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When it comes to leadership, gender equality has stalled. Yet we know that when women have the chance to lead, they make a profound positive impact on other women and the world.

Vital Voices and our partners at TRESemmé believe women should be equally seen and heard at all levels of society. That’s why TRESemmé is making a long-term commitment with Vital Voices to advocate for and invest in the next generation of women leaders.

With our partners at TRESemmé, Vital Voices is launching the Leadership Incubator, a signature program to provide women in the United States with training, network expansion, mentorship and community to bring their bold vision for change to life. Together, we aim to champion passionate women leaders who look to create a positive social impact in their communities and beyond, daring to achieve their ambitions despite the barriers they may face.

The year-long incubator program is a customized opportunity for women in the United States to substantially grow their leadership and technical capacity, networks, vision and impact. Participants will convene in New York, NY in October 2019 for a week-long, in-person program featuring leadership training, communications and storytelling workshops, community building and mentorship. Virtual training throughout the year will allow participants to build upon their action plan with the tools they need to turn their idea into reality. Participants will also be able to apply for small seed funding opportunities to help implement their projects.

The Leadership Incubator hopes to support those who identify as women (ages 20-35) in the United States who are at an early stage or tipping point in their leadership journey. Women who are committed to making a difference in their community and/or industry, creatively pursuing social impact, elevating the voices of and opportunities for others, and paying it forward should apply.
Applications for this fellowship are currently closed. Please sign up here if you would like to be informed of available applications.

2019 LEADERSHIP INCUBATOR FELLOWS

Sophie Sandberg

2019 Fellow, Chalk Back / Cat Calls of New York

Sophie Sandberg is an artist, activist, professional speaker and founder of the popular initiative against street harassment, Catcalls of NYC. For her undergraduate honors thesis, she researched the impact of NYC-based street art that responds to racial and gender-based violence and received high honors. She has five years of experience with communications, marketing and non-profit work. Now, she is developing a sustainable financial structure for “Chalk Back,” an international youth-led movement inspired by Catcalls of NYC.

SophieSandberg
United States

Shaunah Margaret

2019 Fellow, Co-Founder, Women Who Create

Imported from Detroit, Shaunah’s penchant for creativity began as a child, filling up journals with sketches and poems. Her eye for design and uncanny ability for acing spelling tests led her to pursue a degree in Advertising Design at College for Creative Studies. She was accepted as a 4A’s MAIP fellow in 2012, where she started as a copywriting intern at BBH, NY. She was then sought out by Steve Stoute of Translation, where she continued her journey writing and designing social content. She continued at Tenthwave and Tribal Worldwide, where she helped launch campaigns for Advil, Milky Way, and Robitussin, among others. She is now a Senior Copywriter working on Verizon Wireless at Rauxa. In January of 2018, Shaunah and her partner Ashlea Ramirez launched the first ever mentorship program for women of color run by women of color, Women Who Create, which connects college students with women in creative fields. Over 485 women have participated and it continues to grow every year. Shaunah was also nominated as one of the participants for HP’s #MoreLikeMe, a first of its kind pilot program to champion diverse creative talent, sending 18 participants to the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. Last year she was featured in The Drum’s 50 under 30 list of creative women and this year she was selected as a 4A’s Maiper to Watch. When she’s not glued to her computer screen, Shaunah hosts a book club, organizes dance events, and is a serious Spotify playlist curator.

ShaunahMargaret
United States

Sage Quiamno

2019 Fellow, Co-Founder, Future for Us

Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno is the co-founder of Future for Us, a platform dedicated to advancing womxn of color in the workplace through community, culture and career development. Future for Us provides tools and support to individuals and companies that employ them, creating an enabling environment for women of color thrive, and ensure continued growth, innovation and economic development. Sage is a passionate pay equity advocate, thriving community architect, and diversity, equity and inclusion champion. She has been mentioned in Forbes‚Äã ‚Äãtwice, GeekWire‚Äã, ‚ÄãThe Seattle Times‚Äã, and was featured in Women of Silicon Valley‚Äã and ‚ÄãSeattle Refined‚Äã. She has spoken at SXSW, the Women’s March, Microsoft, Starbucks, and tech startups like Dropbox, PayScale and more. Through her work as a salary negotiation instructor, she has helped over 4,000 women in salary negotiation training, she helped secure half a million dollars of salary increases and positioned over 150 promotions for female professionals. Her drive and enthusiasm to fight for pay equity and women’s advocacy, especially for womxn of color, has launched her to the forefront of the womxn’s rights movement and continues to champion for womxn’s advocacy in the workplace.

