Celebrating a career Dedicated to Turning Data into Action and Ensuring that “If They Can See It, They Can Be It®”
New York – October 13, 2025 – The Geena Davis Institute (GDI) is proud to announce that its President and CEO, Madeline Di Nonno, has been awarded the 2025 Advertising Week “Future Is Female” Lilly Ledbetter Lifetime Achievement Award.
View her acceptance speech here:
This prestigious honor celebrates Di Nonno’s decades-long leadership and impact advancing gender equity, inclusion and representation across film, television, advertising, gaming and media industries worldwide. This marks only the second year the Lilly Ledbetter Lifetime Achievement Award has been presented – following its inaugural recognition in 2024, given to its namesake, equal pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter.
As President and CEO of GDI, Di Nonno has guided the organization’s global mission to engage, educate and influence the creation of inclusive media that reflects the diversity of the real world. Under her leadership, the Institute has become the preeminent source of data-driven insights on representation, reshaping how studios, brands and content creators approach storytelling – ensuring that “if they can see it, they can be it®.”
“Madeline’s leadership has translated the Institute’s vision into measurable, industry-wide change in entertainment and media,” said two-time Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, Founder and Chair of GDI. “Her commitment to advancing equity through evidence-based action has made an extraordinary difference for women and underrepresented communities everywhere.”
The Future Is Female Lifetime Achievement Award honors women who have dedicated their careers to advancing equality and inspiring the next generation of female leaders. The Lilly Ledbetter category, named after the trailblazing equal pay advocate, recognizes women who have paved the way for lasting, systemic change.
“It’s a great honor to receive the Future Is Female Lilly Ledbetter Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Di Nonno. “Lilly Ledbetter fought to change the laws that define equality, and our mission at the Geena Davis Institute is to change the stories that define culture. Because yes, laws can change systems – but storytelling changes mindsets. I’m profoundly grateful to the partners and creators who have stood with us to advance this mission. Together, if we stay vigilant – asking who’s missing, who’s been background, and whose stories deserve to be told – we can achieve much more representation on screen and off.”
Madeline Di Nonno brings over 30 years of experience in media, marketing and entertainment to her leadership at the Institute. She has held senior executive positions at Universal Studios Home, the Hallmark Channel, and Nielsen Entertainment.
Under her leadership, the Geena Davis Institute earned the prestigious Governors Award Emmy from the Television Academy for its “profound, transformational and long-lasting contribution to the arts and science of television.”
As Executive Producer, Di Nonno has also brought powerful storytelling to life through the Emmy-nominated, People’s Choice Award-winning and Gracie Award-winning series Mission Unstoppable, as well as the Gracie Award-winning documentary This Changes Everything. Both productions have advanced cultural awareness around representation and equity in entertainment.
Under her leadership, GDI’s research revealed that women achieved parity in lead roles in family films for the first time in history – influencing how studios approach casting and storytelling. Di Nonno has expanded the Institute’s reach globally, forged partnerships with major studios and brands and led initiatives that have reshaped the way content is written, cast and produced.
Madeline Di Nonno’s leadership represents the very best of what the Future Is Female Awards were created to honor,” said Ruth Mortimer, Global President of Advertising Week. “Her tireless work to advance gender equality and inclusion has reshaped not only the entertainment industry, but the cultural narratives that define how we see ourselves and one another. She is a true changemaker whose impact will be felt for generations.”