The 2017 DVF Awards Honorees

The following extraordinary women were honored at the 8th annual DVF Awards in New York on April 6, 2017:

Dr. Jane Goodall

The Lifetime Leadership Award
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Baljeet Sandhu

The International DVF Award
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Yoani Sánchez

The International DVF Award
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Karlie Kloss

The Inspiration DVF Award
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Louise Dubé

The People's Voice DVF Award
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The Lifetime Leadership DVF Award

Dr. Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall was born on April 3, 1934, in London, England. From earliest childhood, she was fascinated by animals and the Africa she discovered in the storybooks of Tarzan and Dr. Doolittle. In 1957, she traveled to the Kenyan farm of a friend’s parents and met the famed anthropologist and paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey. In 1960, at his invitation, she began her landmark study of chimpanzee behavior in what is now Tanzania. Her field research at what was then called Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve—most notably, her discovery that chimpanzees make and use tools—revolutionized the world of primatology and redefined the relationship between humans and animals.
In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to advance her vision and work around the world for generations to come. JGI continues the work at Gombe Stream Research Center and is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It is widely recognized for building on Dr. Goodall’s groundbreaking community-centered approach to conservation and development programs in Africa, and for Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth program. Dr. Goodall founded Roots & Shoots in 1991 with a group of Tanzanian students. The youth program connects more than 150,000 young people in nearly 100 countries, equipping them to take action to make the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment. Today, she travels an average 300 days per year, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, other environmental crises, and her reasons for hope. In her speeches and books, she emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things and the collective power of individual action, urging her audiences to recognize their personal responsibility and ability to effect change. “Every individual matters,” she says. “Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.”
The International DVF Award

Baljeet Sandhu

Baljeet Sandhu is the Founding Director of the Migrant & Refugee Children’s Legal Unit (MiCLU)* a specialist legal, policy and education hub protecting and promoting the rights of young people displaced by war, fleeing abuse and violence and trafficked for the purposes of exploitation and slavery.
Baljeet is recognized as one of the UK’s leading experts on children’s rights in the field of asylum and immigration law. She believes that the law can be used as an effective tool to create positive social change and achieve social justice. As a legal entrepreneur she has pioneered innovation in the legal sector by testing out new models of legal services for young people whilst spearheading access to justice and legal education strategies within the wider social sector. In 2011, Baljeet was awarded Young Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year, and in 2014, she was appointed as a UK Clore Social Leadership Fellow.
miclu.org
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The Inspiration DVF Award

Karlie Kloss

Karlie Kloss is an American supermodel and entrepreneur. Raised in St. Louis, Karlie was discovered at a local charity fashion show at age 13. Since then, Karlie has walked for top designers including Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen and Versace, among others. She is currently the face of several campaigns including Carolina Herrera, Adidas, Versace and Swarovski, and in 2014, was named the global ambassador for L’Oreal Paris.
Outside of modeling, Karlie founded Kode With Klossy in 2015 to engage, empower, and prepare women and girls to learn code, while expanding access to coding education and opportunities. This summer, Kode With Klossy launched a summer camp for young women ages 13 to 18 in New York, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, as well as a career scholarship for women ready to jumpstart their careers in code.
Karlie has also partnered with Momofuku Milk Bar on a vegan and gluten-free cookie line known as Klossies. Benefiting FEED and the CFDA, sales from Klossies have provided over one million meals to those in need. TIME magazine recognized Karlie for her entrepreneurship and philanthropic work on their 2016 TIME 100 list. To share each of these experiences with her millennial audience, Karlie recently launched her YouTube channel, Klossy.
kodewithklossy.com
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The International DVF Award

Yoani Sánchez

Yoani Sánchez is Founder & Director of 14ymedio. She is a blogger, journalist and voice for change, pioneering a movement to establish a free press in Cuba. Yoani has been called a counterrevolutionary with dangerous, extreme views. Her blog about daily life in Cuba has generated controversy and a global following, and her latest project pushes the boundaries of what’s possible: she launched 14ymedio, the first and only independent digital news outlet in Cuba.
Yoani has been kidnapped, arrested, and beaten for her work. But she is not deterred; she says the government wouldn’t react if they weren’t fearful that she’s tapped into popular demand for freedom of expression. Yoani is redefining journalism in a country that has only known state-controlled media. For the first time, news is based on facts, not propaganda. Her courageous journalism transcends Cuba, offering an alternative way to view the Cuban reality – through the eyes of its people.
14ymedio.com
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The People's Voice DVF Award

Louise Dubé

Louise Dubé is Executive Director of iCivics. Founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2010, iCivics is the largest and most successful civic education resource in the country, with a goal of energizing children to get involved in their communities and the government. This school year more than five million students in all 50 states used iCivics games and digital lessons to learn how our government and the law really work. iCivics is one of Fast Company’s 2017 Top 10 Most Innovative Education Companies, a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, and has received Common Sense Media's highest possible ranking. All of iCivics’ resources are free to teachers and parents.
Louise began her career as an attorney and holds a law degree from McGill University, as well as an MBA from Yale University. She has been recognized as a Draper Richards Kaplan Social Entrepreneur. Prior to iCivics, Louise had a successful career in EdTech.
iCivics.org
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Past Awards