Fortune’s 55 most influential women on Twitter

Here are 55 of our favorite women to follow on Twitter who actively champion gender diversity and leadership both professionally and on social media. (Editor’s note: The women are in no particular order.)

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Helena Morrissey, CEO, Newton Investment Management and Founder, The 30% Club

Twitter handle: @morrisseyhelena

Number of followers: 7,200

Influence: Aside from heading a London-based investment firm with $88 billion under management, Morrissey runs the 30% Club, an organization committed to advancing female managers in the U.K.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, President & CEO, New America Foundation

Twitter handle: @SlaughterAM
Number of followers: 106,000

Influence: The former Princeton professor and Director of Policy and Planning at the U.S. State Department is now focused on gender equality issues. Her 2012 article 'Why Women Still Can't Have It All' in The Atlantic continues to shape public discussion on work-life balance.

Shonda Rhimes, Founder, Shondaland

Twitter handle: @shondarhimes
Number of followers: 718,000

Influence: This creator of ABC's most addictive television series like Grey's Anatomy and Scandal, all which feature strong female leads, has built herself quite the small screen empire. Rhimes gives her powerhouse characters' a run for their money: Her business prowess earned her a spot on Fortune's Most Powerful Women list in 2013.

Elizabeth Warren, Senator, Massachusetts

Twitter handle: @SenWarren
Number of followers: 108,000

Influence: The senator from Massachusetts is a champion for women's rights and has made equal pay and women's health issues central tennants of her platform.

Shiza Shahid, Co-Founder, Malala Fund

Twitter handle: @shiza
Number of followers: 8,812

Influence: Focused on creating a world where girls are empowered to reach their potential through education, the Malala Fund was co-founded by Shahid after Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl, was shot on a school bus in 2012 by the Taliban.

Debora Spar, President, Barnard College

Twitter handle: @deboraspar
Number of followers: 3,189

Influence: The leader of the all women's college is also the author of the bestselling book Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection.

Padmasree Warrior, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer, Cisco

Twitter handle: @padmasree
Number of followers: 1,480,000

Influence: This high-powered tech exec loudly advocates for encouraging more women to study and pursue STEM careers.

Becky Hammon, Assistant Coach, San Antonio Spurs

Twitter handle: @BeckyHammon
Number of followers: 27,100

Influence: The first full-time female assistant coach in the NBA, Hammon wants to set an example for women athletes who aspire to reach the top.

Anna Maria Chávez, CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA

Twitter handle: @AnnaMariaChavez
Number of followers: 5,682

Influence: Once a Girl Scout herself, Chavez gives young women leadership opportunities early on in their lives--and thickens plenty of Americans' waists by pushing the Scouts to practice entrepreneurship through cookie sales. 

Lauren Leader-Chivee, Founder and CEO, All In Together Inc.

Twitter handle: @laurenchivee
Number of followers: 13,200

Influence: Leader-Chivee's nonprofit campaign is dedicated to mobilizing American women to advocate for issues they care about.

Wendy Kopp, Founder, Teach For All

Twitter handle: @wendykopp
Number of followers: 15,800

Influence: After founding Teach For America in 1989 to improve education inequity in the United States, Kopp has become a leader in both education as well as women's rights--and has taken her business global. 

Sallie Krawcheck, Chair, Ellevate Network, Ellevate Asset Management

Twitter handle: @SallieKrawcheck
Number of followers: 25,600

Influence: This former Bank of America and Citigroup executive pursued a new path after getting kicked out of her Wall Street gigs. Krawcheck started Ellevate Asset Management, which invests in companies with a significant number women in high positions.

Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood Federation

Twitter handle: @CecileRichards
Number of followers: 40,000

Influence: A nationally respected leader in the field of women's health and reproductive rights, Richards is often at the center of the heated abortion debate in the United States.

Gloria Steinem, Author and Activist

Twitter handle: @gloriasteinem
Number of followers: 115,000

Influence: This feminist activist and author is one of the women's movement's leading voices. Steinem co-founded the Women's Action Alliance, a national information center that specializes in nonsexist, multiracial children's education and the National Women's Political Caucus, a group that works to advance the numbers of pro-equality women in office.

Gina Bianchini, Founder and CEO, Mightybell

Twitter handle: @ginab
Number of followers:  15,100

Influence: The former CEO of social networking platform Ning, Bianchini continues to stand out as a prominent leader in Silicon Valley's sea of entrepreneurs.

Zainab Salbi, Founder and Former CEO, Women for Women International

Twitter handle: @ZainabSalbi
Number of followers: 23,800

Influence: The Iraqi-born woman has dedicated her life to helping women in war-struck regions around the world by rebuilding their lives and communities.

Ingrid Vanderveldt, Founder, Empowering a Billion Women by 2020

Twitter handle: @ontheroadwithiv
Number of followers: 17,100

Influence: This American businesswoman, media personality, and investor was also the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Dell.

Aileen Lee, Founder, Cowboy Ventures

Twitter handle: @aileenlee
Number of followers: 17,000

Influence: Who says women VCs don't exist? Prior to founding seed-stage venture firm Cowboy, she joined the venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 1999.

