Jessica Hansen of Alliance for Smiles has been selected as a finalist for the 2025 Women Changing the World Awards. Jessica is a finalist across three categories including the Woman of the Year, Human Rights and Woman in Health Awards.
The Women Changing the World Awards presented by Oprah Winfrey’s all-time favorite guest, Dr. Tererai Trent, celebrate and recognize women achieving outstanding success in areas such as sustainability, humanitarian work, leadership, advocacy, tech, product development, education, health and innovation. The awards are designed to recognize the growing number of women who are leading the way in making the world a better place for us all and inspire other women to answer the call to take action.
Dr. Trent explains, “These exceptional women are here to awaken hearts, give permission to recapture dreams and inspire the women of the world to come together to forge a brighter path for all. The rising of women is the awakening of everybody.”
Dr. Trent’s vision for these awards is to empower women everywhere to reclaim their sacred dreams and call on women across the globe to unite and pave the way towards a better future for all.
As Executive Director/ CEO of Alliance for Smiles, Jessica is helping change the lives & smiles of children with cleft conditions & training and equipping the local medical teams who serve them to build their capacity to provide long-term care. The organization has conducted over 100 medical missions across Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, providing over 9,000 free, life-changing surgeries for children.
Outside of Alliance for Smiles, Jessica is paving the path for youth in places like Ghana through her work as VP of the Board of the West African Volunteer Organization (WAVO)m and creating safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community as a board member of Mystopia.
Jessica began her work with Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, then moved on to help create and manage programs at the Women’s Refugee Commission/International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps.
With the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, she resettled over 11,000 refugees to 108 cities across the United States after almost 40 years of displacement, then she she moved to rural Kenya with Nuru International to assist in the launch and scale of education and literacy programs, alongside her Kenya counterparts, throughout primary schools in the southwest.
She spent six years with the pioneering microfinance organization Kiva, creating and growing their international award winning education program, Kiva U, which was also featured in Chelsea Clinton’s book, “It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired, and Get Going!”.
Jessica also helped two tech companies design and launch social impact programs, including Lyft, where her 2019 Black History Month campaign was featured in Oprah Magazine, USA Today, People Magazine and over 150 other media outlets. The other company was Twilio.org, where she helped create and scale the WePledge program, which has grown to be utilized by 39 additional tech companies, including Zoom, Okta, & Headspace. Jessica also hosts The HumanKind Podcast, served as a Senior Strategist for the Impact Travel Alliance, and an Odd Salon Fellow.
Her more than 20 years of protecting and empowering marginalized communities and advancing social justice are being recognized through this incredible nomination.
Read the complete finalist list at wcwawards.com/finalists
The winners of the 2025 Women Changing the World Awards will be announced at the Women Changing the World Global Summit and Awards at Park Hyatt, River Thames, London, United Kingdom on 3 April 2025.