SageQuiamno
United States

Sara Shokouhi

2019 Fellow, Founder & CEO, b.WR

Sara Shokouhi is the Founder and CEO of b.WR, a revolutionary organic, eco-friendly bamboo fabric undergarment line providing the softest, most breathable, luxurious underwear for your favorite body parts. She founded the company to create a range of underwear that is luxuriously soft, yet strong, moisture-wicking, light, breathable, and hypoallergenic for the most comfortable wear. The perfect product was found in an intimate line crafted from bamboo that has a style for every occasion including bikini styles, lace thongs, everyday thongs, briefs, and boxer briefs. b.WR also believes in embracing sexual health in a powerful, sexy and classy way and hopes to inspire others to do the same. Through Sara’s passion for public affairs and activism, she has implemented activism and awareness as a core value of b.WR. Donating to different sexual health organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, b.WR is committed to comfort and confidence while supporting sexual healthcare accessibility, education, and awareness. This is a brand for everyone, promoting wellness and hoping to break down the stigma around sexual health while creating a community of inclusivity. Everyone deserves to feel confident, sexy and comfortable all the way down to their underwear!

 

Sara studied Political Science and Pre-Law at the University of Washington while starting the largest performance contemporary dance company on campus, Aura Dance Company. She currently dances for the largest non-profit hip-hop dance company in San Diego, Culture Shock.

SaraShokouhi
United States

Rubini Naidu

2019 Fellow, Founder & CEO, Krupa

Rubini Naidu is Founder and CEO of Krupa, a novel community mobilization platform that connects nonproÔ¨Åts with individual donors through visual storytelling to foster ongoing relationships. Krupa is born out of Rubini’s experience in international development and visual storytelling over the last ten years where she observed how bottom-up change needs to be more accessible, and that leaders of local change deserve more visibility and community support. Rubini was recently awarded a 2018-2019 Fulbright scholarship to conduct the pilot phase of Krupa, thereby exploring the overarching question of how international development can be decolonized. Rubini previously worked on Melinda Gates’ Ô¨Çagship women’s health project through the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute in slums of Asia and Africa, and trained local nonproÔ¨Åt leaders in East Africa through the Foundation For Sustainable Development. Rubini also served as an instructor of photography for inner-city Baltimore teens through the Baltimore Youth Film Arts at the Johns Hopkins University Film and Media Studies program. Rubini received her master’s from Columbia University where she studied sociocultural anthropology, documentary photography, and social enterprise on a merit-based scholarship. She completed her undergraduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University in psychology and photography.

RubiniNaidu
United States

Ramya Dronamraju

2019 Fellow,

Ramya Dronamraju is a public health professional who is dedicated to improving health outcomes for girls and women around the world. She holds a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in maternal and child health. Additionally, Ramya is an Analyst on the Maternal and Child Health team at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, where she works on projects related to substance use, maternal health, postpartum depression, and health disparities. Ramya is currently developing a company that would bring mental health access to teenage and college-aged women through a therapy app. This app will focus on educating women about healthy relationships and reducing the incidence of intimate partner violence. A millennial herself, Ramya is passionate about providing young women with the resources they need to empower themselves in a relationship. Ramya was one of twenty winners of the 2019 GRL PWR Project sponsored by Victoria’s Secret Pink for her app proposal. This was the first step in the initiation of Ramya’s app. Although it is in its earliest stages, Ramya looks forward to building and expanding this organization into a safe space for anyone who may need it.

