The National Women’s Hall of Fame today named its 2026 class of inductees, who will be honored at a ceremony here in September.
The list includes Janet Yellen, former Treasury Secretary and chair of the Federal Reserve and White House Council of Economic Advisers, and six-time Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
The inductees will be formally honored at the 2026 induction ceremony at the George Eastman Museum on Sept. 24. It will be the first time the event has been held in Rochester.
Located in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, the National Women’s Hall of Fame is the nation’s first and oldest nonprofit organization and museum established to honor and celebrate the achievements of distinguished American women. The organization says the 2026 induction class “reflects that mission, honoring women whose leadership, discoveries, and advocacy have left a lasting mark across a wide range of fields and disciplines.”
Along with Yellen and Joyner-Kersee, the new class includes Adele Smith Simmons, former president of Hampshire College and the MacArthur Foundation; S. Mona Sinha, CEO of Equality Now and a globally recognized advocate for gender equality, and author, poet and journalist Judith Viorst.
In addition, there are six historical inductees: Edith Green, a 10-term U.S. representative from Oregon who helped pass landmark legislation expanding access and equity in education; Virginia Hall Goillot, a World War II spy and the only woman in that war to receive the Distinguished Service Cross; Harriet Jacobs, an escaped enslaved woman who became an abolitionist and humanitarian; Georgeanna Emory Seagar Jones MD, a reproductive endocrinologist whose work transformed infertility diagnosis and treatment; Audre Lorde, a poet, essayist, and activist who became a central voice in feminist and LGBTQ movements; and Marie Tharp: a geologist and oceanographic cartographer who created the first scientific maps of the ocean floor.
“We are thrilled to welcome an extraordinary class of inductees—women who have transformed science, civil rights, the arts, education, philanthropy, and beyond,” says Kristen Oehlrich, CEO and executive director of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. “Among them are names many people recognize and others whose stories deserve to be widely known. Each represents a legacy that continues to shape the world today. Sharing their stories ensures their impact is seen, valued, and preserved.”
The National Women’s Hall of Fame was founded in 1969. Its first induction ceremony took place four years later. More information about the 2026 event can be found here.
