2014 Honoree

Deborah Dugan

CEO, RED

“Today, it costs as little as 40 cents a day for two pills that can stop a pregnant HIV+ woman from passing the virus to her unborn baby.”

Who inspires you the most?

Malala Yousafzai blows me away that she knows the right course at such a young age and is stubborn about changing the world for the better. Truth be told, my boss, Bono, also inspired me to try to live my best life.

What do you now know about yourself that you wish you knew ten/fifteen/twenty years ago?

How important it is to be comfortable in your own skin, to be okay knowing that I can’t please everyone, and to live life passionately at every turn.

Fill in the blank: You can never have enough _______.

Under eye concealer. (Hey, just because I work late doesn’t mean I want the world to know it!)

What city best describes your personality?

Salvador, Brazil. Brazilians are disciplined, (think soccer, samba) then they throw a whole other layer of creativity on top of that discipline. I try to do that- it can take you to a new place.

What gets you through even the toughest days and what are you most grateful for?

Peanut butter and diet coke. Most grateful for what I learn from my three kids and how much joy they bring to my life.

What socio-political women’s issue do you care about the most? Do you feel that women are typically presented fairly in the media? Why or why not?

Ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV is incredibly important to me. Today, it costs as little as 40 cents a day for two pills that can stop a pregnant HIV+ woman from passing the virus to her unborn baby. Still, 650 babies are born every day with the virus. I’m not going to give up until every child has the chance at a healthy, HIV-free life.

Despite separation between Church & State, religion still seems to govern decisions regarding women–abortions, birth control, etc. How do we shift power over women’s bodies to women?

We really need to have more women in political office as well as more female Supreme Court Justices. We are not represented well in congress or elsewhere. It may be because they are thankless jobs but some things need to change: us or the system.

What is your best read? Favorite character you would most like to be?

I just recently finished “The Elegance of the Hedgehog,” by French novelist and professor of philosophy Muriel Barbery. It reminded me of the importance of making room and time for simple beautiful moments.

What will it take for women to be viewed as equal to men?

Education! Education! Education!

What was your best decision to date? Worst decision?

Best decision: leaving the straight Wall Street law firm path to pursue my passion for advocacy and the arts; having three wonderful children.

Worst decision: Married the wrong guy. It happens…

Social media has exploded. How can women use it to market themselves without seeming narcissistic?

Seem narcissistic–that’s ok. That is what social media is.

Write a fortune you’d like for all women to receive in a fortune cookie.

Get ready. You are going to change the world.

If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?

X-ray vision of the soul…