Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, serves as a symbol

for the country's modern economy and proves that power doesn't
have to come from being loud or brash. Instead, she proves that
a quieter demeanor still gets it done. And, by getting that done
she means running one of the most efficient and economically
healthy countries in the world that now is also Europe's biggest
creditor to those nations that don't have it so together. Angela
defies a lot of conventions in terms of being the leader of a
country because she is divorced but remarried without children,
a scientist that specialized in quantum chemistry, and East
German.
Although raised in a Communist state, she thought beyond
those borders and took her mother's passion to pursue her
interest in learning and keen interest in others and the world
around her. Perhaps it was this and her analytical nature that led
her into politics. When she experienced the fall of the Berlin
Wall, a new world opened up to Angela and it was then that she
really pursued politics. Since then, this quiet woman has gone up
against powerful male rulers from all over the world, held her
ground, and continued to lead the country through multiple
terms with no competition in sight.
Janet Yellen, Chairwoman of the Federal Reserve Bank, has
a powerful and stressful job but one she seems to enjoy because
of the purpose it holds. As she once noted, ""The mandate of the
Federal Reserve is to serve all the American people, and too
many Americans still can't find a job and worry how they'll pay
their bills and provide for their families. The Federal Reserve
can help if it does its job effectively." Throughout her life, she
has held jobs related to her love of economics. After obtaining a
Ph.D. from Yale University and teaching at Harvard University,
Janet began a long and storied career with the Federal Reserve
that started back in 1977. She also taught at the University of
California, Berkeley and served on the White House Council of
Economic Advisers before returning to the Federal Reserve in
2004. She has been a leader in U.S. monetary policy after so
many years working within the Federal Reserve, providing
insights into the economic situations and even forecasting the
housing crisis that occurred in 2008. While serving within the
Federal Reserve, she has focused on ways to shrink
unemployment and take risks with higher inflation to turn the
economy around. President Obama noted, "She's a proven leader
and she's tough--not just because she's from Brooklyn."