The Gleitsman Program for Leadership in Social Change encourages individual commitment and leadership by recognizing the exceptional achievement of innovators who have sparked positive social change.
Today, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership announced Billie Jean King as the recipient of the 2026 Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award. The award honors King for her extraordinary public leadership in advancing gender equality.
“We are pleased to recognize Billie Jean King, a leader and activist whose courage and tireless dedication to advancing equality has inspired generations of athletes to demand fairness,” said Secretary Anthony R. Foxx, Director of the Center for Public Leadership and Emma Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership. “By bravely challenging pay disparities, advocating for Title IX, and speaking out for LGBTQ+ rights, Billie Jean King has changed far more than the world of sports. Her advocacy has impacted countless people and communities all over the world.”
The annual Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award recognizes an individual or team whose leadership in social action has improved quality of life in the United States and inspired others to do the same. The award will be presented to King at Harvard Kennedy School on April 21, 2026. Harvard University ID holders can register to attend the event in person.
About Billie Jean King
Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine, Billie Jean King is the first woman athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the first individual woman athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. She is the founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation, the Women’s Tennis Association, and the Billie Jean King Foundation. She is part of the ownership groups of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angel City FC and a member of the Advisory Board of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). In her legendary tennis career, King captured 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon championships, and was the year-end #1 player in the world six times. Her historic win over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes, is one of the greatest moments in sports history. Among her many achievements, King is a New York Times best-selling author and her memoir, ALL IN: An Autobiography, was published by Knopf in 2021 and released in paperback in 2023. Read King’s full biography.
About the Center for Public Leadership
The Center for Public Leadership’s mission is to inspire and enhance the capacity for principled, effective public leadership in government, politics, civil society, and business. We pursue our mission in a learning community of students, scholars, educators, practitioners, staff, and alumni, to bridge theory and practice in three interwoven streams of work: scholarship, education, and community. Learn more about our work here.
About Alan Gleitsman
Alan Gleitsman was a television executive who founded the Gleitsman Foundation in 1989 following the sale of his extensive feature film and television library. A graduate of Cornell University and a U.S. Air Force veteran, Gleitsman’s longtime commitment to social justice was aligned with his philosophy that even a single person with heart and determination can bring about meaningful solutions to challenging societal problems. In 2007, Gleitsman’s Estate endowed the Gleitsman Program in Leadership for Social Change at Harvard Kennedy School, which supports the Gleitsman Leadership Fellowship, the awarding of the Gleitsman Citizen and International Activist Awards, and the Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Change at Harvard Kennedy School.
Contact Information
Meg Weckworth
Interim Director, Engagement and External Relations
Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School
ctr_public_leadership@hks.harvard.edu
Photo credit: Howard Schatz
About the Gleitsman Program
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