matriarch

noun

1. A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
2. (Northern-England)A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.

   “A typical Lancashire matriarch ushers the reassured townsfolk off the premises, confident that her money is safe: 'You don't deserve any business doubting t' Co-op. It's sound enough, and them that doubt it ought to be ashamed of themselves.'”

   “Although the drummer has no musical segments in the film, he remains a central visual presence, inevitably accompanied—and visually framed—by his aunt, the stereotypically loud, forceful, and domineering northern matriarch.”

   “Cornelius Hazelwood – naturally I gave him a name – saw to it that Felix could tell his prime numbers from his square roots. Then Beryl Swinehodge, an imperious Yorkshire matriarch, rolled up to test him on food pyramids.”

3. A female founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.