15 AGING BUT DANGEROUS WOMEN WHO ROCK THE WORLD
By Robyn Hall

Time Magazine recently released its “100 Most Influential People in the World” list.  I was proud to see the following women “of a certain age” on it.  I was also impressed that these AgingButDangerous women make up 15% of the group.  Women in total constituted 31% of the entire list.  Not only are they making a huge impact in the world, but finally the world is listening and acknowledging their success.  Congratulations, ladies!  You inspire me and send the message that it is never too late to live your dream and make the world a better place. (Now if only Time Inc. would put you on the cover!)
• Edna Foa, 72 – No one is doing more to end the suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than psychologist Foa of the University of Pennsylvania. In response to the recent dramatic increase of PTSD sufferers, Dr. Foa is devoting time to disseminating her treatment model among mental health professionals in Veterans Affairs, the U.S. military and abroad.
• Nancy Pelosi, 70 – The first female Speaker of the House, mother of five, grandmother of seven, and one of the fiercest female leaders in the free world. The Speaker cemented her place in political history when she finessed the passage of President Obama’s historic health-care reform legislation.
• Sister Carol Keehan, 66 – The leader of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) who has fought to reform health care as an extension of her concern for the most vulnerable in our society.
• Graca Machel, 64 – One of the world’s most effective advocates for the rights of children, women and refugees, Machel is the third wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela and a member of “The Global Elders,” a high-powered group (which also includes Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Mary Robinson) who work together to tackle the toughest global issues. 
• Zahra Rahnavard, 64 – Mir-Hossein Mousavi may be the face of Iran’s Green protest movement, but the government fears his wife Zahra, a committed artist, inspired educator, and tireless organizer, just as much.  She has been dubbed by the local press as “the Iranian Michelle Obama.”
• Temple Grandin, 62 – Renowned animal scientist born with autism, Grandin has shown the world that it needs all kinds of minds and developed her unique talents into a successful career as a livestock-handling equipment designer, consulting for firms such as Burger King, McDonald’s, Swift, and others.
• Elizabeth Warren, 60 – As Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), she is overseeing the $700 billion taxpayer bailout of the U.S. financial industry.
• Zaha Hadid, 59 – A visionary who in 2004 became the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Hadid is known for the powerful, curving forms of her elongated structures.
• Kathryn Bigelow, 58 -  Winner of two richly deserved Oscars for The Hurt Locker, her first feature in seven years in which she captured the intense, skewered madness of war and the distortion in men’s souls.
• Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, 57  – At age 25, she created a biotech company in her garage. Today that start-up, Biocon International, is a $1 billion operation. Every year, Shaw donates $2 million to support health insurance coverage for 100,000 Indian villagers. She devoted $10 million to creating the 1,400-bed Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Centre in Bangalore, India.
• Oprah Winfrey, 56 -  What can you say about the mighty O?  Rich, famous, powerful, multi-media maven who also believes in putting her money where her mouth is, she is considered THE most influential woman of our time.
• Sonya Sotomayor, 55 – The newest face on the bench of the Supreme Court whose life has been shaped by strong women; Sotomayor also brings a deep understanding of life on Main Street vs. life on Wall Street.  
• Christine Lagarde, 54 – One of the world’s most talented ministers of finance (of France) and the first woman ever to become finance minister of a G8 economy.  Lagarde had already made history by becoming the first female chairman of the global law firm Baker & McKenzie.
• Annise Parker, 53 – Houston’s second female mayor, and the first openly gay mayor of a U.S. city with over a million residents. At the polls, voter after voter cited Parker’s experience watching over the city’s $4 billion budget as a primary consideration in their choice.
• Kathleen Merrigan, 50 – Organic food expert and Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Merrigan is dedicated to representing all factions — conventional farmers, biotech, and the average Joe consumer.