Women Game Changers 2026

Portrait collage of a woman across decades

From the Publisher

By Shanique Taliaferro | The Game Changers

This edition was created with care, intention, and deep respect for leadership. LaRueList Game Changers honors people fully — the work they do, the lives they touch, and the responsibility they carry. As Publisher, my role was to help shape and curate that vision so it could be shared clearly and thoughtfully.

I have been deeply influenced and mentored by Jeannine Frisby LaRue. She is known by many as "Mama LaRue ” because she leads with generosity, wisdom, and an
instinct to uplift, always making room for others to shine. That spirit guided how this work was approached and how recognition lives on these pages.

With so many deserving women, narrowing the list for this first edition required care, conversation, and trust. This edition is an offering and a beginning — not a conclusion — with many more LaRueList editions to come. Thank you for spending time with this edition. My hope is that these pages connect you — to Jeannine Frisby LaRue, and to the many women whose leadership continues to shape lives, communities, and generations — each a Game Changer in her own way.

-Shanique Taliaferro

Publisher

Two women smiling with colorful tote bags

From the Heart of LaRue

By Jeannine LaRue | Women's History Month Edition 2026

Woman in vibrant traditional African attire with arms extended.

"Game Changers are not defined by a single moment they are defined by momentum."

- Jeannine LaRue
Founder, LaRueList Cafe®

Clearing a Path Forward

There comes a moment when you realize you are no longer walking a path - you are clearing one. I felt that truth in rooms where I was often the only woman, sometimes the only Black woman, always aware that my presence carried a responsibility larger than my name.

I began my journey as a teacher, grounded in the belief that education, care, and truth change lives. That belief carried me into public service and leadership - into spaces where policy is written, industries are regulated, and decisions shape families, cities, and generations. I know the cost of being first. I know what it means to leave rooms changed by your presence.

Honoring the Matriarchs and Other Game Changers

Game Changers are not defined by a single moment - they are defined by momentum. They are women who step into systems as they exist and refuse to accept them as they are. Some cleared paths long ago. Others are shaping them now. This list honors women across generations - the matriarchs who paved the way, the leaders carrying the work forward today, and those whose impact continues to guide us even though they are no longer with us. This is my love letter to women who led anyway - and to those still walking forward.

For the women who cleared the path - and those still walking it.
- A LaRueList Cafe® Editorial Series