Alyse Nelson

President & CEO, Vital Voices Global Partnership

Alyse Nelson is the President & CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an organization she co-founded over 25 years ago with a mission to invest in women leaders who are building strong communities and driving positive change. Under her leadership, Vital Voices has grown significantly, expanding its reach to serve a network of over 20,000 women leaders across 184 countries and territories. She previously served as the organization’s vice president and senior director of programs before assuming her current role in 2009.

Prior to founding Vital Voices Global Partnership, Alyse served as the deputy director of the U.S. State Department’s Vital Voices Global Democracy Initiative and worked with the President’s Interagency Council on Women at the White House. She is also the author of the best-selling book, Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World and is a frequent and sought-after speaker on leadership and global women’s issues at forums such as the United Nations General Assembly and the Clinton Global Initiative.

Alyse is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an official Observer for the World Bank’s We-fi Initiative. She serves on advisory boards for The B Team, Chime for Change, and Global Citizen. Her influence has been recognized by Fortune Magazine, which named her one of the Most Influential Women on Twitter, and by Newsweek, which featured her in its “150 Women Shaking the World.”