April 29, 2026
Ms. Foundation for Women Announces Tracy Sturdivant as New President & CEO
Founder and CEO of The League to lead the nation’s oldest women’s foundation following Teresa C. Younger’s thirteen-year tenure
NEW YORK (April 28, 2026) – Tonight, Ms. Foundation for Women, the nation’s oldest women’s foundation, announced that after an extensive search Tracy Sturdivant will become the 10th President & CEO, succeeding Teresa C. Younger. The announcement was made during Ms. Foundation’s annual Women of Vision Awards in New York City. Sturdivant is the founder and CEO of The League, a social impact collective that harnesses culture and storytelling to activate public engagement around social issues.
“The board is elated to announce Tracy Sturdivant, a pioneer of social justice and movement veteran as Ms. Foundation’s next President & CEO. Her expertise and visionary leadership in driving impact for our communities is exactly why she is the leader to shepherd Ms. Foundation into the next era. With deep gratitude for Teresa’s leadership in solidifying the Foundation, we are fired up for what comes next,” said Board Chair Charline Gipson.
“We are thrilled to have Tracy Sturdivant, a proven trailblazer, as the next President & CEO of Ms. Foundation. In this critical moment when so much is under attack, Tracy is uniquely qualified to confront what lies ahead with integrity, courage, heart and smarts. I look forward to stewarding Ms. Foundation through this next chapter together and sounding the clarion call for gender justice for all,” said Search Committee Chair Kaberi Banerjee Murthy, who will take the helm as Ms. Foundation Board Chair during the next fiscal year.
Sturdivant is a strategic leader in social justice and a champion for change
. Before launching The League in 2017, she co-founded the Make It Work Campaign, which elevated issues such as equal pay, paid family leave, and childcare in the national conversation. She also served as Executive Director of State Voices, where she helped strengthen a national network of grassroots organizations working to expand voter participation and democratic power. Prior to those roles, she worked with Marie C. Wilson at the White House Project while Marie was simultaneously leading Ms. Foundation.
“Ms. Foundation for Women has always understood that lasting change happens when you invest in women and trust those closest to problems to have the solutions. We are in a pivotal period for gender equity and human rights in this country, and this Foundation has never been better positioned to be a philanthropic leader,” said Sturdivant. “I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of culture, social justice, democracy and philanthropy. Ms. Foundation for Women has sat at this intersection since its inception, and it is a privilege to be able to steward this iconic institution into its next chapter. I am humbled and energized to become Ms. Foundation’s next President & CEO, and I am grateful to Teresa Younger for the extraordinary work she has done to make this moment possible. To the Ms. Foundation community — the grantee partners, the supporters, the movement leaders — I see you. I am coming to serve alongside you, and I cannot wait to get to work.”
Sturdivant’s appointment follows an extensive national search led by the board of trustees and Do Good Connections, which began in October 2025 when Younger announced that she would be stepping down after a transformational 13 years leading Ms. Foundation for Women. Due to Younger’s tireless work, Ms. Foundation is stronger than it’s ever been. One of her many accomplishments includes the successful completion of the Foundation’s capital campaign in 2023, Creating the Future We Deserve, which raised over $100 million in honor of the Foundation’s 50th anniversary.
“I have full faith and confidence in what Tracy brings to Ms. Foundation, and I know I am leaving the organization in capable, dedicated hands. This transition offers a chance to look back with pride at the work Ms. Foundation has done, and build forward into the future with consistency, stability, and growth. The urgency of the opposition our movements are confronting is a call to action, and I can’t wait to see how Tracy answers this call and guides the Foundation through its next evolution. Ms. Foundation is not in crisis. It is strong, it is steady, and it is ready for what’s to come, with Tracy at the helm,” said Younger.
Sturdivant brings deep relationships across philanthropy and movement organizations. She has worked closely with philanthropic partners including Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, where she participated as a member of the Women of Color Portfolio Design Council. She is the founding board chair of Higher Heights Leadership Fund and has served on the boards of Proteus Fund, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Greenpeace, the Ballot Strategy Center, and New American Leaders.
A sought-after thought leader, Sturdivant has taken the stage at SXSW, Cannes Lions, Glassdoor’s Equal Pay Roundtable with Secretary Hillary Clinton, the Atlantic’s “Inclusion in Action” Summit, and more. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fast Company, Refinery29, Elle Magazine, and Glamour, and she has been a guest on Sirius XM News, NPR, and Women’s Radio Network.
For more information about Ms. Foundation for Women, please visit forwomen.org.
Tracy Sturdivant Bio
Tracy Sturdivant is a dynamic force who has built an award-winning career at the intersection of culture, gender justice, democracy, philanthropy and creative strategy.
As Ms. Foundation’s 10th President & CEO, Tracy brings decades of experience as a change agent, innovator and movement strategist. Her work over the decades has catalyzed national conversations around gender equity issues, including equal pay, paid family leave and childcare, voter participation and civic engagement.
As co-founder and CEO of The League, Tracy helped movements, philanthropy, brands, influencers, and communities connect the dots between culture, current trends, and social impact—translating big ideas into action that moves people. Under her leadership, The League collaborated with partners such as Disney, Spotify and LUSH Cosmetics—leveraging the power of our shared connections to create a more just and equitable world. Her work at the League has been awarded eight Anthem Awards and two Webby Honorees.
In 2014, she co-founded Make It Work, a national campaign that moved affordable childcare and paid family leave into America’s mainstream conversation ahead of the 2016 election. Make It Work wove together storytelling and political advocacy, using an inventive mix of tactics (from a short film produced by Issa Rae to real-life experiences at the Iowa State Fair)—earning national media attention and a Pollie Award for Best Field Campaign.
As executive director of State Voices, she raised millions of dollars to support state and local organizations engaging Americans in our democracy. Under her leadership, the network grew from six to 22 state tables and pioneered a data-driven model for year-round civic engagement work. Early in her career, she managed the Michigan philanthropic giving of Jon Stryker, focused on gender justice, LGBTQIA+ equality, and democratic participation.
Tracy has been called a “one-woman coalition” for her ability to bring people together across differences to make big ideas happen. She is a trusted voice, with long-standing and deep relationships across philanthropy and movement organizations. She has served in advisor roles to the philanthropic community, including Open Society Foundations, the Democracy Alliance, the Culture Change Fund at the Women’s Foundation of California, and the Pivotal Ventures Women of Color Design Council.
A sought-after speaker, Tracy has taken the stage at SXSW, Cannes Lions, Netroots Nation, and the Atlantic’s “Inclusion in Action” Summit, appearing alongside leaders like Secretary Hillary Clinton and Megan Rapinoe. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Fast Company, Vogue, Essence, and Ms. Magazine.
Tracy is the Founding Board Chair of Higher Heights for America, and has served on the boards of Proteus Fund, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Greenpeace, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and New American Leaders.
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For more than 50 years, Ms. Foundation for Women has shaped women’s philanthropy in the United States, providing a blueprint for the establishment of hundreds of local and regional women’s funds, influencing mainstream culture through nationwide projects and campaigns, and making grants totaling over $100 million to more than 1,600 grassroots organizations across the country. Through research, advocacy, and grantmaking, Ms. Foundation is the national model for sustainable, trust-based philanthropic support of women and gender-expansive people of color-led movements. With equity and inclusion as the cornerstones of true democracy, Ms. Foundation works to create a world in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued, and power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.