RamyaDronamraju
United States

Quynh Onel

2019 Fellow, Founder & CEO, Project 925

Quynh Onel is the Founder & CEO of Project 925, a destination for women’s workwear. She launched Project 925 in August 2018 out of her own frustration with limited options for stylish, quality, and fair priced work clothes. Quynh is deeply passionate about supporting professional women in their careers which is a core part of Project 925’s mission. Not only is Project 925 building a marketplace that empowers women to embrace their own style and feel more confident in the workplace, it is also connecting its customers to build a community of career women who can support each other in meaningful ways. Prior to starting Project 925, Quynh had a career in Management Consulting at Bain & Company and Accenture. She received her MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California.

QuynhTran
United States

Nina Barnett

2019 Fellow, Founder & CEO, Grooop

Nina Barnett is the Founder and CEO of Grooop, a start-up app company based on safety for college students. She started Grooop when she was 18 years old going into her sophomore year of college, and soft launched in the app store June of 2017 when she was only 19. She continued to grow and cultivate the app and company throughout her college experience. As of right now, Grooop is 100% self-funded! Nina graduated in May of 2019 with a dual degree in Physics and Dramatic Arts with a minor in mathematics. She served as an event planner all four years of college working with a large budget, and continues to do some event planning on the side. In her spare time she is a standup comedian, actor, and singer. She is also a proud member of the Female Founder Collective.

NinaBarnett
United States

Nicole Larchar

2019 Fellow, Co-Founder, Define the Line

Nikki Larchar, SHRM-CP, is a trainer, speaker, author, and co-founder of Define the Line, a comic book workplace harassment prevention training tool. Nikki is enthusiastic to work with organizations who are ready to end workplace harassment and spark real change. As a trainer and speaker, she has helped individuals and teams understand what it means to speak up and define the line for themselves and others. The Define the Line teams work has been featured nationally with media outlets such as NPR, SHRM, HR Dive, and HR Bartender. When Nikki is not inspiring teams, you can find her sipping a margarita on the beach in Cocoa, FL.

NikkiLarchar
United States

Nia Wellman

2019 Fellow, CEO and Founder, Campus Curlz, Inc.

Nia Wellman, commonly known as Nia Imani, is an innovative digital marketer, content and social media strategist, and business consultant with a proven track record of results and high engagement. She is well-versed in the cosmetics, multiethnic hair, and beauty technology industries, where she has created experiential marketing activations and experiences for top brands. She has amassed a combined social media following of 165,000+ supporters through her content creation on YouTube. She is also the CEO and Founder of Campus Curlz, Inc., a national collegiate organization that provides opportunities, resources, and educational support to more than 500 women and men on 13+ college and university campuses. Campus Curlz also doubles as a marketing agency where they partner with beauty, lifestyle, and educational brands to gain traction within the multicultural millennial and Gen-Z community. This September, she plans to launch her first book coined “Brand Like A Girl: Transforming Your Platform Into An Empire” accompanied by her digital community that will train women of color on how to successful launch and maintain digitally native brands.

NiaWellman
United States

Natalie Tung

2019 Fellow, Co-Founder and Executive Director, HomeWorks Trenton

Natalie is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of HomeWorks Trenton, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates a community-based after-school boarding program that provides academic and social-emotional enrichment activities, dorm living and nutritious meals to supplement public schools, empowering women and building community leaders. Since 2016, she has developed a comprehensive business, funding and operational strategy, ran 2 successful pilot HomeWorks residential programs and managed a team of 11. She has raised over $350,000 in cash and committed in-kind donations. Natalie has taught English, Math and Chinese in Trenton and Hong Kong, and coached middle and high school students at the Princeton Junior Squash Program. Natalie was also the Residential Coordinator at The Lawrenceville Summer Scholars, where she spent the year developing the staff and organizational structure of the program and oversaw 160 students. She graduated from Princeton University in 2018 with a concentration in English and certificate in Teacher Prep, and was a member of the Varsity Women’s squash team. She is the recipient of the McKinsey & Company Undergraduate Women’s Impact Award, Princeton ReachOut Domestic Fellowship, Princeton Art Lane ’34 Award, and Princeton A. James Jr Fisher Award. Natalie was born and raised in Hong Kong, and currently lives in New Jersey.

