On Jan. 21, a day after President Trump's inauguration, women rose up and marched: over five million worldwide and one million in Washington, D.C.

The historic march is believed by some to be the largest demonstration in American history. The Women's March on Washington has given us a preview of the power of women in today's ever-more connected society. But as always, women have been a force to be reckoned with, especially when they're unified under a common cause.

With Women's History Month kicking off today, it's important to remember its origins. What started out as National Women's History Week under President Carter blossomed into Congress declaring the entire month of March 1987 as National Women's History Month.

The theme this year is "Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business." In keeping with the theme, we're casting a light on 14 trailblazing women who head the departments of insurance in their states. Their backgrounds and experiences are varied, but they all bring a strong commitment to regulating the insurance industry in their jurisdictions to protect their consumers.

Related: 10 states with the highest and lowest homeowners' insurance rates

Here are the 14 women who currently lead state insurance departments:

Alaska: Lori K. Wing-Heier

Lori K. Wing-Heier was appointed director of the Alaska Division of Insurance in February 2014 and continues to protect Alaskan consumers in 2017. She has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry as a broker and an agent. 

Before taking on the director's role, she served as the director of risk management for an Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporation, where she designed and implemented a comprehensive enterprise-wide risk management program. She's also been a senior vice president at a national brokerage working with Alaskan, and was president of the Alaska Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers Inc.

Wing-Heier is a 30-year resident of Alaska. She makes her home with her family in Anchorage, where the director of insurance position is located. Wing-Heier attended North Central Michigan College and holds the Certified Insurance Counselor and Certified Risk Manager designations.

Related: What do those letters mean? A look at insurance professional designations

Arizona: Leslie Hess

Leslie R. Hess was appointed interim director of the Arizona Department of Insurance effective February 2016. Hess has worked in the insurance and financial services industry for over 25 years.

Prior to taking on the director's role, Hess served as the director of compliance and corporate secretary for Oxford Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries. Hess has both private and public sector experience having spent 11 years at the Arizona Department of Insurance.

Hess also spent two years at the Arizona Legislature at Legislative Council and she worked in the securities division at the Arizona Corporation Commission for seven years. Early in her career, she worked as an attorney for both Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns in New York City. 

Hess has a Juris Doctor from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has lived in Arizona since 1991, where she was a founding member of the Cactus Wren Chapter of the National Charity League.

Related: Go-Pro video leads to conviction of auto insurance fraud suspect

 Colorado: Marguerite Salazar

Marguerite Salazar was appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper as Colorado insurance commissioner in 2013 and has continued to serve the state since.  

Salazar's role is key in assisting consumers and other stakeholders with insurance, particularly by working with the insurance industry to bring an inclusive and fair-minded regulatory approach to all lines of insurance under her supervision such as life, homeowner, property and casualty, auto, workers' compensation and title insurance.

Previously, President Barack Obama appointed Salazar as regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region VIII. As regional director she played a vital role in the Department's effort to effectively implement the Affordable Care Act.

Prior to this appointment, she served over 20 years as president and CEO of Valley-Wide Health Systems, a large, rural community health center covering 22 counties in Southern Colorado and serving over 40,000 patients through 26 primary health care clinics. 

Salazar holds a master's degree in counseling psychology and is a fellow at the National Hispana Leadership Institute.

Connecticut: Katharine L. Wade