Announcing the 2026 Innovator Awards Recipients
The sixth Women Who Empower Innovator Awards honor 34 individuals with one-time grants, welcoming them into a dynamic community of more than 160 lifetime recipients.
Featured Stories
From Northeastern student to coffee executive and social impact leader
When Helen Russell, DMSB’88, studied in Snell Library nearly four decades ago, she never imagined she’d one day return as the co-founder of a $35 million coffee empire, or that she’d be fueling the entrepreneurial dreams of future students. But that’s the full-circle story unfolding through her company’s Legacy Blend partnership and Brewing Connections, a global initiative connecting entrepreneurs across the university’s network.
These women show ‘superpowers’ through courage, curiosity and bold ideas
The 2025 Women Who Empower Summit on November 13 honored 31 innovators, celebrating human leadership, resilience and community in an AI-driven era.
She’s turning her family’s ranching legacy into a force for sustainable change
Bella Wood, MPA’26, chose her family’s New Mexico cattle ranch over diplomacy and is now reimagining the future of American agriculture.
TEN YEARS. REMARKABLE IMPACT. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.
Dive into the stories that define a decade in the Women Who Empower: A Decade of Impact magazine.
Innovator Updates
2024 Innovator Award Winner Violetta Skittidi | Formulaw
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2024 Innovator Award Winner Hayley Oleksiak | Open Space Sandbox
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Double Husky Kadesh Simms Conroy Innovates with Wishing Well, a Community-Centric Finance App for Social Empowerment
Wishing Well is a peer-to-peer payment digital wallet that allows users to hold and save their money together as a group in individual “wells” and to use that money to support community goals, individual expenses and purchases.
Northeastern Graduate Becky Mashàido is Revolutionizing the Beauty Industry with AI-Powered Solutions for Women of Color
Mashàido’s business venture, KiAsili Naturals, is using science and artificial intelligence to reimagine the future of an inclusive beauty industry.
Event Recaps
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