Kathryn "Kay" Clarenbach was a founding member and the first chair of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and won gains for women's rights in state and federal politics.

Ardie Clark Halyard co-founded the first African American-owned savings and loan association (S&L) and was the first woman president of the Milwaukee NAACP chapter.

Olympia Brown was the first woman to be ordained a minister in the U.S. and was president of Wisconsin’s Woman Suffrage Association for 28 years.

Tammy Baldwin was the first woman elected to represent Wisconsin in Congress and the first openly gay senator in U.S. history.

Mildred Barber was one of the first three women elected to the Wisconsin Legislature.

Debra Amesqua was the first woman chief of the Madison Fire Department and one of the first women fire chiefs in the country.

Shirley S. Abrahamson was the first woman justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the first female chief justice in state history.