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Women, Power, and Progress: A Global Journey Through History

The World Affairs Council of Charlotte is honored to host Dr. Nina Ansary— award-winning Iranian-American author, historian, and women’s rights advocate on March 13, 2025, exploring the evolution of women’s progress through history.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month in March, we recognize the often overlooked yet profound impact of women on societies, economies, and political landscapes. From ancient rulers to modern changemakers, their courage, resilience, and leadership have shattered barriers and redefined power.

Join us for a lunchtime discussion, where Dr. Ansary will examine the systemic challenges women have faced throughout history and the strategies driving continued progress today.

 

 

 

  • WACC Private Reception Sponsorship and Underwriting (March 13, 2025) – Download Link
  • WACC Speaker Series Sponsorship and Underwriting (March 13, 2025) – Download Link

Program Information: 

Date:
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Check-In and Pre-Lunch Networking: 
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Lunch & Presentation: 
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Location:
Hilton Charlotte Uptown
Cost:
$50 (WACC Member Rate) | $65 (Non-Member Rate) | $35 (Young Professionals of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte — YPWACC) | $35 (WACC Student Member / WACC Educator Member)

  • Please call 704-687-7762 for credit card payments over the phone.
  • Checks can be mailed to “World Affairs Council of Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., CHHS 227, Charlotte, NC 28223.

 

 

 

Biography: 

Dr. Nina Ansary is an award-winning Iranian-American author, historian and women’s rights advocate. She is the director of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum Women’s Leadership Initiative at the University of Cambridge and former visiting fellow at the London School of Economics Centre for Women, Peace and Security.
Her best-selling books Jewels of Allah: The Untold Story of Women in Iran and Anonymous Is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality garnered numerous awards – including the International Book Award in “Women’s Issues” and the Benjamin Franklin Book Award in “History.”

Ansary is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Barnard College, Columbia University Trailblazer Award, the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award, and the Girl Up, UN Foundation Girl Hero Award. She has appeared on CNN International, Fox News, Larry King, the Today Show, CBS Radio, the BBC, and Sky News and been featured in a variety of publications including The Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Time Magazine, HuffPost, Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper, Teen Vogue and The Daily Beast. Ansary regularly presents her work at academic institutions and conferences, including Columbia, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge universities, as well as the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, the World Affairs Councils of America, and the UN Women Commemoration of International Women’s Day.

Ansary holds a Master of Arts in Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies and a PhD in History from Columbia University. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Iranian American Women Foundation and the Advisory Board of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum, an independent, non-partisan think-tank at the University of Cambridge.

She can be found on Twitter @drninaansary | Instagram @ninaansary | Facebook facebook.com/ninaansary