The ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative is a groundbreaking partnership between ANN INC, the parent company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, and Vital Voices Global Partnership. We are working together to empower young women from across the U.S. to affect global progress, invest in their communities and begin their journey as the next generation of global trailblazers.
Announcing the 2012 ANNpower Fellows
Through a competitive application process during the month of March, Vital Voices and ANN INC have selected 50 young women who are rising high school juniors and seniors across the U.S. to become ANNpower Fellows and participate in the first annual ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum, a three-day leadership training program in Washington, D.C. from June 4-7, 2012. The Forum’s curriculum will be based on the Vital Voices Leadership Model. Fellows will be mentored by 12 global women leaders who are part of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network, as well as executives from ANN INC.
The 50 ANNpower Fellows hail from 24 states across the U.S., including California, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Texas and New York. They are passionate about different issues—but all of them are committed to creating sustainable change in their communities and around the globe.
| Name | Where She's From | What She's Passionate About |
| Alana | Northbrook, IL | teen mentorship |
| Alexandra (Sasha) | Washington, D.C. | global health |
| Alexia | Brooklyn, NY | building young women's self-esteem* |
| Allie | Brooklyn, NY | arts education |
| Allyson | Santa Rosa, CA | building young women's self-esteem |
| Araba | Washington, D.C. | girls' education* |
| Beemnet | Silvery Spring, MD | youth activism |
| Chelsea | Brooklyn, NY | voter education |
| Clare | Seattle, WA | human trafficking |
| Cydney | Albany, NY | engaging youth in community service* |
| Da (Diana) | Torrance, CA | equality through education |
| Daniella | Encino, CA | preventing genocide |
| Eleanor | Pasadena, CA | music education |
| Elizabeth | Baltimore, MD | arts education* |
| Emily | Tampa, FL | global girls' & women's rights |
| Emily | Montrose, CO | volleyball & coaching |
| Emily | Louisville, KY | healthy eating |
| Emily | Boston, MA | feminism* |
| Emma | Bel Air, MD | LGBT rights |
| Greta | Baltimore, MD | arts education* |
| Hanna | Tallahassee, FL | youth activism |
| Jacqueline | Streamwood, IL | public policy* |
| Jennifer | Cary, NC | women & girl's mentorship |
| Jennifer | Houston, TX | education |
| Julia | San Diego, CA | refugee communities |
| Kathleen | Maspeth, NY | education |
| * Katie | Belle Mead, NJ | global hunger awareness |
| Kelly | Johns Creek, GA | math and music |
| Leah | Silvery Spring, MD | healthy eating* |
| Lindsay | Stamford, CT | reducing homelessness |
| Madison | Plymouth, MI | rainforest preservation |
| Mahsheed | Stevenson, MD | global girls' & women's rights |
| Margaret | Potomac, MD | girls' education* |
| Mary-Brent | Covington, LA | youth entrepreneurship |
| Mikayla | Potomac, MD | girls' education* |
| Molly | Mendota Heights, MN | filmmaking |
| Monica | Superior, CO | changing the world through technology |
| Natalie | Glen Rock, NJ | women's empowerment |
| Nicole | Belle Mead, NJ | teen relationship abuse* |
| Rachel | Atlanta, GA | cross-cultural understanding |
| Robyn | Brookfield, WI | fair trade and environmental sustainability |
| Roshni | Carmel, IN | medicine |
| Sana | Chicago, IL | Roman history |
| Savannah | Midlothian, VA | performing arts |
| Shifra | Denver, CO | architecture |
| Sian | Hockessin, DE | finding a cure for cancer |
| Sorangel | Bronx, NY | coaching and teaching youth |
| Sydney | St. Louis, MO | policy debate |
| Tamar | Skokie, IL | finding solutions for immigration & genocide |
| Victoria | Chagrin Falls, OH | forestry, gardening, and animals |
| Yuyi | Chapel Hill, NC | girls' education |
| Zahra | Jamaica, NY | spoken word poetry |
2012 ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum – June 4-7, Washington, D.C.
ANNpower Fellows will:
• Participate in the ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum, a three-day leadership training in Washington, D.C. from June 4-7, 2012. The Forum’s curriculum will be based on the Vital Voices Leadership Model.
• Be exposed to distinct leadership styles.
• Obtain skills and networks to take on leadership roles in their schools and communities.
• Meet 12 Vital Voices’ network members who are established women leaders from around the world and working to improve the lives of those in their communities including: politicians, social leaders, educators and entrepreneurs.
• Join Kay Krill, the CEO of ANN INC, and other women leaders from the U.S. and around the world to attend the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The Annual Awards event is thought to be one of the most inspirational events of the year in Washington, D.C., as it spotlights the work of some of the most influential women in the world.
• After completing the leadership training program, Fellows will have the opportunity to go back to their communities and create projects that will affect change, taking all that they learned in the forum to implement their ideas. Fellows will also be eligible to win project grants that will help put their ideas into action.