Harvard Alumni for Global Women's Empowerment

Join Harvard GlobalWE Connect for the second event in its Women's Empowerment Fireside Chat series, which was recently launched in 2021. 

The Fireside Chat series features dialogues with senior leaders of organizations serving women and girls worldwide and the challenges and opportunities they encounter in a rapidly-changing world. 

For the next event in this series, GlobalWE Founder Julie Gage Palmer will interview Laurie Adams, CEO of Women for Women International, an organization that for nearly 30 years has invested in the power of over 500,000 women who are forgotten — the women survivors of war and conflict — to learn the skills they need to rebuild their families and communities.

The event will be held via Zoom on Saturday, March 12th at 10:30 am ET. 

About Women for Women International

Women for Women International invests in marginalized women in countries affected by conflict around the world. We believe that every woman has the right to determine the course of her life and reach her full potential. Women experience the burdens of war and civil strife very differently from men. In conflicted and post-conflict countries, women face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and vulnerability. We offer a constructive way for women to regain power over their lives through a program that combines informational training, skill building, and resource provision to yield tangible results. The strength and resiliency of each woman are what keep her children, her family, and herself moving forward every day. We build on that.

Registration is free, with a suggested donation of $10 to support GlobalWE programming. 

GlobalWE Connect is an initiative that connects Harvard University alumni with organizations leading the way globally for women’s empowerment in the arts, social services, education, health, economic development, entrepreneurship, policy, STEM, and other fields. GlobalWE Connect provides a forum for discussion with these organizations and hosts a Women’s Empowerment Expo, which enables these organizations to engage with Harvard University alumni and students as well as professors, staff, and other members of the Harvard University community who seek internship, volunteer, mentorship, career exploration, and charitable giving opportunities.

Meet our Speaker

Laurie Adams
CEO, Women for Women International
 

Laurie Adams is the Chief Executive Officer of Women for Women International (WfWI), a leading global organization dedicated to working with women survivors of war. With more than 25 years of experience working in international development and human rights, Ms. Adams is an innovative leader, strategist, and gender rights advocate.

Prior to joining WfWI, Ms. Adams served as the Director of Women’s Rights for Oxfam in the United Kingdom leading communications, fundraising, program development, and advocacy of Oxfam’s women’s rights work. During her tenure, Ms. Adams created high-level partnerships with government leaders and multinational corporations and, under her leadership, Oxfam doubled its financial commitment to women’s rights.

Previously, Ms. Adams managed Oxfam’s country programs in three African regions, where she played a pivotal role transforming the governance and management structure of the confederation. In each role, she was accountable for several hundred staff in up to 11 countries, including countries where WfWI currently works. Ms. Adams joined Oxfam after eight years at ActionAid International leading efforts to measure impact, strengthen learning, and build accountability for over 40 countries.

Ms. Adams’ philanthropic contributions include voluntary board service with emerging non-governmental organizations in South Africa and Brazil. As the chair of the founding board for The Other Foundation in South Africa, Ms. Adams launched a community foundation model to catalyze local philanthropy after securing matching funds from The Atlantic Philanthropies. In addition, she served as a director on the boards of The Forum for the Empowerment of Women in South Africa, and ActionAid Brazil.

Ms. Adams holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy Management from the University of London, a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s Rights from Dartmouth College, and completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

 

Meet our Moderator

Julie Gage Palmer
Founder and President Emeritus, Harvard GlobalWE

Julie Gage Palmer AB ’84 is a founder and past president of Harvard GlobalWE, longstanding Director of the Harvard Club of Chicago, a current member of the Harvard Alumni Association Schools and Scholarships Committee, and a former Harvard Alumni Association Elected Director. In her current GlobalWE role, she coordinates a global essay contest giving voice to students concerned about challenges facing women and girls around the world. A former lecturer in law at University of Chicago Law School, Palmer is the co-author of The Ethics of Human Gene Therapy and has written extensively on medical ethics.