Out for Justice Kavita N. Ramdas

 
Throughout much of the world, women who identify as lesbians, bisexual or transgender face the dual oppression of being females and sexual minorities. The result? They suffer under discriminatory laws and customs that relegate them to second-class status. Yet, they are unwilling to accept the status quo. In some of the most repressive parts of the world, women are joining forces to bring an end to ethnic discrimination, gender-based violence, and the denial of their political and social rights. Kavita N. Ramdas has served as president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women since 1996. She has dedicated herself to empowering women worldwide with the financial resources to increase girls’ access to education, defend women’s right to health and reproductive rights, prevent violence against women and advance women’s political participation, as well as other vital issues. Kavita has served on the boards of the Women’s Funding Network, the Women’s Rights Prize of the Gruber Foundation and the Ethical Globalization Initiative. She is the recipient of numerous philanthropic and leadership awards, including most recently, the Haridas and Bina Chaudhuri Award for Distinguished Service presented by the California Institute of Integrated Studies (CIIS). Kavita recently joined the Global Development Advisory Panel of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Advisory Panel of the Asian University for Women and the board of trustees of Princeton University.