ABOUT NCWI

Our Vision:

A world in which women innovators receive mainstream recognition encouraging girls to equally participate in studying and solving global needs.

Our Mission:

Showcase and promote the forgotten achievements of women innovators through high-tech educational platforms and programs which inspires and teaches girls to use their technical and innovative skills to solve world challenges and help fill workforce demand.

Our History:

Since its launch in 2023, NCWI has boldly propelled itself as a key influencer in awakening society about how women innovators have improved the world and specifically expanded the interest of girls to pursue STEM and innovative thinking, working in alliance with academic, corporate, and other not for-profits.

Women Innovators
Change the World

The National Center of Women’s Innovations was founded by author and activist Jane Plitt in response to the lack of recognition for women innovators in history. Plitt’s research into Martha Matilda Harper, who pioneered modern retail franchising and invented the reclining shampoo chair, highlighted the gap in acknowledging women’s contributions. Harper, a poor servant, opened the first franchise in 1891, long before McDonald’s, and grew her business to over 500 global locations. Without the diligent preservation of Harper’s records by her franchisees and their families, her story might have been lost to time.

Our
Accomplishments

NCWI has continued to grow from an ambitious idea into a national platform for storytelling, education, and public engagement around women innovators. Recent accomplishments include:

Launching signature STEM education programming through the Dr. Gladys West GPS Challenge in partnership with Rosie Riveters, inspiring a dramatic increase in STEM interest among 3rd–5th grade girls—from 11% to 63%.

Bringing women’s innovation stories into public view through the design and fabrication of the Dr. Gladys West Mobile Exhibit in collaboration with Virginia Tech and Trimble. The exhibit debuted at the Virginia Tech Center of Innovation in 2025 and now resides at the Auraria Library in Denver, expanding public access to women’s innovation history..

Expanding the only known database dedicated exclusively to women innovators to more than 1,300 entries, creating a growing foundation for research, storytelling, education, exhibits, and public programming.

Building a national network of partners and champions across education, technology, government, philanthropy, and industry, strengthening NCWI’s ability to elevate women innovators and expand its impact nationwide.

Developing She Changed Everything, NCWI’s next major public initiative—a multi-year campaign focused on elevating women innovators in health and inspiring the next generation to see themselves as future innovators and changemakers.

Strengthening NCWI’s long-term vision and infrastructure by transitioning from a founder-led, volunteer-managed concept to a nonprofit organization supported by professional staff and guided by a governance Board of Directors.

Together, we are defining programmatic priorities, expanding opportunities for youth engagement, and laying the groundwork for sustainable fundraising, strategic partnerships, and national visibility.

2026 – 2027 Plan of Action

NCWI is focused on expanding national visibility, strengthening organizational infrastructure, and launching its next major storytelling and education initiative: She Changed Everything: Women Innovating Health.

Programming

  • Launch She Changed Everything: Women Innovating Health, a national initiative celebrating women innovators whose work has transformed health, medicine, science, safety, technology, advocacy, access, and care.
  • Develop classroom activities, educator guides, youth engagement tools, and creative challenges that help students connect stories of women innovators to today’s most urgent health questions.
  • Build a digital storytelling campaign featuring women innovators in health across social media, email, video, short-form profiles, and shareable educational content.
  • Create virtual and in-person public programs, including speaker events, panels, community conversations, and youth-centered storytelling opportunities.
  • Begin planning for a signature public engagement fundraiser connected to the campaign

Database, Research & Digital Access

  • Continue expanding NCWI’s database of women innovators, with a particular focus on women whose work has shaped health, medicine, science, technology, advocacy, public health, and community wellbeing.
  • Strengthen the process for identifying, vetting, and organizing database entries to ensure accuracy, integrity, and long-term usefulness.
  • Use the database as a foundation for storytelling, education, public programming, social media content, and future research partnerships.
  • Explore new digital tools and partnerships that can make NCWI’s research more accessible to educators, students, partners, and the public.

Infrastructure & Growth

  • Strengthen NCWI’s organizational systems, including donor communications, website content, database management, board engagement, and program planning.
  • Build fundraising strategy around She Changed Everything, including sponsorship opportunities, individual giving, corporate partnerships, and foundation support.
  • Continue growing the Board’s role in supporting day-to-day operations and preparing NCWI for sustainable growth.
  • Position NCWI as a national platform for recognizing women innovators of the past, elevating changemakers of the present, and inspiring the next generation to shape the future.

Exhibits

  • Continue expanding the reach of the Dr. Gladys West Traveling Exhibit, using it as a platform for public education and STEM engagement.
  • Identify additional host sites, community partners, schools, museums, and public venues to bring the exhibit and related programming to new audiences.
  • Explore opportunities to feature additional women innovators through pop-up displays, digital storytelling, and short-form public engagement campaigns.

Your support allows the National Center of Women’s Innovations to have greater reach and to impact the lives of more women. Please consider supporting this important cause.

Donate Now

“The National Women’s Hall of Fame applauds the effort of the National Center of Women’s Innovation to showcase the forgotten stories of women innovators and use their stories and technical solutions to inspire others.   We look forward to working together to recognize extraordinary American women.”

– National Women’s Hall of Fame