40. Evelyn Ain

While Ain made her fortune as a teenage entrepreneur, her life as an adult came truly into focus when her son, Matthew, was diagnosed with autism. She immediately went into activist mode and became an informed advocate for kids with autism and other developmental disabilities, as Spectrum grew into the premier national publication on the subject. She has the knowledge, the personality and the political juice to get things done. Look for some very important legislation she’s putting together to get passed within the year.