Auburn Honors Women's Leadership
from the Pulpit to the Boardroom

On May 6, 2011, Auburn Theological Seminary's held its 15th annual Lives of Commitment Breakfast at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. The event honored and celebrated women across faiths whose bold leadership bridges religious divides, builds community, and pursues justice. Auburn’s Lives of Commitment Breakfast has honored 48 women over the last 15 years, women including Alice Walker, Ruth Messinger, Zainab Salbi and Jane Goodall, whose lives represent a powerful commitment to the common good.

The Honorees  |  The Supporters

Click to watch a short intro video of our 6 extraordinary 2011 honorees.

Kayrita Anderson and Deborah Richardson | @WomensFundingNetwork | @AFutureNotAPast | Through their work at the Women’s Funding Network and in collaboration with member funds, Kayrita and Deborah have sparked a nation-wide campaign called A Future. Not a Past., to end sex trafficking, and to protect and inspire hope in girls who have survived commercial sexual exploitation.

Minerva Carcaño | @UMNS | @Hispanic_UMC | In 2004, Bishop Minerva Carcaño became the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the episcopacy of The United Methodist Church. Today, she is one of fifty bishops leading more than eight million members of her denomination. She currently serves as Bishop of the Phoenix Episcopal Area, Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. She is the official spokesperson for the Council of Bishops on the issue of immigration.

Jensine Larsen | @WorldPulse | Inspired by her years of working as a freelance journalist covering indigenous movements and ethnic cleansing in South America and Southeast Asia, Jensine began publishing World Pulse magazine in 2004. As a young woman who thrived on discussing international affairs, she dreamed of unleashing the creative human potential of women across the globe through the power of media.

Gail T. Reimer | @JWAOnline | Gail Twersky Reimer is Founder and Executive Director of the Jewish Women’s Archive, a pioneering organization dedicated to uncovering, chronicling, and transmitting the rich legacy of Jewish women in North America. In the early 1990s, Reimer conceived and co-edited two pathbreaking anthologies of Jewish women’s writings—Reading Ruth: Women Reclaim a Sacred Story and Beginning Anew: A Woman’s Companion to the High Holy Days.

Chely Wright | @ChelyWright | @RULikeMe | @GLSEN | Chely Wright is the first openly gay female country music star. In 2010, Wright published her memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer and released the critically-acclaimed album, Lifted off the Ground. She established the nonprofit organization Like Me, which provides scholarships, assistance, resources, and education to LGBT individuals, their families, and friends; and joined forces with GLSEN as spokesperson for their Safe Space Campaign. 

"These are challenging times in which true leadership is crucial, but too often runs amok. At Auburn, we’re changing that ... Our honorees represent the kind of leadership we’re talking about. They are making a difference in people’s lives from Muslim women in the Bronx to Bedouin women in Israel, from the homeless in Harlem to those wrestling with the challenges of living ethically on Wall Street."

The Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson,
President, Auburn Seminary

Auburn thanks our supporters for the Fifteen Annual Lives Commitment.