Women of the Year honorees include Simone Biles, Melinda French Gates and other inspiring women driving meaningful cultural change

USA TODAY, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), announced the 2022 Women of the Year honorees in conjunction with a celebratory, multi-platform project recognizing women that have made a significant impact on their local communities, our nation and the world at large. These distinguished women have led global companies, sparked insightful conversations, and brought issues to light that have ignited positive change.

USA TODAY’s Women of the Year is a yearlong effort to recognize the strong and resilient women who lead and champion, often quietly, but with powerful results. The honorees were nominated by USA TODAY NETWORK readers and staff and a diverse panel of experts including Anthea M. Hartig, Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Cid Wilson, President and CEO, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility and Maribel Perez Wadsworth, President of News at Gannett Media and Publisher of USA TODAY.

“We are excited to honor this group of inspiring women who have made a meaningful difference in their local communities and the country,” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth. “We are proud to recognize these leaders as Women of the Year and applaud their efforts on a national stage.”

This year’s extraordinary honorees include local representatives from each state, as well as national nominees. Notable national honorees include artistic gymnast and decorated gold medal Olympian Simone Biles, who led conversations around mental health and wellness, philanthropist Melinda French Gates for her impactful contributions to those affected by COVID-19 and other systemic inequities as well as editor-in-chief Nina Garcia for elevating Latina voices with her stewardship of “Elle” magazine.

Women of the Year is a multi-platform project presented across the USA TODAY NETWORK via special news stories, video programming and original podcasts. Interviews with this year’s honorees will appear in both local and national publications until March 28. Additionally, a video special will accompany this program, highlighting original content of these trailblazing women sharing their stories and insightful advice. The show will debut on-demand at 8 p.m. ET on March 29 on the USA TODAY News channel available on Roku, Tubi, Amazon and most smart televisions. An accompanying podcast will launch March 30, with additional episodes released throughout the month of April, available on Apple podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are found.

Girls Inc., an organization committed to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold is the official charity of this year’s Women of the Year program. To further empower the future of female leaders, the Gannett Foundation has awarded Girls Inc. a $25,000 grant.

This year’s program is sponsored by UKG, a leading Human Resources solutions and workforce management company.

To view the full list of this year's distinguished honorees and learn more about USA TODAY’s Women of The Year, please visit womenoftheyear.usatoday.com.

ABOUT GANNETT

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally-focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer Prize-winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services. Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 45 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns digital marketing services companies branded LOCALiQ, and runs one of the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com.

ABOUT USA TODAY

Founded in 1982, USA TODAY reflects the pulse of the nation, serving as host of the American conversation by delivering high-quality, engaging content through unique visual storytelling across all platforms. A media innovator, USA TODAY reaches more than 100M unique visitors each month across digital platforms, with more than 25 million downloads of our award-winning app. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

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