr. Nancy attended and was joined by 2500 changemakers who united around the 2025 theme of “What’s Next,” the meeting featured a “Working Groups” format, designed to make way for collaboration between leaders from business, government, and philanthropy and generate concrete, cross-sector partnerships. To date, members of the CGI have partnered to launch more than 4,200 commitments that have improved the lives of more than 500 million people in over 180 countries. This year was no exception, as the event launched 106 new commitments to action.
Books
Timeless Women Speak hit the market in late August and, after Labor Day, became a bestseller! The book achieved bestseller status as an Amazon Hot New Release, Top New Release, the Women Authors Literary Criticism category (number one), in Women’s Studies History (number one), and in New Releases in Women Writers (number one).
Dr. Nancy was invited by Mission Matters to contribute a chapter for Mission-Based Leaders Share Inspiring Stories on Leadership and Success. She submitted a chapter titled “The Responsibility of Leadership – Empowering the Next Generation.” The book features 21 top mission-driven leaders who share their secrets to ongoing power and purpose. Dr. Nancy’s chapter actually served as the blueprint for what is now Connect4Impact and provided a platform for her to outline her thoughts on leadership, especially the questions that leaders have to ask about who they have empowered to continue the work. Core to her beliefs is that leadership is a privilege that comes with the obligation to pave the way for those who will follow.
What’s Next
Staying true to our mission and our goals, we have a lot of plans to further the work in 2026. We will continue to support, amplify, and fund initiatives that prepare women to lead through an ever-growing number of strategic partnerships, with investments in programs to break down barriers, create opportunities, and drive meaningful change. Whether by funding organizations, supporting leadership programs, or connecting our organizational partners and friends to collaborate in different ways, we’ll stay laser-focused on equipping women with the skills, resources, and networks they need to thrive. Here’s to 2026 and building a better world that works for us all!