What do Beyoncé, Tina Fey and Marissa Mayer have in common? They all have kids under 18 and they are three of Working Mother magazine's 50 most powerful moms of 2013. The magazine released its list, which honors moms working in the fields of politics, sports, entertainment/literature, media, technology, fashion/beauty, retail/manufacturing and finance, just in time for Mother's Day this week. The women at the very top of the list range from from pop stars -- like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez -- to Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins. Check out the top ten below, and click over to Working Mother for the full list.
(Text by Working Mother magazine)
Working Mother Magazine's 10 Most Powerful Moms
Beyonce(01 of10)
Singer, Actress, MogulChildren: Blue Ivy, 1Arguably the hardest working mom in show biz, Queen Bey earns a spot on our list for her long list of accomplishments in the music industry, undeniable drive and relentless talent. After giving birth to daughter Blue Ivy last year (Dad is music mogul Jay-Z), this Grammy-winning superstar sang at our President’s second inauguration, performed a dazzling half-time show at the Super Bowl, released a self-produced HBO documentary, dropped a new album, Mrs. Carter (Jay-Z’s real name is Sean Carter), and embarked on a world tour underscored by a $50 million Pepsi endorsement deal -- and the year isn’t even half over! (credit:AP)
Jennifer Lopez(02 of10)
Singer, Actress, Fashion MogulChildren: Twins Max and Emme, 5This Bronx-born powerhouse mama is constantly challenging herself as an actress, singer, dancer, producer and fashion mogul. After leaving her $20 million post as an American Idol judge this year, she’s back in the studio cranking out her tenth album and found time to lend her voice to the kids’ film Epic, due out May 24. As co-chair of Global Mom Relay, an endeavor by the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) to bring greater medical access to mothers in the developing world, she said parents just have one vital responsibility: “You just have to love your child unconditionally, which is a truly natural thing that happens, and just do the best you can.” (credit:Getty Images)
Suzanne Collins(03 of10)
Author of the Hunger Games SeriesChildren: Two KidsA former writer for children’s television, this talented and wildly successful writer mom worked on Clarissa Explains it All and Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! before trying her hand at children’s books. Her first series, The Underland Chronicles, sold well enough to pave the way for her next series, the multimillion-selling book and movie series, the Hunger Games. Now living in Connecticut with her husband and two children, Suzanne seems to favor a low, grounded profile. We’ll see if she can keep that going when her new book, Year of the Jungle, hits shelves sometime this year! (credit:AP)
Sheryl Sandberg(04 of10)
COO of Facebook, Best-Selling AuthorChildren: Sons, 7 and 5This seems to be Sheryl’s year! Her foundation and accompanying guide for women, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead hit the No. 1 spot on the New York Times and Amazon bestseller lists -- a considerable leap for the girl who asked her high school to refrain from dubbing her most likely to succeed because it was “uncool.” As chief operating officer, she grew Facebook to 800 million users and $2 billion in annual revenue in just three years. The former vice president of global online sales and operations for Google, Sheryl also worked for former Harvard President Larry Summers during his tenure as President Clinton’s secretary of the Treasury. (credit:AP)
Sherilyn McCoy (05 of10)
CEO of Avon, ScientistChildren: Three SonsKeeping a heritage brand modern can be a challenge, particularly after difficulties with a predecessor. But Sheri is hard at work turning things around. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, she “embarked on an ambitious turnaround plan that includes wringing out $400 million in costs, sharply increasing sales and almost doubling operating margins within three years.” Sheri’s well equipped; last year Forbes ranked her the thirty-ninth most powerful woman in the world. Before Avon, she spent 30 years at Johnson & Johnson, many as vice chairman of the Executive Committee, in charge of the pharmaceutical and consumer business segments. A native of Quincy, MA, this science-and business-educated maven holds four U.S. patents. (credit:Getty Images)
Ellen Kullman(06 of10)
CEO and Chair of the Board of DuPontChildren: One Daughter, Two SonsEllen has been with DuPont for more than 25 years, and CEO and board chair since 2009. She was first hired as marketing manager in 1988 and rose through the ranks to become EVP in 2006. She’s also a trustee at Tufts University and on the board of overseers at Tufts University School of Engineering, where she’s noticed an uptick in gender balance. “I look at engineering schools today and they enroll 20 to 30 percent women as opposed to there just being three of us when I attended,” she told Leaders online. To further this trend, Ellen sits on the board of Change the Equation, a coalition of more than 100 CEOs committed to improving math and science learning for U.S. Pre-K through 12 students. (credit:AP)
Marissa Mayer (07 of10)
CEO of Yahoo!Children: Macallister, 7 monthsFormer colleague and Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt described Marissa in Time’s 100 Most Influential People as “a pathmaker and trailblazer and an inspiration to women everywhere.” Her controversial ban on telecommuting at Yahoo! was rebuked by many -- including us -- and her recent announcement upping company paid parental leave didn’t erase the misstep. But there’s no denying her impressive list of accomplishments. Currently the youngest head of a Fortune 500 company and a new mom, Marissa was VP of Google, where she was the first female engineer they hired. She told NPR, “That feeling … ‘what have I gotten myself into?’ I realized that sometimes when you have that feeling and you push through it, something really great happens.” (credit:Getty Images)
Jessica Simpson (08 of10)
Clothing Mogul, Singer, Actress, Fashion Star MentorChildren: Maxwell, 1; Pregnant with SecondAfter establishing herself as a pop-country songbird and flirting with film, Jessica’s proven herself a prime example of how a stealth, strategic celebrity sideline can take center stage. In 2010, reports claimed that her namesake clothing, bag and shoe brand was worth an estimated billion bucks, although reporters at Forbes whittled that down to a still-impressive $20 million a year. Mom of 1-year-old son Maxwell, Jessica is poised to give birth to her second child, a son, any day now. She can be seen weighing in on aspiring clothing moguls this season on Fashion Star, offering words of encouragement to those who hope to share rack space with her. (credit:Getty Images)
Rosalind Brewer(09 of10)
President and CEO of Walmart/Sam’s ClubChildren: One Son, One DaughterThe first woman and first African American CEO of Sam’s Club, Rosalind was cited by Fortune as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for the past three years. Previously, she was president of Sam’s Club U.S. East business unit. She began her career as an organic chemist at Kimberly-Clark, where she worked for more than 20 years, rising to president of the nonwoven fabrics business. Roz believes in mentoring women and has established a fund for first-generation college students. “I feel pretty confident that I’m going to make Sam’s successful, but I’m less confident the generation behind me has everything they need to be prepared,” she said recently. “I want to make sure that I make a difference and have an impact.” (credit:AP)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz(10 of10)
U.S. Congresswoman, South Florida; Chair of the Democratic National CommitteeChildren: Three KidsAs DNC chair, Debbie has long advocated for child and family health care. The Long Island, NY, native went to college in South Florida and was in the Florida State Legislature as both a representative and senator. She now represents Florida's 23rd district and serves on the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, a bipartisan group dedicated to promoting women's economic, health, legal and educational interests. “Women should never hesitate to ask for what they need and deserve in order to have a full family life and fulfilling professional career,” the mom of three told us. “My staff knows that Sunday afternoons and evenings with my family are sacred for me.” (credit:Alamy)
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