The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day was “Give to Gain.” That could have been right out of the Applied Wisdom playbook, where our guiding principle is to equip and empower the development of leaders working to do good.

As the International Women’s Day organization stated, “Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women’s advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.”

I recently learned that some three-quarters of workers in the nonprofit sector are women, but that women are badly underrepresented at the top. Only a fifth of nonprofits are run by female chief executives, and fewer than half of nonprofit boards are women-led.

Not just on International Women’s Day, but every day, lifting up and allying with women leaders is critical for the further development of the nonprofit sector.

I’d love to hear about a trailblazing leader who you would like to acknowledge and congratulate.

For me, that person is my wife of over 65 years, Becky Morgan. With an MBA from Stanford University, she served in city and county politics, before her election to the California Senate, 1984 to 1993.

Some of Becky’s proudest achievements, in addition to family, surround conservation and stewardship, most notably as the founder, in 2008, of the California Stewardship Network, a consortium of corporate, public and civic members from throughout California, each of them developing solutions to address economic, environmental and community challenges within regions. Earlier, in 1993, Becky and I started our foundation and continue today to support education, environmental, and social initiatives.

Becky has always been a trailblazing leader in the social sectors, and I congratulate her again this year, and all of the women who strive to make this a better world through their leadership.

  • Who would you like to acknowledge and congratulate to mark this year’s International Women’s Day?
  • How will you let them know of your intention?