Irene Natividad facts for kids

Irene Natividad was born in Manila, Philippines, on September 14, 1948. She is an American feminist and a strong supporter of women's rights. Irene works to help women get important leadership jobs around the world. She is the President of the GlobeWomen Research and Education Institute. This non-profit group runs big events like the annual Global Summit of Women. It also leads Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI). Before this, she was the Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus. She also led the National Commission on Working Women.

Her Early Life and Education

Irene Natividad was the oldest of four children. Her father was a chemical engineer. Because of his job, her family lived in many countries. These included Japan, Iran, Greece, and India.

In 1971, Irene finished her studies at Long Island University. She was the top student in her class. Later, she earned two Master's degrees from Columbia University in New York. She studied American literature and philosophy. From 1974 to 1976, she taught early American literature at two universities. In 1974, at age 26, she married Andrea Cortese. They have one son together.

Working for Change: Political Activities

Irene's journey in politics began in 1968. She helped hand out flyers for a presidential candidate. From 1982 to 1984, she led the New York State Asian Pacific Caucus. She then became Vice-Chair of the Asian Pacific Caucus for the Democratic National Committee. In 1984, she helped Geraldine Ferraro's campaign. Ferraro was the first woman to run for Vice President for a major party. Irene helped connect the campaign with Asian-American voters.

In 1985, Irene was chosen to lead the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC). This made her the first Asian-American woman to lead a national political group in the U.S. She was re-elected in 1987. Under her leadership, the NWPC worked hard to help women get elected. They also started a training program for women from minority groups who wanted to run for office. The caucus also created an award for men who supported women's rights.

Later, she led the National Commission on Working Women for nine years. This group focused on making sure women had fair economic opportunities. They did important research and training programs.

Irene also helped three U.S. Presidents find women for high government jobs. She worked with George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. She also supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2016.

She also worked to get more women to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. In 1996, she led a group of 110 women's organizations called the Women’s Vote Project. In 2000, she led Women Vote 2000. This effort focused on encouraging more women of color to vote.

The Global Summit of Women

Irene Natividad created the Global Summit of Women to help women succeed in business and government. These summits are big meetings for women leaders from all over the world. The first summit was in Canada in 1990. Since 1997, the Global Summit of Women has happened every year.

People sometimes call it the Davos for Women. The summit helps share ideas and plans to improve women's economic standing globally. More than 1,000 women from over 60 countries usually attend. These include presidents, government ministers, and top business leaders.

Many famous people have attended the summit over the years. These include South African President Nelson Mandela. Other leaders like Mary Robinson of Ireland and Michelle Bachelet of Chile have also been there. Prime Ministers and top company leaders, like Indra Nooyi from PepsiCo, have also joined.

A special part of the Global Summit of Women is Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI). CWDI studies how many women are on the boards of directors of top companies worldwide. CWDI is often mentioned in the news when people talk about women on company boards. As the leader of CWDI, Irene has written many reports since 1997. These reports show how many women are on the boards of the world's biggest companies.

Irene has also encouraged countries to work faster to get more women on company boards. She has spoken about this at many important meetings. These include:

• The G7 Meeting of the Minister of Labour in Paris (2019)
• The W20 (Women 20) Summit in Argentina (2018)
• UN High-Level Panel on Women in Leadership Positions (2016-2018)
• APEC Women and the Economy Summit (2015)

In 2010, the European Commission asked her to speak. They were discussing a plan to require a certain number of women on company boards in Europe.

Since 2006, Irene has started "Market Opens." These events bring together women in business and politics. They celebrate women's achievements in the economy. This is done by ringing the bell at Stock Exchanges around the world. These events have happened in many cities. These include New York, Toronto, Johannesburg, Madrid, and Hong Kong.

Important Board Roles

Irene Natividad has served on many important advisory boards. In 2019, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, chose her for the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council. This council gave ideas to President Macron on how to improve women's equality. She has also been part of advisory boards for the G20 group. She was also a board member for the Global Economic Symposium.

In the business world, Irene has been on many company boards. In 1994, President Clinton appointed her to the Board of Directors of Sallie Mae Corporation. This was a very large company. She has also advised companies like L'Oreal France and Cigna Corporation. She was also on the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Awards and Recognition

Irene Natividad has received many awards for her work:

• 1988: Named one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in America" by Ladies Home Journal.
• 1989: Received an Honorary Doctorate from Long Island University.
• 1994: Received an Honorary Doctorate from Marymount College for her global work for women's rights.
• 1997: Named one of the "25 Most Influential Working Mothers" by Working Mother Magazine.
• 2004: Named one of "21 Leaders for the 21st Century" by Women's eNews.
• 2010: Inducted into the Enterprising Women Magazine Hall of Fame.
• 2014: Named "Top 10 Champion of Global Diversity” by Diversity Global Magazine.
• 2015: Called a “Trailblazing Woman” by Huffington Post.
• 2021: Received the Chevalier of the National Order of Legion of Honor (Legion d’Honneur) from France.

Resources

• Gale Encyclopedia of Biography: Irene Natividad
• Homepage of the Global Summit of Women
• Biography Irene Natividad, Homepage Globe Women