hen Pamela Winn was released from prison in 2013, after serving time for bank fraud, she found herself mourning the loss of time: time for herself, time to build on her career and, above all, time with her family.With this in mind, Winn didn’t waste the time she had in front of her: She founded RestoreHer, an advocacy and reentry nonprofit organization working on behalf of incarcerated women, and particularly those who might be pregnant during their confinement.
Not every one of the 50 women on the list started out intending to work in social impact. May Lee had been a broadcast journalist for most of her career and in 2020 founded the Lotus Media House to focus on telling stories about the Asian and Asian American experience. Then Covid hit, and anti-Asian hate crimes began to rise. Lee pivoted the focus of her content, speaking out against xenophobia and racism. “This wasn’t planned. This wasn’t predicted.
For other members of the 50 Over 50: Impact, like Michael J. Fox Foundation cofounder and CEO Debi Brooks, a career pivot to philanthropy was strategic. Brooks likes to say that while many people know the Parkinson’s research foundation was actor Fox’s second act, what they don’t know is that it was her second act, too.