From Awareness to Action: Exploring Gender Equality Today

The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents:

From Awareness to Action: Exploring Gender Equality Today
with Beverley Francis-Gibson

Thursday, March 12 at 4:15 p.m. ET

Online via Zoom

Free and open the public.

Offered jointly with Together Women Rise

Sponsored by Kimball Farms Life Care

Join us for an engaging session focused on understanding gender equality and its global impact. This presentation will explore the current state of women and girls worldwide, highlight key challenges, and examine how organizations like Together Women Rise are driving meaningful change. Attendees will gain insights into practical steps and collaborative efforts that advance equality, empowering individuals and communities to create a more inclusive future.

Beverley Francis-Gibson is the CEO of Together Women Rise, a national community committed to advancing global gender equality. Through hundreds of U.S. chapters, members advocate for gender equity, fund organizations supporting women and girls in low-income countries, and foster meaningful connections to amplify collective impact.

Previously, Francis-Gibson served as President and CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. (SCDAA) and brings over 25 years of leadership experience in nonprofit management, philanthropy, fundraising, and grant writing. Her career spans initiatives addressing mental health, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and women’s issues.

She has contributed to numerous boards and advisory councils, including Duke University’s Women’s Services Advisory Council, the Global Patient Advocacy Advisory Board on Sickle Cell Disease, and the Global Alliance on Sickle Cell Disease Organizations. She also served on the Steering Committee for the Black Women’s Health Imperative and engaged with the Biden-Harris Transition Team on health disparities affecting women and girls. In 2019, she was a featured speaker at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Francis-Gibson is Past Chair of Maryland Nonprofits and a graduate of Leadership Premiere. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Junior League of Charlotte, and the Women’s Impact Fund, and mentors through SHE-CAN and Maryland Nonprofits. She founded “Leadership Conversations,” a quarterly forum for nonprofit executives, and has taught fundraising and philanthropy at Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

Her contributions have earned multiple leadership awards, a Certificate of Congressional Recognition, and recognition as one of South Carolina’s Top 50 Women Leaders for 2025. A native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Francis-Gibson holds a B.A. in Public Relations and Communications and an M.A. in Industrial and Community Counseling from Eastern Kentucky University. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family.