Serena Williams, Professional Tennis Player

Twitter handle: @serenawilliams
Number of followers: 4,400,000

Influence: Currently ranked No. 1 in women's single tennis, William's just won her third-straight U.S. Open singles title.

Wendy Clark, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities The Coca-Cola Company

Twitter handle: @wnd
Number of followers: 25,800

Influence: Clark oversees global design, marketing communications, media, sponsorships and interactive marketing for one of the world's best-known brands. She also was featured on Fortune's 40 Under 40 list in 2009. 

Karin Agness, Founder and President, Enlightened Women

Twitter handle: @karinagness
Number of followers: 7,789

Influence: Agness' networking group supports the education and leadership skills of conservative college women.

Sophia Amoruso, Founder and CEO, Nasty Gal

Twitter handle: @sophia_amoruso
Number of followers:  32,000

Influence: This CEO grew a strong following among Millennial girls after she charted her unconventional path to success in the New York Times bestselling memoir #Girlboss.

Julie Smolyansky, CEO, Lifeway Foods

Twitter handle: @juliesmolyansky
Number of followers: 3,909

Influence: In 2002 at the age of 27, Smolyansky became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm when she took over her father's kefir business.

Whitney Johnson, Co-Founder, Rose Park Advisors

Twitter handle: @johnsonwhitney
Number of followers: 45,200

Influence: The author of Dare-Dream-Do is a regular contributor of The Harvard Business Review where she frequently writes pieces on women and leadership.

Geena Davis, Founder, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Twitter handle: @GDIGM
Number of followers: 8,203

Influence: The famed actress from Thelma and Louise is now working within the media and entertainment industry to improve gender balance and reduce stereotyping of female characters.

Maureen Dowd, Columnist, New York Times

Twitter handle: @NYTimesDowd
Number of followers: 113,000

Influence: The author of Are Men Necessary? frequently moves the needle on gender issues with her op-ed columns in The New York Times.

Robin Roberts, Good Morning America Co-Anchor

Twitter handle: @robinroberts
Number of followers: 920,000

Influence: The morning anchor recently launched her own production company that focuses on creating documentaries and live special events.

Emma Watson, UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador

Twitter handle: @emwatson
Number of followers:  14,800,000

Influence: A UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Watson launched the HeForShe campaign geared at getting more men to support gender equality.

Arianna Huffington, Editor-In-Chief, The Huffington Post Media Group

Twitter handle: @ariannahuff
Number of followers: 1,630,000

Influence: Forget work-life balance, this media tycoon is calling on the country to completely redefine success beyond the traditional metrics of money and power.

Vanessa Bush, Editor-In-Chief, ESSENCE

Twitter handle: @vanessa_KBush
Number of followers: 5,676

Influence: This award-winning journalist became editor-in-chief of Essence in 2013 and is focused on using the platform to empower women around the world.

Kristin van Ogtrop, Editor, Real Simple

Twitter handle: @kvanogtrop
Number of followers:  6,632

Influence: The editor of Real Simple, whose partnership with Time magazine created a great conversation around women and how they view success, is a source of refreshing candor about the challenges of being a working mom. (Don’t believe us? Check out her hysterical book, Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom.)

Amanda Hess, Writer, Slate

Twitter handle: @amandahess
Number of followers:  21,900

Influence: Hess covers women leaders and gender issues for Slate. Her reporting is dogged and her tone just the right amount of snarky; her Twitter feed will both educate and entertain you.

Ann Friedman, Journalist

Twitter handle: @annfriedman
Number of followers: 28,000

Influence: The LA-based journalist has harped on everything from sexism in tech to having a diverse group of friends to the pros of a little bit of objectification to affirmative consent (“yes means yes”).

Kelly Ayotte, Senator, New Hampshire

Twitter handle: @kellyayotte
Number of followers: 33,000

Influence: The GOP-darling and New Hampshire Senator is the youngest in the 20-woman crew of female Senators. Though she’s only been in office since 2011, she’s made waves on Capitol Hill and her named was tossed as a possible running mate when Mitt Romney ran for president in 2012.

Jamilah Lemieux, Senior Digital Editor, EBONY

Twitter handle: @JamilahLemieux
Number of followers: 31,100

Influence: Lemieux was the founder of The Beautiful Struggler, where she anonymously wrote about life as a 20-something in New York, before joining EBONY in 2011. She continues to be a strong millennial voice on race, gender and culture.

Joanna Coles, Editor-in-Chief, Cosmopolitan

Twitter handle: @joannacoles
Number of followers: 91,400

Influence: The Brit-raised editor gained a loyal following during her reign as Marie Claire’s chief, where she mixed serious, informative features with pop culture-heavy pages. She’s taking the same approach at Cosmo—and recently helped the magazine win its first public service journalism ASME.

