Ambassadors

Since 2008, hundreds of American women leaders have joined Oxfam America as Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors. Meet a few below, or go here to see a longer list of Ambassadors.

Joy Bryant, actor

Joy Bryant (now starring in the hit TV series Parenthood) first became involved with Oxfam in February 2009, when she co-hosted a reception alongside Cosmopolitan magazine editor Kate White to raise awareness of Oxfam’s work. Bryant also represented Oxfam America at the 2009 Earth Day event on Washington, DC’s National Mall, where she spoke to over 75,000 people about the consequences of climate change for poor women worldwide. In 2010, Bryant traveled with Oxfam's Sisters on the Planet initiative to Cambodia, where she met women rice farmers who are fighting climate change and hunger in their communities.

Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, Ecumenical Officer, Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc.

Rev. Girton-Mitchell is the Associate General Secretary for Justice and Advocacy for the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCC). She helps provide an active voice for social justice on behalf of the NCC's 36 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African American, and Living Peace member faith groups, which include over 45 million Americans. Rev. Girton-Mitchell is a life member of the National Council of Negro Women, the NAACP, and the Washington Urban League. She also holds membership in the National Bar Association, Washington Bar Association, and the Women's Bar Association.

Ubah Hassan, model, activist, and social entrepreneur

Hassan is the founder of Maji Umbrellas, which raises funds and awareness about the food and water crisis in the Horn of Africa. Maji donates a portion of each umbrella purchase to Oxfam’s relief work in East Africa, enough to provide a day’s supply of clean water to 20 people. Hassan's work with Oxfam via Maji Umbrellas was documented in Canadian fashion magazine Flare and awarded a “Genius Award” by Elle magazine. In June 2012, Hassan, who was born in Somalia and spent time in refugee camps in Kenya as a child, traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, to learn more about Oxfam's work and meet with local partners and Somali refugees. Her visit is chronicled in the September 2012 120th anniversary issue of Vogue magazine.

Frances Moore Lappé, author

Lappé, a democracy advocate and world food and hunger expert, has authored or co-authored 17 books and was the 1987 recipient of the Right Livelihood Award. She is the co-founder of Food First: The Institute for Food and Development Policy and the Small Planet Institute, which she leads with her daughter, Anna Lappé.  Her bestselling Diet for a Small Planet is considered “the blueprint for eating with a small carbon footprint since long before the term was coined” [JM Hirsch, Associated Press]. Frances was named the 2008 James Beard Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year. Her most recent book is Getting A Grip 2: Clarity, Creativity and Courage for the World We Really Want.

Amy Leonard, Senior Vice President, Levi’s® Brand Product Management

Leonard is the Senior Vice President of Levi’s® Brand Product Management for the Americas region, responsible for managing product sourcing for the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. She ensures that Levi’s® brand products not only meet the company’s rigorous quality standards, but are also produced in an environment that protects worker health and safety and meets strict environmental standards. She also serves on the Levi Strauss Foundation Board of Directors, is an Advisory Board Member of the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, and works with the San Francisco Friends School.

Meet more Sisters on the Planet ambassadors.