Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Born on October 29, 1938, in Monrovia, Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was educated at the College of West Africa. She then pursued higher education in the United States, attending Madison Business College, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Harvard University‘s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her father was a lawyer and member of the Liberian legislature, and her mother was a teacher, providing a foundation for her political ambitions.

Sirleaf returned to Liberia after her studies and served as Deputy Minister of Finance from 1971 to 1974 under President William Tolbert. She then worked for the World Bank in the Caribbean and Latin America. In 1979, she was appointed Minister of Finance, a position she held until the 1980 coup forced her to flee to the United States, where she worked for Citibank and Equator Bank. She returned to Liberia to contest a senatorial seat in 1985 and later ran for president in 1997, losing to Charles Taylor. In 2005, she won the presidential election and took office on January 16, 2006, becoming Africa’s first elected female head of state. She was re-elected in 2011. In June 2016, she was elected Chair of the Economic Community of West African States, the first woman to hold that position.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf married James Sirleaf, with whom she had sons. She is also known as The Iron Lady for her strong leadership. She is the aunt of comedian and actress Retta, known for her role on Parks and Recreation.

Sirleaf’s legacy as the first elected female head of state in Africa is historic. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her non-violent struggle for women’s safety and participation in peacebuilding. U.S. President George W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007. She has received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale, and Brown universities, among others. Her leadership in post-civil war Liberia helped stabilize the country and promote reconciliation. She remains a pioneer for women in politics across the continent.