2020 has been one for the history books. From Australian wildfires to a global pandemic, many are happy to see the challenging year come to an end. On the bright side, 2020 has been a big year for women. Our series “Lionesses This Month” highlights some groundbreaking women who are letting nothing stand in their way.
Here are the featured women of December 2020:
Kim Ng
Kim Ng made history last month as the first woman to serve as General Manager of a Major League Baseball team. Ng, 52, has an impressive career in the MLB, offering three decades of experience with teams such as the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to the New York Times, Ng is only the second person of Asian descent to lead a baseball operations department. After working as the assistant general manager for the Yankees in the late 90s, Ng rejoins former NY Yankee and current Marlins owner, Derek Jeter in this new chapter.
Sarah Fuller
“Let’s make history,” 21-year-old Vanderbilt senior Sarah Fuller tweeted before the Commodores Nov. 28 football game at the University of Missouri. With full padding and a helmet sporting the phrase “Play Like a Girl”, Fuller became the first woman to play in an elite Power 5 conference.
Fuller, a powerful kicker on the University’s soccer team, was the best chance for the team to succeed after Coronavirus quarantines sidelined many of the team’s players, including their kicker. Though the Commodores lost 41-0, Fuller’s second-half kick made history. “Ms. Fuller was also named an SEC Special Teams Player of the Week and was nominated for the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award”, stated The New York Times.
Gitanjali Rao
TIME Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year is young female scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao. The 15-year-old has a passion for using science and technology to create social change. TIME selected her from more than 5,000 nominees. Rao’s latest invention, Kindly, is able to detect cyberbullying at any stage and encourage thoughtful growth over harmful language. Consumers can download the app or Google Chrome extension on any device. It provides teenagers with an opportunity to rethink their words before hitting send. Learn more about Rao in her interview with activist and Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie here.
The President-elect’s White House Communications Staff
On Sunday, November 29th President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced their choices for the White House senior communications team. The all-female team, several of whom are women of color, will occupy some of the most visible roles in the administration. The team includes:
- Jen Psaki, press secretary.
- Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director.
- Pili Tobar, deputy White House communications director.
- Karine Jean-Pierre, principal deputy press secretary.
- Symone Sanders, senior adviser and chief spokesperson for the vice president.
- Ashley Etienne, communications director for the vice president.
- Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for first lady Jill Biden.
Harris, who will make history as the country’s first female vice president, described the newly-announced team as “experienced, talented, and barrier-shattering” according to CNN.
Read about the women featured as Lionesses last month here.
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