greatest leaders in world

After the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Mo., Mckesson left his school administrator job in Minneapolis to protest in St. Louis. He met Elzie at a medic training on how to respond to tear gas, and together they began to chronicle events in the shootings wake as they unfolded with breakneck speed. Their award winning online newsletter, This Is the Movement, now has some 15,000 subscribers and the two reach another 100,000 followers via Twitter. My role here is just to amplify the message, Mckesson tells Fortune. We are two of many people.

In 2003, when bird flu reemerged in humans, studies at a key lab in Vietnam run by a British clinician gave the world deep insights into the virus. When that same physician, Jeremy Farrar, became head of the Wellcome Trust and its $26 billion endowment two years ago, infectious disease research got a new global champion. Under Farrar, Wellcome has not only doubled down on Ebola research but also fast tracked clinical trials of potential treatments.

Even as the national debate on police shootings of unarmed black men has simmered just below the boil, few in law enforcement have been willing to talk about it. But thats just what Comey did in February, speaking bluntly about four hard truths of law enforcement and race. It could have been a disaster, but by openly addressing unconscious bias and other hot button issues, the FBI boss earned praise from across the political spectrum and improved public esteem of his organization.

As the leader of one of the most significant new forces in organized labor, Ai jen Poo has become the foremost advocate for living wages and health care benefits for the often ignored and underpaid nannies, housekeepers, and other at home caregivers all over the country. Since 2010 four states have passed a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in large part because of this 2014 MacArthur genius fellows efforts.

As governor of the Bank of England since mid 2013, Carney has displayed boldness and finesse just as he did while central bank chief in his native Canada during the financial crisis. Back then he was credited with keeping Canadas economy healthy, even as other developed nations raced to the brink. Now, with Carneys steady hand, the U.K.s economy is revving up too. The IMF predicts it will grow far faster this year than any other major European economy.

When a bitter civil war tore Liberia apart over a decade ago, Sirleaf helped mend the country, a remarkable feat of leadership that earned her the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Last summer, when another menace, the Ebola virus, wreaked havoc, Sirleaf was slower to act a mistake she candidly acknowledged. But after that tepid initial response, she brought the full weight of her government to bear and helped bring the crisis to an end. To be sure, Liberias president, the first female head of state in Africa, has not done enough to tackle the countrys endemic corruption, but few think anyone but Sirleaf could have helped rescue the country the way she did twice.

Even if you thought Starbucks move to encourage conversations about race in its stores was a terrible idea, you have to admit it was gutsy. Its also classic Schultz. He is known for embracing issues that most CEOs would rather not touch with a 10 foot pole, whether its gay marriage, gun control, or a gridlocked Washington. And with the stock returning about 30% over the past year (double the S&P 500), Schultz has proved that Big Business and social causes dont have to be mutually exclusive.

It has been 15 years since the husband and wife team began their philanthropic mission to eradicate preventable diseases in developing nations. Since then their foundation has doled out nearly $33 billion in grants and made stunning progress toward its goals. New cases of malaria have decreased 25%, and India, after a Gates backed vaccination campaign, said in 2014 that it was polio free.

The former Boston College baseball player has lost almost all physical movement and his voice to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. But his persistence in telling the world about his battle with the neurodegenerative disease sparked the Ice Bucket Challenge the most viral fundraising campaign in history bringing in $115 million for the ALS Association to date. Videos of people dousing themselves with ice water, meanwhile, made the search for a cure a national cause.

The nations largest ever municipal bankruptcy could have been a disaster. It was anything but. Orr aggressively shrank the citys obligations to bondholders and set the stage for a complete financial overhaul. In his first year in office, Duggan proved a driven and effective manager, installing over 20,000 new streetlights, shortening emergency response times, and balancing the city budget for the first time in over a decade.