5 Women You Should Know

These Five women are some of the most powerful in the world, in terms of their positions in government, economic influence, and cultural significance. They’re also just some of the women who have made the world a better place during their lifetimes, whether through their contributions to science or their dedication to helping others in need. Each has made an impact, even if they don’t always get the credit they deserve—or even want! Here are just five of the women you should know about.

Janet Yellen, United States Secretary of the Treasury

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Janet Yellen is a renowned economist, with previous stints in academia, public service and business. A highly influential voice in U.S. economics and politics, she has been hailed as the most powerful woman in the world. Janet Yellen was born on August 13th, 1946. She received her bachelor's degree from Brown University and her doctorate from Yale University's School of Economics. In 1977, Ms. Yellen earned a faculty position at Harvard University; she would go on to become dean of Berkeley's Haas School of Business (1995–2003) and serve as President of The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2004–09). On October 9th 2013, President Obama nominated Janet Yellen to succeed Ben Bernanke as Chairman of The Federal Reserve System; Ms.

Sallie Krawcheck, founder of Ellevest

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Ellevest is an investment firm founded by Wall Street veteran Sallie Krawcheck. Prior to Ellevest, Krawcheck was CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, as well as a top executive at Citigroup, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., and Smith Barney. At Ellevest, Krawcheck offers women a solution that combines digital tools and human guidance to help them reach their financial goals with ease. Her approach to female-focused finance has earned her both prestigious awards and mentions in mainstream media outlets like TIME magazine and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Meg Whitman, CEO and president of Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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Forbes ranked Whitman as one of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2015. She’s now a top contender for California governor, but most know her as an advocate for women in business. Whitman started at Procter & Gamble, where she was VP of marketing from 1996 to 1998 and president of eBay North America from 1998 to 2000. In 2003, she was hired by eBay CEO John Donahoe to serve as executive vice president for global operations and product management; a few years later, she became CEO after buying out EBay founder Pierre Omidyar's share in February 2008.

Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of Hearst Magazines

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Coles took over as EIC of Cosmopolitan in 2012, making her only one of a handful of women at Hearst Magazines to hold such a position. In 2013, she was named Editor-in-Chief at Marie Claire and by 2016 was head of four titles: Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, and Esquire. Coles has also written two books; Life’s Work: On Becoming A Mother (2003) about her experiences with IVF and her second book Love Rules: How To Find A Real Relationship In A Digital World (2016). She is also a keynote speaker on issues related to marketing to women and underrepresented minorities.

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube

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When Google acquired YouTube in 2006, Wojcicki served as its marketing manager. Now she runs it with a vision of connecting every person to every video they want to see online. Unlike most CEOs, she also happens to be working on motherhood: She shares custody of her two children with her ex-husband. Her tips for keeping a career and family life sane? Make sure you’re making money—but more importantly, make sure you’re having fun.