NatalieTung
United States

Nan Liu

2019 Fellow, Chief Catalyst Officer, The Coaching Fellowship

Nan Liu is passionate about creating opportunities for people to reach their greater potential. She is the Chief Catalyst Officer at The Coaching Fellowship, a non-profit organization that nurtures and brings together the world’s high potential young women leaders of impact. In the last 4 years under Nan’s leadership, The Coaching Fellowship has served over 700 young women leaders in more than 60 countries.

 

Previously, Nan’s experience includes connecting high school students with new cultures, building public-private partnerships at international organizations, and developing product and service solutions at tech startups.

NanLiu
United States

Maria Dyshel

2019 Fellow, Tangible AI

A technology leader and social entrepreneur, Maria focuses on projects that use technology and artificial intelligence to improve people’s lives globally. She currently strives to empower the social sector with artificial intelligence through Tangible AI, an AI consulting company that helps non-profits and social businesses to develop AI solutions. Previously, she founded Engineers Without Borders Jerusalem and was a co-founder of Genesis, a non-profit that strives to decrease the prevalence of genetic diseases in the Bedouin communities in the Middle East. In her last position, she supported the digital transformation in Sanofi as a Digital Catalyst. Maria was featured in Forbes Israel 30 under 30 list, and is a Google Anita Borg Scholar. She holds a BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an MSc in Computer Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

MariaDyshel
United States

Marisol Velez

2019 Fellow, Pinqy Ring

Marisol Vélez (aka Pinqy Ring) first shook hands with the microphone at 15 when her love for learning Hip Hop songs turned into a curiosity to try it for herself. A tough childhood, troubled teens and a catastrophic car accident all worked to mold the young artist into the powerful MC she is today. The accident, which left Pinqy in a coma, served as the defining point in her life as she realized that telling her story was paramount. Since then, Pinqy has captivated audiences nationwide and has represented on international stages such as Belgium, Morocco, Spain, Cambodia, Cuba, Thailand and Vietnam. Pinqy Ring is a two-time recipient of the City of Chicago’s Individual Artist Program grant, and the awardee of a 2018 Illinois Arts Council grant. Pinqy is a Cultural Ambassador for the United States, traveling overseas and teaching conflict resolution through Hip Hop. Pinqy performs as Rosina for Chicago Fringe Opera’s “The Rosina Project” – a Hip Hop iteration of The Barber of Seville, and is also a national speaker spreading her message of hope, perseverance, and self-worth at educational institutions and organizations across the U.S.. Pinqy prides herself in her lyrical prowess, stage presence and Spanish/English rhymes, but also in the courage to fearlessly share her story and connect with people while doing so. As a Chicago Latina artist on the rise, Pinqy Ring shines bright with the determination to tell her truth authentically while encouraging others to live in theirs unapologetically.

MarisolVelez
United States

Kawanza Billy

2019 Fellow, Founder & and Social Impact Strategist at K.Billy Push

Kawanza Billy is Founder and Social Impact Strategist at K.Billy Push, a consulting company dedicated to creating and improving social impact initiatives. Kawanza received her B.A. from The City University of New York at John Jay College where she majored in Political Science concentrating in Urban and Community Affairs. She is known for her ability to utilize her creativity to foster new processes, programs, and systems that impact experience, sustainability and visibility. She’s a leader who gravitates towards opportunities to provide resources and support to those in need.

When Kawanza isn’t igniting the light in others, she is serving as Chapter Leader for the National Cervical Cancer Coalition and Civic Engagement Chair of the Greater Washington National Urban League-Thursday Network.

