When the National Women’s History Museum honors trailblazing women at its annual awards gala in Washington, D.C., in March, two trailblazing Denison women will be front and center.
Susan Whiting ’78 is chair of the board of the innovative, virtual-first museum dedicated to revealing and celebrating women’s contributions to society.
Lisa Stewart McKnight ’90, executive vice president and chief brand officer of Mattel, will accept the inaugural Evelyn Y. Davis Women Making History Corporate Changemaker Award on behalf of her employer.
The Mattel award, the museum said, is in recognition of “the societal impact of its brands like Barbie on generations of girls, and its purpose to empower generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.”
The March 20 gala will not be McKnight and Whiting’s first meeting. They previously connected on The Hill at the 2024 Remix + Women, a two-day summit designed to strengthen bonds between Denison alums and students.
Whiting had no idea, though, that Mattel would choose McKnight to accept the award at the gala.
“It’s a wonderful piece of serendipity,” said Whiting, a member of the Denison board of trustees.
Since 2012, the National Women’s History Museum has honored literary giant Maya Angelou, acclaimed actresses Viola Davis and Rita Moreno, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta.
Inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Sara Blakely, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” educator and activist Opal Lee, and Shirley Welsh Ryan, an advocate for transformative research and education, will be honored with Mattel at the upcoming gala.
Hollywood icon Meryl Streep will serve as the gala’s honorary chair, and CBS News award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell will host the evening.
“We are incredibly proud to be celebrating this incomparable group of honorees at our gala,” Whiting said. All are welcome to attend the gala, and additional information and tickets are available here.
Mattel has a long legacy — the company celebrates its 80th anniversary this year — of encouraging children to think big and inspiring girls to see themselves in Barbie and brands such as Monster High and American Girl, McKnight said. Barbie was created by Ruth Handler, who founded Mattel with her husband, Elliot, and businessman Harold “Matt” Matson.
“Ruth was a pioneer for women’s equality and challenging gender norms,” McKnight said.
She said the award reflects Mattel’s commitment to initiatives like the Barbie Dream Gap Project, founded to challenge gender stereotypes and help undo the biases that hold girls back from reaching their full potential.
Whiting spent her career at Nielsen, where she became a trailblazer in the field of television research and audience measurement.
She and McKnight said Denison gave them the groundwork to succeed professionally.
“Denison allows you to push your intellectual curiosity,” McKnight said. “You become a curious and critical thinker.”
Whiting said she learned on The Hill the value of intellectual dexterity.
“Everything changed across the course of my career,” she said. “You have to keep learning.”
After retiring from Nielsen, Whiting wanted to remain active in education and mentoring.
Whiting, whose cousin and namesake is Susan B. Anthony, also has had an abiding interest in women’s history. The museum has proven a perfect fit.
“There really was no major national museum focusing on women’s history,” she said. “Often, women were treated as a footnote, and yet they aren’t at all. We need everyone to complete our history.”