Elizabeth Powley '93
War can destroy a region in almost no time at all, but the devastation it causes can last for decades. While it may be easy to turn our attention elsewhere during the reconstruction process, this alumna has focused on the crucially important task of rebuilding. Her work with Rwandan women in particular has been instrumental in helping create a government that can effectively serve the needs of its people.
After graduating from Grinnell with a history degree and teaching certificate, this alumna worked at schools in Lafayette, Indiana, and Bettendorf, Iowa, before earning a master's degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the American University School of International Service.
Since then she's been devoted to helping women find their place as leaders in war-torn countries through Women Waging Peace. Through the organization, this alumna has helped develop strategies to integrate women into peace processes, conducted research on women's contributions to peace building, and provided leadership training and education to women parliamentarians in Kigali, Rwanda.
She has brought the challenges and successes of women's leadership in Rwanda and elsewhere to a wider audience through her journal articles and contributions to the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, and BBC Radio.
Not content with her already significant contributions, she is currently at work establishing a new nonprofit organization: Every Child is My Child. The organization will advocate for access to education and provide school fees for children in developing countries.
This alumna, says one classmate, "took Grinnell with her in a way that most of us could only have dreamed." For her work helping give a stronger voice to a group that has often been marginalized, for making concrete steps for a more peaceful world, and for finding new ways to include others who want to help, Grinnell is proud to honor Elizabeth Powley '93.
