Actor Ashley Judd Joins ICRW Leadership Council

Actor and women’s rights activist Ashley Judd has joined the Leadership Council of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

As a member of the council, Judd joins a group of 15 high-profile global leaders who advise ICRW on select issues, and promote the organization’s mission and research. Judd brings to ICRW a passion for empowering the world’s most vulnerable populations – especially women and girls – and focusing on grassroots solutions to transform their lives.

“I’m thrilled to contribute to the work of an organization that believes research must be a key component in the process of social change,” said Judd, who holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. “I’ve seen firsthand how resilient women are and know that given the chance, they can have a profound impact on the lives of their communities, states and nations.”

Judd will work alongside a diverse group, including chair of the council, Amartya Sen, an economist and Nobel Prize winner best known for analyzing the causes of famine; Pat Mitchell, president and CEO of The Paley Center for Media, which recently co-produced a TEDWomen event in Washington, D.C.; and Cherie Blair, whose Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is currently partnering with ICRW on a research project about mobile phones.

“Ashley’s academic interests, combined with her on-the-ground experience witnessing the impact of gender inequality, make her a compelling, effective advocate for women and girls,” ICRW President Sarah Degnan Kambou said. “Her passion and insight will contribute greatly to our efforts.” 

Judd has starred in 20 films, both box-office and independent hits as well as on Broadway. They include “Ruby in Paradise,” her debut, which won the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury prize; “Double Jeopardy,” “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” and “De-Lovely.”

She is active in countless humanitarian causes, recent among them, traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo with The Enough Project to raise awareness about sexual violence in the DRC. Judd also has served as an expert panelist at such events as the Clinton Global Initiative, Women Deliver Conference and the International AIDS Conference.

Gillian Gaynair is ICRW’s writer/editor.