100 Women Making a Difference 2011

When Today’s Chicago Woman started recognizing “100 Women Making a Difference” 23 years ago back in 1988, we noted that few of our highly accomplished honorees were household names. “Perhaps,” we mused, “this is because most haven’t received much press outside of their chosen fields.” Today, women at the pinnacles of their careers are much more likely to be household names. Ariel President Mellody Hobson appears regularly on Good Morning America to share financial advice. Emily Barr, president and general manager of ABC-7 Chicago, has consistently led her news team to place first in the ratings. Dr. Annabelle Volgman is one of the most sought-after experts on women’s heart health. But for every highly visible woman, there are dozens more who work tirelessly behind the scenes, whose accomplishments go unsung to the general public. We parsed the qualifications of hundreds of women to narrow down our 2011 list of women in finance, law, education, philanthropy, media, government, marketing, culture and other realms to compile this list of those who have truly made an impact on their fields, the City of Chicago and the world beyond our city limits. Clearly we have omitted women who are, indeed, making a difference. But we limited our selection to 100. 

Tagged as: Ariel Investments, Lynn Sage Foundation, The History Makers, ABC Chicago, Women’s Business Development Center, ComEd, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Loyola University Chicago, Bright Pink, Girl and the Goat and The Peninsula Chicago