Chair’s Letter 2026-2027

Dear Yale women,

On July 1, 2026, the YaleWomen Governing Council concluded another successful year, made possible by the support and hard work of our Council members and worldwide chapters. As we begin the 2026–27 term, we warmly welcome four new Council members. These highly accomplished women represent diverse careers, skills, and backgrounds.

This fall marks YaleWomen’s 15th anniversary. In 2011, a group of visionary Yale alumnae launched YaleWomen with a shared mission: advancing women’s voices. Fifteen years later, YaleWomen has grown into a global community of 14,000 members across six continents and more than 44 countries, with 23 global chapters—and we are still growing. In fiscal year 2026, we received two YAA Excellence Awards and, through our collaboration with the student-run Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), launched innovative programming that has reached women students on campus.

As we begin a new fiscal year, we have defined and begun work toward new goals, as outlined in our FY26 annual report. One goal is to celebrate YaleWomen’s past, present, and future. We also look forward to bringing Yale women together to address one of the most important issues affecting women of all ages around the world: women’s health. To that end, we have formally launched YaleWomen’s 15th Anniversary Global Celebration program series. 

This year also marks the completion of the five-year strategic goals established in 2022. Council leaders have begun work on a new strategic plan for the next five years.

With all of this work underway, our passion remains the same: to connect, support, energize, and uplift women. As we pursue our goals, we remain focused on the overarching one—to reach all Yale women. We are half of Yale; imagine what we can accomplish by using our collective power to support one another and move forward together. With that in mind, I invite everyone to encourage Yale friends and classmates to join YaleWomen. 

Thank you all for your support.

With my heartfelt gratitude,

Carolyn Yao

Chair, YaleWomen Governing Council