Abigail E. Disney

Abigail Disney is a filmmaker, her first film, a feature-length documentary called Pray the Devil Back to Hell tells the inspirational story of the women of Liberia and their efforts to bring peace to their broken nation after decades of destructive civil war. It is currently playing in theatres. She is also involved in producing a number of other documentaries with social themes, and is developing a four-hour project for WNET/Wide Angle called Women, War & Peace.

Along with her husband, Pierre Hauser, Abigail is co-Founder and co-President of the Daphne Foundation, a progressive, social change foundation that makes grants to grassroots, community-based organizations working with low-income communities in New York City. Since 1991, the Daphne Foundation has made millions of dollars in grants in areas ranging from women's rights to AIDS advocacy, children's health, labour conditions, incarceration and community organizing. The Foundation provides ongoing general operating support to its grantees, along with grants for technical assistance, infrastructure improvement and resource development.

 

Abigail has spoken internationally to a wide variety of audiences on the changing face of philanthropy, women's leadership and the importance of living a life of engaged and intelligent volunteerism.

 

Over the years Abigail has played a critical role in a number of different social and political organizations, including the New York Women's Foundation, and The Association to Benefit Children. She currently serves on the boards of the Roy Disney Family Foundation, the White House Project, the Global Fund for Women, and the Fund for the City of New York, as well as the advisory boards of a broad range of organizations working in the areas of poverty, women's issues, education and environment. And when the groundbreaking periodical Ms. Magazine was in danger of extinction, she worked with Gloria Steinem and a group of other passionate investors to form Liberty Media for Women to secure the fate of Ms. Magazine for future generations.

 

Abigail also acts as Vice Chair of the board of Shamrock Holdings Incorporated. Shamrock Holdings is a professional investment company running five different funds that manage more than 1.5 billion dollars in assets for a diverse group of investors, as well as for the Roy Disney Family.
Abigail received her Bachelors degree from Yale University, her Masters degree from Stanford University, and her Doctorate from Columbia University. While pursuing her Ph.D., Abigail taught English and American Literature at Iona College. She lives in New York with her husband and their four children, one dog, three cats, a fish, a rabbit and an immortal turtle named Alfred.
 

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