Yellen, Joyner-Kersee lead Women’s Hall of Fame Class

Janet Yellen and Jackie Joyner-Kersee are the most recognized names in the National Women’s Hall of Fame’s 2026 class. The others are Adele Smith Simmons, former president of the MacArthur Foundation; S. Mona Sinha, CEO of advocacy group Equality Now; and Judit Viorst, an author, poet and journalist perhaps best known for her children’s books, including Alexander and the Terrible and Very Bad Day. Yellen is the only woman who has served as U.S. Treasury Secretary, chair of the Federal Reserve and chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Joyner-Kersee is a six-time Olympic medalist and world-record holder in the heptathlon who is highly involved in philanthropic work in East St. Louis, Illinois. The National Women’s Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 and is based in Seneca Falls, New York.