Denise Dunning: Rise Up Together—Empowering Women and Girls

Denise Dunning: Rise Up Together—Empowering Women and Girls  

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Show Notes:
Dr. Denise Dunning joins the conversation to share her transformative journey as the founder of Rise Up Together, an organization dedicated to the global empowerment of women and girls by supporting local leaders in solving problems and driving impactful change. Dr. Dunning discusses the challenges women face in accessing resources and power, emphasizing the need for collective action and solidarity to reach gender equality in the U.S. and globally. Through her inspiring work, she calls on listeners to support initiatives that amplify women’s voices and create equitable opportunities. 

About Dr. Denise Dunning:
Dr. Denise R. Dunning is the Founder and Executive Director of Rise Up Together, a global nonprofit/social-profit advancing gender equity in education, health, and economic opportunity through partnership with local leaders. Under her leadership, Rise Up Together has empowered changemakers in the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Latin America, reaching over 172 million people. Dr. Dunning’s past roles include working at the Packard Foundation on global women’s health and the Inter-American Development Bank in Honduras. A Fulbright Scholar, NSF Fellow, and Stanford Social Entrepreneur in Residence, she holds a PhD and MA in Sociology from UC Berkeley, an MPA from Princeton, and graduated summa cum laude from Duke. Featured in outlets such as The Guardian and Stanford Social Innovation Review, Dr. Dunning has lived in five countries, speaks four languages, and now resides in San Francisco with her family.

Timestamp:
[00:02:30] Early Influences and Family Roots
Dr. Denise Dunning shares how her upbringing, shaped by her urban-Argentine mother and rural-Nebraskan father, instilled values of being a good person, supporting your community, getting an education, and doing something greater than yourself.

[00:03:36] Witnessing Inequality in Latin America
Her experiences in Latin America revealed the stark inequities faced by women and girls, sparking her passion for working for gender equality, social justice, and increasing opportunities to empower women and girls..

[00:04:56] The Power of Education
Dr. Dunning reflects on her academic journey, from Duke to UC Berkeley and Princeton, and how pursuing a PhD-level education opened doors for her advocacy and leadership.

[00:08:11] Women Playing Small
She shared the story of a male fellow student who founded a non-profit and called himself a “CEO,” while she called herself a “Project Coordinator” for operations of the same size and scope. The limiting label changed her perspective, and she and her team developed #stepintoyourpower as a reminder.

[00:12:52] Needing to Involve Local Leaders
In her position at the Inter-American Development Bank in Honduras, Dr. Dunning encountered a problem: the Bank was giving women chickens to raise and feed their families, but the chickens were dying. No one had asked the women to find out why.

[00:16:38] Rise Up Together—A Model for Change
Dr. Dunning shared her discovery that people in cities may be well-intentioned, but the local leaders know what needs to be done; they need resources and support. She developed a new model with Rise Up Together in 2009, creating a nonprofit that empowers local leaders already doing amazing work, providing support to drive change for an even greater impact in their communities.

[00:18:37] Example of How Rise Up Scales Impact
Dr. Dunning shared the story of a domestic violence survivor working in a Nigerian women’s shelter, trying to solve the problem of months-long police processing for complaints. Rise Up funded resources to help women access resources and fast-track processing, which now provides legal protection to 4.5 million women and girls.

[00:20:26] Need for Rise Up in the U.S.
Dr. Dunning discusses Rise Up’s expansion into the U.S., how many problems are as bad or worse than those in other countries, like the devastating reality of Black maternal mortality, and the lack of access to economic opportunities.

[00:26:14] Rise Up in Solidarity
Ultimately, it’s about women supporting women and learning from other women. Many countries have fought the battle over reproductive rights and won, but, like many, much of this work continues to press forward despite obstacles and setbacks.

[00:28:15] The Role of Men as Allies
Dr. Dunning underscores the importance of including men in the fight for gender equality, sharing success stories from Rise Up’s programs in which 20%-30% of partnering leaders are men.

[00:31:52] A Call to Action
Dr. Dunning lists ways Rise Up has grown and hopes to expand through board members, sponsors, and greater involvement with communities, and encourages listeners to learn more on its website, riseuptogether.org.