Gloria Feldt is an acclaimed expert on women, power, and leadership with decades of frontline leadership experience, a bestselling author, and in-demand keynote speaker. She is cofounder and president of Take The Lead, whose mission reflects her life’s passion: to prepare, develop, inspire, and propel women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025 by providing breakthrough training, mentoring and coaching role modeling, and thought leadership. Its signature 50 Women Can Change the World program is an immersive version of her 9 Leadership Power Tools to Advance Your Career customized by industries for women in early career, midcareer, and executive levels. She is the bestselling author of four books; the latest is No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power, the research for which plus her own real world knowledge forms the core of Take The Lead’s programs.
She is formerly president and CEO of the world’s largest reproductive health and advocacy organization, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, capping a 30-year career that included serving as CEO of affiliates in West Texas and Arizona as well as the national CEO. She was named by Vanity Fair one of “America’s Top 200 Women Leaders, Legends, and Trailblazers,” Glamour’s “Woman of the Year,” She Knows Media Inspiring Woman, Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, Women Economic Forum Circle of Light award, Texas Monthly’s Texas 20, Martin Luther King Living the Dream Award, and Forbes 40 Over 40.
She teaches “Women, Power, and Leadership” at Arizona State University. Feldt has been widely quoted and published, including by the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The Daily Beast, Forbes, Fast Company, Time, Huffington Post, Glamour, Elle and Ms. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, the Today Show, Good Morning America and The Daily Show. She recently served on the board of the Women’s Media Center, the Jewish Women’s Archive, and Emerge America and remains on their honorary boards. She currently serves on the board of Women Connect 4 Good Foundation. She is a member of the New York Women’s Forum, the International Women’s Forum, and the World Academy of Art and Science and is an advisor to the ERA Coalition.
Gloria is an awesome chili maker. She and her husband Alex Barbanell live in New York City and Scottsdale, Arizona; they share a combined family of six children and 15 grandchildren, so there is never a dull moment in their lives. She spends too much time on social media and invites you to connect with her there.
