Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro is the Chair of the United World Colleges. She is a social activist and theologian who is globally recognized for her leadership of organizations and initiatives that advance human rights, and philanthropy for women and girls. She was President and CEO of Global Fund for Women from 2011 to 2019, one of the world’s leading publicly-supported foundations for gender equality.

Musimbi received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She was a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School studying Hebrew and Old Testament.

Musimbi has received several recognition awards and honorary degrees over many years. In 2015, Forbes magazine named her one of 10 women “power brands” working for gender equality. In 2016 she was recognized on a list of “Forty over 40 – women who are reinventing, and disrupting and making an impact”. More recently, she was named among the 100 people making a difference in gender policy and alongside Bill Gates as one of the 9 powerful people changing the planet. Musimbi’s Ted Talk on equal generosity, released for International Women’s Day 2018, is available at the Global Fund for Women website.