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Teresa C. Younger is a nationally recognized activist, advocate, and organizational strategist whose career spans over 30 years at the frontlines of equity work and systemic change. Born in 1969 in Mountain Home, Idaho, to a military family, her early childhood involved living in various locations around the country until her family settled in North Dakota when she was eleven. These formative years, marked by both mobility and close-knit family experiences, shaped her dedication to community, justice, and leadership.

After college, Younger established deep ties with Connecticut, where she became known as a visionary leader and champion for women’s rights and civil liberties. She served as executive director of the state’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, then later led the ACLU of Connecticut as the first African American and first woman in that position. Her Connecticut tenure also included significant involvement with the Girl Scouts of Connecticut, where she served as board president and earned lifelong recognition as a Gold Award recipient.

In 2014, Younger became President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, the nation’s oldest public women’s fund dedicated to empowering women. She is both the longest serving CEO of color and the second longest serving overall in the organization’s history. Under her leadership, the Foundation launched innovative campaigns and advocacy initiatives, placing women and girls of color at the center of philanthropic conversations and driving new research, policy reform, and intersectional projects. She serves on the boards of key initiatives such as Grantmakers for Girls of Color, Funders for Reproductive Equity, and Black Funders for Social Justice.

Younger is recognized nationally for her powerful public voice on gender and racial justice, appearing in leading media outlets including MSNBC, NPR, NBC News, Elle, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, Associated Press, and more. She is the recipient of several awards, among them Planned Parenthood’s Dream Keeper Award and citations as one of Inside Philanthropy’s “Most Powerful Women in Philanthropy.”

She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Dakota and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in Humanities from the University of New Haven. Today, Teresa C. Younger continues to use her experience and perspective—shaped by her family’s military service, a childhood of movement and adaptation, and a career devoted to equity—to advance opportunity and justice for women and girls throughout Connecticut and across the nation.

During This Time: 

1966-Present Day: Struggle for Justice 

Learn more about the time period(s) in which this Inductee lived.

Related Links:

Ms. Foundation for Women