Since 1996, IWA has presented the Woman Extraordinaire Award to a woman with ties to Chicago whose international humanitarian efforts have advanced the welfare of women and children and inspire constructive action by others. Past recipients include Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and Major Tammy Duckworth (now a member of the U.S. Congress). To view the entire list of past honorees CLICK HERE
Thank You to all sponsors, members, and guests who supported
2023 Woman Extraordinaire
Honoring Katrina M. Adams
on October 5, 2023!
Past Recipients
Katrina Adams was honored for her many achievements within the world of tennis that have impacted organizations worldwide. She was the 1st African American to lead the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the 1st two-term Chairman and President of the USTA, and the 1st former player to hold that honor. Under her direction the USTA has reached several major milestones that launched an unprecedented outreach into underserved communities. Adams currently holds many positions: Vice President of the International Tennis Federation, Chairman of the Billie Jean King Cup Committee, Chairman of the Gender Equality in Tennis Committee, and Executive Director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, continuing her legacy as an agent of global social change.
Nancy Economou is the founder and CEO of Watts of Love, a global nonprofit bringing people the power to lift themselves out of the darkness of poverty through solar lighting and financial literacy training. Watts of Love was founded in 2013 when Nancy went on a business trip to the Philippines and saw the devastating effects of kerosene after seeing a childʼs face burned. Compelled as a mother, Nancy set out to bringher patented solar lights to the nearly one billion people living in the darkness of poverty and teach financial literacy to change communities. Over the last nine years, Nancy has delivered solar lights and the Watts of Love program to 52 countries, giving 77,554 lights, and changing 542,878 lives forever.
Amy Maglio is the Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Global Education Project (WGEP), an international NGO focusing on girls’ education and gender equality. Amy is on a mission to enroll every girl in Africa in school. She is a tireless activist who campaigns for the advancement of underserved girls and women. Her organization WGEP subverts the traditional top-down, big development approach by operating on micro-levels within communities to identify girls who are not in school and provide them with the tools necessary to enroll and excel in school.
Shermin Kruse was honored for her many accomplishments as an international human rights activist focusing on women and children and for her dedication to cross-cultural peace dialogue and negotiation, diversity, and women in leadership. Ms. Kruse is a director of RefuSHE, the international refugee center formerly known as Heshima Kenya, and co-founder and director of the Pasfarda Arts and Culture Exchange, which promotes understanding between Iran and the United States through the arts. She has worked to strengthen cross-cultural understanding and to empower refugee women, even traveling to the Turkey-Syria border. Additionally, she is an Emerging Leader Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a director of the ACLU of Illinois, and a partner in the law firm of Barack Ferrazzano.
Kimberly Jung, CEO and Co-Founder of Rumi Spice
Kimberly Jung is an Army veteran and passionate international entrepreneur. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who served in Germany and Afghanistan and then earned her M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, Kim is the CEO and Co-Founder of Chicago-based Rumi Spice, www.rumispice.com. Named after the 13th century Persian poet, Rumi began with a mission to cultivate peace in Afghanistan and does so by partnering directly with Afghan farmers to grow exceptionally high quality saffron and export the precious spice to customers around the world.Connie K. Duckworth Trailblazing business leader and founder of ARZU STUDIO HOPE, an organization empowering women, families and communities in Afghanistan through its unique social business model.
IWA has also presented the Rising Voice of Woman Award to the following outstanding and inspirational women:
Mary Robinson First woman President of Ireland; former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Realizing Rights founder.