Smart Women, Smart Power

The Smart Women, Smart Power (SWSP) Initiative has a simple starting point: people are policy. We are committed to creating a platform for respectful and inclusive discussion of the many ways in which women influence and impact the international security, foreign policy and business agendas. The initiative includes:

A speaker series made possible with support from Citi that launched in December 2014. The speaker series is a platform for senior leaders to discuss critical and timely issues while inspiring and cultivating the next generation of leaders. This series has hosted over 50 prominent leaders - all senior women at the top of their game in government, industry, and the nonprofit sector who have shared critical insights on leadership and best practices in their respective fields. Past speakers include businesswoman and philanthropist Melinda Gates, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, NASA Astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks, among others.
A bi-weekly podcast series that features conversations with thought leaders at all career levels that explores, among other things, the extent to which having women in positions of power influences public policy decision-making outcomes. The series attracts a global audience, including a significant percentage of listeners in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Germany. Like the speaker series, it features women leaders in foreign policy, national security, international business, and development. Apple named the SWSP podcast one of its Best of 2015, and consistently ranks among iTunes’ top non-profit and government podcasts.
Private events that typically feature small-group discussions of current international security issues and challenges with high-level women leaders.
An analytic agenda that uses gender as a lens for better understanding international relations and national security challenges – and discern ways through which the national security, foreign policy and business communities can better advance gender equity in their decision-making structures.

The Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative launched in December 2014.