Washington is a tough town to break into--much less succeed in--and the ranks thin out when considering the number of powerful women who have risen to the top. The number gets even smaller when seeking the diverse faces among these ranks. Here are a few of the diverse women among National Journal's list of the 25 most influential women in Washington.

Mary Kay Henry is the new president of the Service Employees Internatinoal Union, (SEIU) (©2010 Chet Susslin)
Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, testifies in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on the use of dispersants in the Gulf after the BP spill. (©2010 Chet Susslin)
Michelle Obama, April 12, 2011 (2010 CHET SUSSLIN/2019568478)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. (©2012 Richard A. Bloom)
TANDEN, Neera, President, Center for American Progress (©2012 Richard A. Bloom)

This article is part of our Next America: Communities project, which is supported by a grant from Emerson Collective.

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