Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World

by Alyse Nelson, Hillary Rodham Clinton (Foreword by)

Overview

How women around the world are leading powerful change

Women's progress is global progress. Where there is an increase in women's university enrollment rates, women's earnings, and maternal health, and a reduction in violence against women, we see more prosperous communities, better educated, healthier families, and the preservation of equal human rights. Yet globally, women remain the most consistently under-utilized resource. Vital Voices calls for and makes possible transformative leadership around the world.

In Vital Voices, CEO Alyse Nelson shares the stories of remarkable, world-changing women, as well as the story of how Vital Voices was founded, crossing lines that typically divide. For 15 years, Vital Voices has brought together women who want to enable others to become change agents in their governments, advocates for social justice, and supporters of democracy. They equip women with management and business development skills to expand their enterprises and create jobs in their communities. Their voices, stories, and hard-earned lessons—shared here for the first time—are deeply authentic and truly vital.

• Features interviews and first-person accounts of global leaders, such as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, and Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Prize-winning Burmese pro-democracy leader, as well as business leaders
• Draws on the work of the Vital Voices, the organization founded by Hillary Clinton in 1997 as a government initiative that transformed into a leading non-profit, which enables a network of 10,000 emerging women leaders in politics, human rights, and economic development in 127 countries. These women have gone on to mentor and train more than 500,000
• Focuses on the key elements of the Vital Voices five-step model of transformational leadership, including how to find a voice, lead with purpose, cross lines that divide, and more

Through the firsthand accounts of trail-blazing leaders, Vital Voices introduces unforgettable, inspiring women who are shaping our world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118240533
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/16/2012
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Alyse Nelson is president and chief executive officer of Vital Voices Global Partnership. A co-founder of Vital Voices, Alyse has worked with women leaders since 1996 to develop mentoring and training programs in over 140 countries and has interviewed more than 200 international leaders. She completed her graduate degree work at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and she lives in Washington, D.C.

Vital Voices Global Partnership, founded by Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the leading nongovernmental organization that identifies, trains, and invests in emerging women leaders, enabling them to create a better world for us all. Learn more at www.vitalvoices.org.

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Table of Contents

FOREWORD BY the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Founder, Vital Voices ix

INTRODUCTION xiii

1 A DRIVING FORCE OR SENSE OF MISSION 1

Introduced by the Honorable Michelle Bachelet

2 STRONG ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITY 39

Introduced by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

3 AN ABILITY TO CONNECT ACROSS LINES THAT DIVIDE 83

Introduced by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

4 BOLD IDEAS AND BOLD ACTION 125

Introduced by Diane von Furstenberg

5 PAYING IT FORWARD 171

Introduced by Ambassador Melanne Verveer

CONCLUSION: LEADERSHIP IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION 207

Introduced by Sally Field

AFTERWORD 223

by Susan Ann Davis and Bobbie Greene McCarthy, Chair and Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, Vital Voices additional information on the women featured in vital voices 225

notes 239

acknowledgments 251

about the author 263

index 265

Editorial Reviews

Nelson, president and CEO of the nongovernmental organization Vital Voices, is an impassioned advocate of women and their leadership potential. Women, she proudly notes, are “stepping up as leaders in times of crisis, financial, humanitarian or otherwise,” doing 60% of the world’s work, and constituting a majority of the workforce in the U.S. However, the majority of the world’s women cannot legally own, control, or inherit property, land, or wealth. Clearly there’s work yet to be done. To that end, Nelson profiles leaders who are working to improve the lives of women across the world, in such disparate countries as Russia, Nigeria, Somalia, Israel, , Morocco, and Brazil. Though many of these activists will be unknown to readers, celebrity supporters such as Vital Voices founder Hillary Rodham Clinton and Diane von Furstenberg, and stories of women working to combat sex trafficking, domestic violence, and poverty are sobering and inspiring. However, the lack of any further unifying element leaves the book feeling more like a brochure, and suggests that it will not find much of an audience outside of fund-raising events. (June)

Publishers Weekly

#8 Washington Post Best Seller (Hardcover Nonfiction)

“In this compelling new book, Alyse Nelson shares the stories of the remarkable women who have motivated her work at Vital Voices. For anyone who wants our world to live up to the promises of the twenty-first century, look no further than these determined agents of change for blueprints on courageous leadership.”
—Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

“This timely book tells the story of a movement that is transforming our world and of an organization—Vital Voices—is clearing the path. Its message is about more than equality, it's about leadership, justice, and hearing those who in prior generations possessed only a single right—to remain silent. If you are looking for inspiration about what is possible, and for a challenge about what is still necessary, here is your guide.”
—Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State

“I have been humbled and inspired throughout my life by the determination of African women and women in other parts of the developing world who are committed to bettering their families and their communities. The power and possibility of women's leadership are captured in this book's innovative model. There has never been a more fitting time for the world to embrace a new brand of leadership by embracing the power and possibility of women worldwide.”
—H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

“From the poorest villages to the highest government offices, women are leading the way in tackling humanity's biggest challenges. Alyse Nelson's Vital Voices imagines what's possible if we can fully tap the unique leadership potential of all women and girls. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in building a better world.”
—Melinda French Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“Over the next 25 years, nothing will do more to build a more peaceful, more prosperous, and more sustainable world than the empowerment of women and girls. As an innovative and collaborative leader, Vital Voices is making a profound and lasting difference for the better, as the stories in this book clearly demonstrate.”
—Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company

“This powerful book tells the story of a pioneering organization and shows us what is possible when we invest in transformational leaders—from dissidents to entrepreneurs, these women motivate us and change lives.”
—Tina Brown, editor-in-chief, Newsweek and The Daily Beast

“Vital Voices is a vital read. The world is changing and in the places where the most progress is happening, women are leading the charge. Alyse Nelson empirically states the case that when women are given opportunities, they seize them and ignite positive changes in their communities and even their countries. At a time of such universal economic uncertainty, investing in women can make all of the difference.”
—Lisa Ling, executive producer and host, Our America

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