Power Women

Over the past 25 years, Maya Nussbaum has grown Girls Write Now into one of the nation’s leading institutions creating change at the intersection of gender, race, age, and poverty. In addition to being the first writing and mentoring organization of its kind, Girls Write Now continually ranks among the top programs nationwide for driving social-emotional growth for youth. Under Maya’s stewardship, the nationally award-winning nonprofit has mentored the next generation of writers and leaders to impact businesses across industries, shape culture, and change the conversation.

What steps still need to be taken to increase gender parity?
Girls Write Now serves a culturally and educationally diverse community of women-identifying, trans* and gender-expansive youth and young adults (mentees) — 90% of color, 90% high need, 75% immigrant or first generation and 25% LGBTQIA+/gender-expansive. These teens, who have long been systematically deprived of resources and opportunities, are rarely given the guidance, care and support they need to gain confidence in their talents and accomplishments, graduate from high school and access viable college or career opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and disempowerment. Girls Write Now is uniquely positioned to help correct these longstanding inequalities.

What can New York policymakers do to support the interests of women across the state?
Become a mentor, donor, or partner. Learn more at girlswritenow.org/join.

What advice or wisdom would you share with a younger version of yourself?
Don’t underestimate the power you have to impact others. Don’t even try to organize your email. Pace yourself — endurance is everything.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents more than 650,000 constituents living in New York’s 14th District, one of the most diverse in the nation and which covers areas in the Bronx and Queens. In 2018, AOC mounted a successful primary campaign against the Democratic incumbent and, when sworn in to the House of Representatives, became the youngest woman and youngest Latina ever to serve in Congress. She introduced 23 pieces of legislation during her first term and, after being re-elected, she continues to fight for progressive policies on climate change, criminal justice reform, and economic inequality, among other issues.

Prabha Parameswaran joined Colgate-Palmolive as the group president for growth and strategy in 2022. In this role, Ms. Parameswaran provides strategic oversight and manages innovation and commercial growth functions, including global technology and design, global supply chain, global marketing, and sustainability. Previously, Ms. Parameswaran served as president of Colgate Europe, having progressed through senior management positions after first joining Colgate India in 1995.

Since 2015, Anne Pasternak has served as the director of the Brooklyn Museum. For more than 30 years, she has devoted her career to engaging broad audiences with the limitless power of art to move, motivate, and inspire. A staunch advocate for the civic and democratic roles our cultural and educational institutions can play, Anne is committed to projects that demonstrate the crucial links between art and social justice, and has focused on strengthening the Museum as a global center for the visual arts that is courageous, pioneering, and inclusive.

Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes is the first woman and first African-American in history to hold the office of New York State Assembly Majority Leader. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes has served Buffalo’s 141st Assembly District since 2003. Assemblymember People-Stokes is a member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, as well as a member of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, and she has championed landmark legislation such as the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in 2019 as well as initiatives to increase diversity in the medical field by providing academic and financial support to students of color.

As head of government affairs and public policy for Google’s New York operations, Angela Pinsky oversees all government partnerships and legislative issues in the state. Prior to assuming her current position, Ms. Pinsky served as executive director for the Association for a Better New York, senior vice president for management services and government affairs at the Real Estate Board of New York, and as deputy chief of staff for New York City’s deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding under the Bloomberg administration.

Ai-jen Poo is an award-winning organizer, author, and a leading voice in the women’s movement. She is the president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, director of Caring Across Generations, co-founder of SuperMajority, co-host of the podcast Sunstorm, and a trustee of the Ford Foundation. Ai-jen is a nationally recognized expert on elder and family care, the future of work, and what’s at stake for women of color. She is the author of the celebrated book The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America.

Tiffany Raspberry is a government affairs professional with 20+ years of experience. Ms. Raspberry, a Brooklyn native, started her career working at the U.S. House of Representatives and New York City Council. Ms. Raspberry’s strong commitment to change, social justice, and service to others is demonstrated through her continued community service and civic activities. She received her B.A. in Political Science/African American Studies from Fordham University and a master of public administration in Global Public Policy and Management jointly from New York University and the University College of London.

What steps still need to be taken to increase gender parity?
Employers have to be honest and transparent. When men and women are doing the same job with the same educational background and professional experience they should be paid the same salary.

What can New York policymakers do to support the interests of women across the state?
Make sure that more women are involved in policy discussions.

If you could have dinner with any three women from history, who would they be and why?
Shirley Chisholm, Rosa Parks, and Michelle Obama. I would want to have dinner with all of these women because they had the strength and conviction at different points in our history to persevere and force change for Black women and women overall.

What advice or wisdom would you share with a younger version of yourself?
I would advise my younger self to work hard but to also enjoy the moments of life more in the process.

Congresswoman Kathleen Rice is a lawyer and politician representing New York’s Fourth Congressional District. Rice began her career in public service as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, New York. In 1999, she was appointed an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Philadelphia office and has since served as Nassau County district attorney and U.S. representative. Rice has received national acclaim for her efforts to combat drunk driving, public corruption, gun violence and reform the criminal justice system. Kathleen resides in Garden City, where she was raised with her nine brothers and sisters.

What steps still need to be taken to increase gender parity?
Gender parity comes down to having all the same freedoms and opportunities across the board. To start, we need to continue to encourage young girls and women to pursue education in STEM and other areas that have been predominantly occupied by men. We can’t reach true gender parity until women are paid the same as men in any equal position, not 83 cents to their dollar, and until we can say that 50% of all lawyers, doctors, policymakers, fill in the blank, are women. Similarly, ensuring access to health care for girls and women is essential to securing their educational, financial, and economic goals and freedom.

What can New York policymakers do to support the interests of women across the state?
Policymakers can support women by being proactive in their approach and giving the younger generation the tools and knowledge to shape their futures. We need to give young women access to quality education, including education on financial literacy and personal finance, encourage the next generation of female leaders to be engaged in their community and local politics, expand capital, and build a bench of jobs that women can equally apply to.

If you could have dinner with any three women from history, who would they be and why?
I would love to have dinner with Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Taylor Swift. These are all women who have been unfairly maligned or underappreciated, but who left their mark on history by sticking to their convictions and being true power players in their fields.

What advice or wisdom would you share with a younger version of yourself?
Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Christiana Riley is a well-recognized industry leader, earning accolades for overseeing the Americas regional implementation of the largest structural transformation of Deutsche Bank in decades, including a new strategy and a refocusing on market-leading businesses, as well as efforts to promote diverse workplace practices and inspire the next generation of leaders. Christiana graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a bachelor of arts, and holds an M.B.A. from the London Business School — where she currently serves as a member of its Governing Body.