“I hope that all people can be empowered to follow the path they want and to be the fullest version of themselves.” Today’s woman dreamer, Linda Mason, is the Chair of Boston Foundation and Co-founder of Bright Horizons, the largest world-wide provider of worksite childcare, early education, and education advising. A true trailblazer, she has been recognized as one of Business Week’s “Best Entrepreneurs,” and in Working Mother Magazine’s “25 most influential working mothers in America.” In this inspiring interview with Women Who Win, Linda reflects on her journey and what made her the woman she is today (did you know she was a classical pianist?), and her philanthropic mission. Enjoy her story.

“Be who you needed when you were younger”. Today’s woman dreamer, Anna Purpero is the founder of Paper City Coffee shop with a mission to host and fund the Paper City Mentoring Project, a program which has been supporting teenagers from challenging backgrounds. In this inspiring interview with Global Health Contributor Priya Dharampuriya, they discuss how Anna’s personal journey inspired this powerful venture, how it has grown, and ways to get involved.

“We want young women who will change the world - movers & shakers. We wanted to send the message that women’s education is to be valued.” We are honored to share a powerful conversation with Mr. Jack Meyer. Mr. Jack R. Meyer, Former President and CEO of Harvard Management Company, Chairman Emeritus, Board of Directors of Asian University for Women (AUW) Support Foundation; He speaks on “Women’s Education in Developing Nations”, as the “Silver Bullet” that treats everything. And also the terrific job done by Mr. Kamal Ahmed (Founder of AUW), AUW, the US military, US Universities, and several other groups who have come together to help and continue to help the 148 Afghan female young students who left Kabul in Aug 2021 to re-settle in the US. Mr. Meyer has managed Harvard University’s endowment for over 15 years and the Rockefeller Foundation’s endowment . In this powerful and thought-provoking conversation with Women Who Win host Anita Chitnis, they discuss AUW’s mission, women’s global education, and how we can get involved!

“I am the first Black woman to chair the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of women in its history.” Today’s woman dreamer Denella J Clark is the President of the Boston Arts Academy Foundation. A proud Jamaican Immigrant and female activist, Denella started her career in the fashion world, studying at FIT, before she discovered her passion for nonprofits. She believes strongly that all young people must be given the opportunities they deserve to live the life they imagine. She states, “The biggest thing I have learned is that the things you would expect in 2022 to be laws are NOT laws. I see a space where I can advocate for change, for laws that protect all people – women in particular.” A multi-faceted leader, Denella is a true “Women Who Win! Enjoy her story!

“Women empowerment happens when one can become stronger and more confident in their own life. It could also mean helping others to become stronger either mentally, socially, or economically.” Today’s woman dreamer, Ajita Bhat, has been working with NGOs for over 30 years, and is currently the Co-Chair of Akshaya Patra Foundation Boston Chapter, and is the President of Chinmaya Mission Boston temples. She reflects on her journey with these empowering organizations and shares her top tips to women looking to get involved in nonprofits and leadership. A true changemaker - we are excited to share her story!

“Women belong everywhere, including in city politics. Women are close to the issues that matter most to working families. I’m proud to be part of a City Council that is a majority woman and to be leading alongside Boston’s first elected woman mayor of color. “ Today’s woman dreamer, Ruthzee Louijeune is the first Haitian-American City Councilor of Boston. Born in Boston to two working class immigrants, Ruthzee’s first ever job was at the age of 14, giving historical walking tours of Boston and she served as a senior attorney for Elizabeth Warren’s campaigns. An inspiring visionary ready to take the city of Boston by storm, Ruthzee shares her vision for the future of our city!

“It is deeply rewarding to be able to make such a positive impact on someone’s life when they get their green card or when they are reunited with a family member.” Today’s woman dreamer, Alka Mahajan is a Boston-based immigration attorney. Inspired by her own experience of immigrating to the United States from India, she helps families navigate challenges, uncertainty and hardships that the U.S. immigration process can present, such as during the Covid pandemic. Today, Alka shares how more and more women are entering the field, and how Covid-19 has impacted immigration (travel bans, consulate closures, green cards). An inspiring woman dreamer, enjoy her story!

“Working on Mayor Wu’s campaign was such an incredible experience. Although I was born and raised in Boston, the campaign brought me to parts of the city that I have never been to, and allowed me to become connected to so many communities that I had never interacted with.” Known as “The People’s Publicist, today’s woman dreamer, Jessicah Pierre, uses her public relations and entrepreneurial skills to build community and elevate the work of social impact brands, political figures and non-profits in the media and online. Jessicah shares some of the most exciting moments from working on Mayor Wu’s campaign, how she built her career in media and publicity, and in the spirit of the Season of Giving, she highlights her volunteer work with organizations such as BUILD. Inspired by the people around her, enjoy Jessicah’s exciting story!

“CAREspaces gave me the opportunity to combine my profession, as an attorney, with my passion, as a Bharatanatyam dancer.” Today’s woman dreamer, Krithika Rajkumar, is quite the multi-faceted woman. A Boston-based lawyer at Global 100 Law Firm Nixon Peabody LLP, Krithika is also a dance prodigy, former Miss Malayalee North America, and the Head of Legal of CARE Spaces, an organization creating safe spaces for the Indian Arts Community. Also a newlywed, we had to ask what her key takeaway was from planning her Indian wedding during Covid. Krithika shares her top learnings from her career, how she combines her passions for arts & law, and how she finds the perfect balance in life.

Approximately 10% of women in the U.S. are married as minors, according to Child USA in 2020, the majority being young women with adult males. Today, we bring a powerful and informative conversation with Kay Khan (State Representative of Newton MA and Chair of the Committee on Children, Families, and Disabilities), where she shares her inspiring work on the proposed bill to ban child marriage in Massachusetts. Moderated by our host Dr. Rollie Lal, professor at George Washington University and Co-Chair of GARNET (Global Affairs and Religion Network), they discuss the plan for the bill, the long term impacts of child marriage, the role of religion and more! Join us for an enlightening conversation with Women Who Win.

“It happened after a busy year of being buried in my computer late into every night. In 2017, I had developed a rare unknown vision disorder – severe sensitivity to artificial light.” From having to stay away from the computer to avoiding flourescant lights in grocery stores, today’s woman dreamer, Samia Chandraker, a Harvard-educated Immigration attorney and the founder of Samia Law, shares a powerful story of finding the silver lining in a dark digital cloud. Samia shares how she adjusted her lifestyle to fit the condition, and overcame the adversity. Further, she shares how her law firm has been helping Indians visit their families during these tough times, how Covid-19 has impacted travel, and her expertise on the ongoing changes to immigration law.