KawanzaBilly
United States

Kathryn Wehunt

2019 Fellow, Founder & Executive Director, The Formation Project

Kat Wehunt is a compassionate survivor leader with a discontent for injustice in the anti-human trafÔ¨Åcking movement. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice with a focus on Victimology from Florida International University. Currently, she is the Founder and Executive Director of The Formation Project, a non proÔ¨Åt in Charleston, SC. She also chairs the Survivor Leader / Lived Experience Expert Subcommittee for the South Carolina Human TrafÔ¨Åcking Task Force, and serves as a Human TrafÔ¨Åcking Advisory Consultant for the Lynch Foundation. Kat has experience with victim advocacy and ministry environments, and has learned how relationships can fuel productivity. She has served at the Julie Valentine Center, Set Free Alliance, and an anti-human trafÔ¨Åcking organization focusing their efforts in India. Most recently, Kat served as a care coordinator at SWITCH, where she walked alongside survivors of human trafÔ¨Åcking on their paths to healing. Kat’s heart is to use her experience as a survivor, along with her professional experience, to bring more awareness to the issue of human trafÔ¨Åcking, and to empower everyone to take action against this injustice. Kat is expectant to have dreams come to fulÔ¨Ållment, and is grateful to serve alongside those Ô¨Åghting human trafÔ¨Åcking and sexual exploitation in South Carolina and around the nation.

KatWehunt
United States

Judith Martinez

2019 Fellow, Founder & CEO, InHerShoes

Judith Martinez is the Founder and CEO of InHerShoes, the modern woman’s community for courage. A female-led, social impact-driven organization committed to catalyzing courage for young girls and women around the world, their mission is simple: activate the genius of a generation to make a difference in their communities now. Through InHerShoes, Judith is redefining traditional standards of what it looks like to be a successful woman today, particularly in the world of entrepreneurship, media, and social impact.

 

Judith has worked with organizations such as Ashoka, GOOD Inc., Mind Hatch, and the Transformative Action Institute, and has shared her voice on behalf of youth at the United Nations Youth Assembly. She has co-authored Students Lead Now, the first book written by students, for students, on student leadership in the higher education space. Alongside Echoing Green fellows, Judith helped build the foundation for a social innovation and leadership program at Claremont McKenna College to equip college students with 21st-century skill sets for success. She was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee for her commitment to first generation women and transforming what it means to be a non-profit in this day and age. Finally, Judith was recognized by CSQ Magazine #NextGen10 Entrepreneurs in Innovation & Tech for her rising leadership and impact in Arts, Culture, and Philanthropy in the Los Angeles entrepreneurial eco-system.

JudithMartinez
United States

Joan Erakit

2019 Fellow, CEO, Open Boarders

With a background in communications, development, and administration, Joan has worked for Africa Center for Peace & Democracy, Open Society Foundations, and‚Äã Inter Press Service. She has also worked as a consultant for the ‚ÄãUnited Nations Population Fund, as well as a United Nations Correspondent for ‚ÄãInter Press Service ‚Äãand a teacher at ‚ÄãScuola Holden. Splitting her time between the US and Italy, Joan currently runs Open Borders, a three-part social innovation project focused on storytelling to promote inclusivity, integration, and education, and a creative agency called ‚ÄãLittle Bird Creatives‚Äã. Her writings have been published by ‚ÄãCool Hunting, The HuffPost, Marie Claire, Essence, The Minneapolis City Pages, The World Post, Inter Press Service, La Voce di New York ‚Äãand ‚ÄãOkayAfrica.

JoanErakit
United States

Jennifer Mandelblatt

2019 Fellow, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Platform

Jennifer Mandelblatt is a Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Platform. In this role, she serves as the facilitator for the Directors Team, focuses on Platform’s growth and expansion, fosters a national community of young leaders, leads trainings on legislative engagement across the country, and organizes lobbying initiatives. She received her B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations with a minor in Inequality Studies from Cornell University in May 2017, just months before the team relaunched Platform. While on campus, Jen was featured in Business Insider’s 2015 article, “19 Incredibly Impressive Students at Cornell.” She interned with the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau and the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Outside of Platform, Jen serves as the Congressional Council Co-Liaison for the Women’s Information Network and Co-Chair of the Young Democrats of the Woman’s National Democratic Club.

