When we write the past, we define the future. It’s said that people don’t tell stories so much as our stories tell us. They describe who we are, who we’ve been, how we think, why that might matter, and therefore what we can expect from the world. The power of the narrative is the power to shape identity, and therefore to determine hopes and dreams, possibilities and plans.
That’s one reason why museums matter. Museums are where we store the artifacts and narratives that remind us of who we’ve been—and from that, who we might become.
The Women’s Leadership Center at Williams Bay had the honor of attending and helping to sponsor the National Women’s History Museum gala in Washington, D.C. on March 20, 2025. Every year since 2012, the Women Making History Awards have celebrated extraordinary women and their contributions.
This year’s event was hosted by CBS News correspondent Norah O’Donnell, and it celebrated inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Sara Blakely; Dr. Opal Lee, retired teacher, counselor and activist known as “the grandmother of Juneteenth;” Shirley Ryan, advocate for transformative research and education; and Lisa McKnight, Mattel EVP and Chief Brand Officer. It was a wonderful, inspiring evening.
The talented Tena Clark introduced the Women’s History Museum anthem she wrote, which debuted that evening. Give it a listen here.
And, thanks to Mattel, we got to reminisce with Miss Astronaut Barbie, who was showing girls way back in 1965—before we ever set foot on the moon—that women belong in space exploration right alongside men.
Photo: NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Colonel Cady Coleman admires Miss Astronaut Barbie with founder Ann Drake.
