Meet Pennsylvania’s most influential female leaders.
2022 will go down in the annals of Pennsylvania’s political history for producing not one but two firsts as state Sen. Kim Ward became her chamber’s first female President Pro Tempore and state Rep. Joanna McClinton spearheaded the Democrats’ retaking of the state House. As demonstrated by their occupying the top two spots in our inaugural Power of Diversity: Women 100, political power matters in the commonwealth. For more evidence of this, look no further than the longtime state politicians, the quartet of U.S. Reps – who will be joined by the groundbreaking Summer Lee in January – and the high-level political appointees across the state.
The honorees profiled on the following pages – researched by City & State staff and written by journalist Hilary Danailova – include female public servants, business executives, nonprofit leaders, advocates, academics and others who meet at the intersection of politics and policy.
47. Kadida Kenner
Many of this year’s newest voters were registered thanks to the New Pennsylvania Project and its founding director, Kadida Kenner. Inspired by the voting rights advocacy of Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, Kenner launched NPP last year to mobilize as many of the 1.1 million eligible commonwealth voters as possible, focusing on historically less-participatory young and non-white Americans. Kenner, who previously worked at the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, is also co-chair of Why Courts Matter – Pennsylvania, an organization promoting independent state and federal courts.