JenniferMandelblatt
United States

Jazmine Davis

2019 Fellow, Founder, Jazmine Kionna

Jazmine Davis is the founder of Jazmine Kionna, a luxury shoe brand centered around style, affordability and comfort. As her designer shoes collected dust, she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and entered the world of research and development for a Fortune50 company. In New York, she learned the components of a high-heeled shoe, how critical the insole and last are to the comfort of high heels, and from there she sampled materials from various insole companies to find out what would provide maximum comfort. After developing a model, she began reaching out to designers at The Universite des Chaussures of New Orleans where they crafted the first official prototype. After creating five stylish pairs of shoes, she began to work with a North American manufacturer for production. By utilizing her love for color blocking, print clashing, and texture mixing, she created a versatile shoe collection that is appropriate for any occasion. Jazmine Kionna, LLC is shaking up the industry by providing both comfortable and affordable heels that women can wear to work and for play!

JazmineDavis
United States

Chavonne Hodges

2019 Fellow, Founder, GrillzandGranola, LLC

Chavonne Hodges is a former HR professional by day and fitness entrepreneur/ community organizer by night. With a passion for education, fitness, and creativity, in 2016, she launched GrillzandGranola, a fitness company that curates and creates innovative wellness and fitness experiences for women of color, starting with their signature TrapAerobics class.

 

Since launching, she has captured the attention of companies like Facebook, Tumblr and Droga5 and garnering various features by publications like ClassPass, Bustle, The Grio and Yahoo! Lifestyle and more. In 2017, she sold created and sold diverse stock images, which eventually landed her first modeling job for Target’s C9 Champion “A New Kind of Strong” campaign. Then in 2018, she launched ZEN DAY, the first and only half-day wellness conference for 150+ NYC-based women of color to learn how to be collectively well. Chavonne, named by the Drum as “50 Under 30 Creative Leaders of Tomorrow” now works as a full-time Wellness entrepreneur.

ChavonneHodges
United States

Jasmine L. Blanks Jones

2019 Fellow, Founder, B4 Youth Theatre

Jasmine L. Blanks Jones is the Founder of B4 Youth Theatre, a nonprofit that provides arts education programming for young people in Liberia, West Africa and cultural exchange programs in the United States. Burning Barriers Building Bridges (B4) Youth Theatre empowers young people to become educated citizens through the arts. Having received her Masters degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, Jasmine is currently pursuing a dual PhD in Education, Culture and Society and in Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

She has been awarded as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar, Dr. William Fontaine Fellow in Africana Studies, and a George and Alice S. Hill Fellow in education. More recently, she has been awarded a grant through the Health Policy Research Scholars program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She earned a BS in Music Education from Florida A&M University and taught public school music for nearly seven years in Maryland, with a focus on world music, American music history and performance. She is driven by her passion for performance ethnography and the aspirations of her students in Liberia and the United States.

JasmineLBlanksJones
United States

Charity Blanchett

2019 Fellow, The Dipping Spoon Foundation

Charity Sophia Blanchett was born and raised in Alaska. She is of Yupik Eskimo and African American descent. Raised in a little town called Wasilla, Charity graduated high school in 2004 and enrolled at a local university in Anchorage, Alaska. She worked in various fields including as a political canvasser and at Nordstrom’s and various small fashion boutiques. In 2010, she co-founded Bodyphlo, a high-end ladies performance athletic wear boutique. In 2015 she left Bodyphlo to operate, instruct and run retail at Anchorage Cycle, a start-up boutique cycle studio modeled after SoulCycle. Co-founding, operating and instructing brought her incredible joy, but she still felt empty.

