When the National Women’s History Museum honored trailblazing women at its annual awards gala in Washington, D.C., on March 20, two trailblazing Denison women were 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, accepted the inaugural Evelyn Y. Davis Women Making History Corporate Changemaker Award on behalf of her employer.
The award, the museum said, was 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 gala was not 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, were honored alongside Mattel at the recent gala.
Hollywood icon Meryl Streep served as the gala’s honorary chair, and CBS News award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell hosted the evening.
“We are incredibly proud to be celebrating this incomparable group of honorees at our gala,” Whiting said.
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 leader 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 the value of intellectual dexterity on The Hill.
“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 namesake and ancestor 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.”