Dina Boluarte (Creative Commons via Bruno Batista/VPR)


Claudine Gay (Stephanie Mitchell, Harvard Staff Photographer)


Elif Güveyler (Twitter)


Annika Sörenstam (Washington Speakers Bureau)


Janet Yellen (U.S. Department of the Treasury)

Firsts for Women: December 2022

Zonta International celebrates "firsts for women" in all different sectors in countries and communities around the world.

Looking back on last month, we acknowledge the following women:

  • Dina Boluarte – first woman president of Peru.
  • Mariah Carey – first woman to have three songs on the Hot 100 for more than 11 weeks.
  • Jo Davies – first woman artistic director of Opera Australia.
  • Dana Douglas – first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Rachel Evangelisto – first Indigenous woman to represent Minnesota in the Miss America competition.
  • Claudine Gay – first Black person and second woman to be named president of Harvard University, USA.
  • Elif Güveyler – first woman captain pilot for Kuwait.
  • Rachel Jones – first woman to record 1,000 laps in a year on the Manitou Incline, a popular hiking trail in Colorado that gains more than 2,000 feet of elevation in less than one mile.
  • Borjana Krišto – first woman nominated Bosnia’s prime minister-designate.
  • Katie Ledecky – first woman swimmer to win The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year twice.
  • Maj. Gen. Lorna Mahlock – first Black woman two-star general in the Marines.
  • Tristaca McCray – first Black woman secretary-general of the World Kindness Movement.
  • Chantelle Porter – first Black woman to be selected to serve the Illinois Supreme Court as a judge in the 18th judicial circuit.
  • Heba Saadia – first Palestinian woman referee selected to officiate soccer matches in the Women’s World Cup.
  • Rachna Singh – first South Asian woman to become education and childcare minister of British Columbia province in Canada.
  • Julianne Sitch – first woman coach to win men’s soccer NCAA championship.
  • Annika Sorenstam – first woman vice president of the Association of Golf Writers.
  • Emma Tucker – first woman named editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal.
  • Sheena Wright – first Black woman appointed New York City’s first deputy mayor.
  • Janet Yellen – first woman treasury secretary to sign U.S. currency.
  • Second Lt. Anna Zaccaria – first woman Army reservist to begin her career as an infantry officer.

As an organization that has fought for gender equality for more than 100 years, Zonta International believes it is important to celebrate and honor women who are making history. Each month, we will recognize women who have broken the glass ceiling and set an example for future generations to come.

Do you know of a first for women moment that should be recognized? Share with us at pr@zonta.org. 

3 JANUARY 2023