Alyse Nelson, President and CEO, Vital Voices Global Partnership

Twitter handle: @alysenelson
Number of followers:  3,449

Influence: As the CEO of Vital Voices, a non-profit started by Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Melanne Verveer in 2000, Nelson is all about empowering women in developing economies by providing them with critical resources to help expand their education, businesses and more.

Lena Dunham, Creator, Girls

Twitter handle: @lenadunham
Number of followers: 1,770,000

Influence: Dunham is a triple threat: She writes, she directs, and she acts. At just 28, her success with Girls (and her just-published book, I’m Not That Kind of Girl) proves that authenticity is a fiercely powerful tool.

Susan McPherson, Founder and CEO, McPherson Strategies

Twitter handle: @susanmcp1
Number of followers: 23,800

Influence: The corporate social responsibility consultant tweets constantly about women’s issues.

Kara Swisher, Co-Executive Editor, Re/Code

Twitter handle: @karaswisher
Number of followers: 974,000

Influence: Silicon Valley loves to fear Swisher. She’s a force when it comes to breaking tech-related news and rarely holds back on highlighting the industry’s sexism.

Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code

Twitter handle: @reshmasaujani
Number of followers: 16,900

Influence: The founder of Girls Who Code is on a mission to raise the next generation of female hackers.

Christy Turlington, Founder, Every Mother Counts

Twitter handle: @cturlington
Number of followers: 122,000

Influence: Though Turlington is best known for her face, her fulltime job has a much bigger goal. Every Mother Counts, which she started in 2010, wants to make childbirth safe for moms all over the world.

Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, The Institute For Women

Twitter handle: @MelanneVerveer
Number of followers: 1,854

Influence: Melanne was the first ever ambassador-at-large and director of the State Department’s office for Global Women’s Issues. Today, she heads Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security. ‘Nuff said.

Jean Chatzky, Financial Editor, NBC's Today Show

Twitter handle: @jeanchatzky
Number of followers: 40,000

Influence: The Today Show correspondent (who also writes for Fortune) is a pro on financial tips that are helpful for any gender, though many of her suggestions especially appeal to women.

Maria Shriver, Founder, The Shriver Report

Twitter handle: @mariashriver
Number of followers: 2,320,000

Influence: The Shriver Report, the former California first lady’s non-profit, works to shift the conversations around women and they’re treated by men, as well as by institutions.

Katie Couric, Global News Anchor, Yahoo

Twitter handle: @katiecouric
Number of followers:  1,150,000

Influence: A longtime TV journalist, she was the first woman to anchor a big three weekday broadcast on her own. 

Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator, New York

Twitter handle: @SenGillibrand
Number of followers: 120,000

Influence: Named to the U.S. Senate as a replacement for Hillary Clinton in 2009, she was reelected handily in 2012. She has championed the rights of working women with her FAMILY act, which would create paid leave for all employees.

Cindy Gallop, Founder, IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn Companies

Twitter handle: @cindygallop
Number of followerss: 29,900

Influence: Gallop spent her career in advertising, becoming founding chairperson of the U.S office of Bartle Bogle Hogarty. Now she is a much in demand speaker who has launched makelovenotporn.com, meant to change how sexuality is portrayed in popular culture.

Nilofer Merchant, Corporate Director, Author

Twitter handle: @nilofer
Number of followers: 43,100

Influence: She's a management thinker and strategy consultant with a deep background in technology. Early to social, she calls herself the "Jane Bond' of innovation.

Billie Jean King, Co-Founder, World Team Tennis and President, Billie Jean King Enterprises, Inc.

Twitter handle: @billiejeanking
Number of followers:  123,000

Influence: She won 39 Grand Slam Tennis titles--as well as the famous Battle of the Sexes against Bobby Riggs in 1973. She's been a lifelong advocate for women in sports.

Natalia Oberti Noguera, Founder and CEO, Pipeline Fellowship

Twitter handle: @nakisnakis
Number of followers: 11,700

Influence: Oberti Noguera is the founder of Pipeline Fellowship, an angel investing bootcamp for women entrepreneurs, and an active speaker on women and business.

Belinda Parmar, Founder, Lady Geek and CEO, Little Miss Geek

Twitter handle: @belindaparmar
Number of followers: 11,400

Influence: Parmar created Lady Geek, a creative and marketing agency aimed at appealing to women. She also runs Little Miss Geek, a tech nonprofit that hopes "the next Mark Zuckerberg will be female."

Claire Cain Miller, Reporter, New York Times

Twitter handle: @clairecm
Number of followers:  26,000

Influence: She's a New York Times reporter who frequently writes on the intersection of technology, work and family as well as the shortage of women working in tech. 

Gwen Ifill, Co-Anchor and Co-Managing Editor, PBS Newshour

Twitter handle: @gwenifill
Number of followers:  81,200

Influence: Ifill is a longtime reporter and currently the co-host of PBS's NewsHour. She also moderated two vice-presidential debates and has written a book on race and politics.

Melinda Gates, Co-Founder, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Twitter handle: @melindagates
Number of followers:  568,000

Influence: Yes, she's Bill Gates' wife, but she's best known for her groundbreaking work as cofounder of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.