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Still Chipping at the Ceiling

Last year, the museum commissioned a survey of 1,100 girls and young women between the ages of 13 to 27. And while 67% of them said progress has been made, 89% believe that men hold most advantages in terms of economic, healthcare and educational access. (Though women today earn more college degrees, men still outearn them.)

Women make up more than half the United States population, yet they remain underrepresented in corporate boardrooms, holding 11% of Fortune 500 CEO positions, and political leadership, comprising 28% of the U.S. Congress. Just 14 women serve as governors of U.S. states. 

“No matter what issue you care about — economic growth, innovation, healthcare, education or national security — if half the population is sidelined, we are setting ourselves up for failure,” the report said. “The challenges of today and tomorrow demand all of the talent, leadership and creativity we have. Yet women remain underrepresented in every arena that shapes our future. 

“This isn't just a women's issue — it's a national issue."

The museum’s interactive website welcomes more than six million visitors a year and serves an estimated 40,000 students and educators both inside and outside of classrooms. Its supporters range from small dollar donors to large foundation gifts.

This week, the museum announced that Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep, a longtime supporter and advocate, to continue and expand its mission and digital-first vision.

“History is shaped not only by those who make it, but by those who ensure it is remembered,” Streep said in a statement. “The National Women’s History Museum has long been a catalyst for bringing forward the stories that deepen our understanding of who we are. I am proud to continue supporting this essential work so that future generations inherit a history that is both truthful and complete.”

The museum will establish the Meryl Streep Educator Award to honor “an exceptional educator each year who advances the teaching of women’s history and expands access to these vital narratives in classrooms and communities nationwide.”

“Girls Can Do Anything”

Campagne Irwin grew up in the Washington, D.C., area. Her father, Bernard Campagne, owned La Bergerie, a well-known restaurant in Alexandria Virginia’s Old Town neighborhood. Her mother, Maryse, worked at the French Embassy.

“They had a traditional immigrant story,” she said, “that you worked hard and studied hard and succeeded.”

She attended a small, all-girls school before heading to Davidson with a deep interest in global studies. She majored in Russian Studies, an interdisciplinary major, and Robert C. Williams, then vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty, served as her advisor. Already fluent in French, Spanish and English, she spent her junior year living abroad in Russia.

“I always loved business and grew up with the belief that girls could do anything. Davidson opened my mind,” she said. “I learned how to learn at Davidson.” 

After college, she earned an MBA from the graduate business school and set out on a career in management consulting and entrepreneurship. 

She spent nearly two decades in management consulting, then founded and led , a company that helped women grow their own businesses. She later served as managing director of impact strategy and measurement at the at The University of Utah. In that role she partnered with top organizations in the social impact sector. She has also taught entrepreneurship, business management and organizational behavior courses at . She’s been leading the museum since 2023. 

She and her husband, Jesse Irwin, a physician, have two children in college and one in middle school. As a mother, she’s seen that the messages kids hear in school, sports and social media perpetuate and amplify gender stereotypes. And that’s where the museum has the greatest shot for change.

Rose Stremlau, Charles A. Dana Professor of History and Gender & Sexuality Studies at Davidson, who serves as a member of the museum's Scholars Advisory Council, has high praise for Campagne Irwin’s leadership.

“As other cultural and educational institutions have retreated in response to shifting political power, the National Women’s History Museum has not,” Stremlau said. “Her leadership has been essential to this continued commitment to be visible, vocal and visionary in advocating for women and girls, our stories, and our limitless potential.”