 

In the summer of 2016, Charity moved out of Alaska to Hawaii, and now lives full time in New Orleans, Louisiana. Living in New Orleans inspired her to enter philanthropy. Her organization, the Dipping Spoon Foundation, is a startup non-profit whose mission is identifying and cultivating the next generation of Alaska Native culinary youth by providing and empowering aspiring chefs with a fully paid culinary scholarship. Recipients will broaden and inspire Alaska’s burgeoning culinary scene with knowledge, experience, culture and heritage.

CharityBlanchett
United States

Cassandra Gibson

2019 Fellow, Co-Founder and Director of Product Design, Kliit Health

Cassy Gibson is a UX designer with a background in biomedicine and medical humanities. Drawing on her specialized knowledge of healthcare and patient experience, Cassy works with product teams and clients to bring life to problem-solving products. Cassy has worked with a number of clients, including Inland Empire Health Plan and the American Heart Association. She has also led workshops on topics such as user experience design, accessibility, and product strategy for TMCx, the healthcare startup accelerator in the Texas Medical Center and the WITH Foundation. Cassy is Co-Founder and Director of Product Design at Kliit Health, a health tech startup that aims to increase sexual and reproductive health support for underinsured and undertreated minority women.

CassandraGibson
United States

Camille Moore

2019 Fellow, CEO, The Policy Studio, LLC

Camille Moore currently serves as a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Energy Fellow. Camille is most passionate about making sustainability a mainstay of the American dream. Currently, she serves as a Policy Advisor for the U.S. Helsinki Commission focusing on economics and environmental issues. In her past work, she mainly handled the cross-cutting issue of workforce development in the context of defense, education, and apprenticeships. Camille is the CEO of The Policy Studio, LLC, which provides educational policy sessions to youth of color about the global goals and civic engagement. She has administered sessions with high school and elementary school aged children, and is also working with the faith-based community.

CamilleMoore
United States

Ashley Olafsen

2019 Fellow, Co-Founder, MOVE, LLC

Ashley Olafsen is a two-time published author, TEDx speaker, and social entrepreneur who is passionate about issues that affect teenagers. As the co-founder of MOVE, LLC, she works with young women on topics like body image, self-esteem, mental health and relationship abuse. Through MOVE, Ashley has directed over 70 workshops and six week-long summer programs. Additionally, Ashley launched an online video series last year, focusing on the same topics, for middle and high school aged students. The 10-part online workshop series, titled ‚ÄòLet’s Talk About It: The Workshop Series for Students’ is being implemented in wellness and guidance curricula all over the United States. Encouraged by $36k worth of funding, Ashley is grateful to work full-time on her ventures right out of college.

AshleyOlafsen
United States

Ashlee Wisdom

2019 Fellow, Founder, Health in Her Hue

Ashlee Wisdom is an experienced public health and research professional. She is currently a Director at Junto Health, an advisory firm that equips executives, investors, and founders with the perspective, know-how, and relationships they need to become a champion in digital health and deploy meaningful technology. Ashlee is also the Founder of Health In Her HUE, a digital platform that connects Black women to the healthcare providers, services and resources that are committed to their health and well-being. Through this platform, she endeavors to empower Black women, and their allies, to share, learn and innovate around the health issues that disproportionately affect them. Prior to these roles, Ashlee worked at community health and academic medical centers including NYC Health + Hospitals, and Weill Cornell Medicine. She received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Biology from Howard University, and an MPH with a concentration in Healthcare Policy & Management from NYU.

AshleeWisdom
United States

Ariana Abramson

2019 Fellow, Founder, RevSTEM

Ariana Abramson is a biracial Afro-Latina Queens Native. She is the first woman in her family to go to college for STEM and to become a social entrepreneur. Ariana holds a B.Sc in Computer Science and Mathematics from Pace University and an MSB in Business Strategy from Columbia University. She also holds professional certifications in business science from Harvard University and Columbia Business School. Ariana has received recognition from the Society of Women Engineers, Adelante Scholarship Fund, and Vital Voices Global Partnership to name a few.

With years of experience building social enterprises and consulting for multi-national organizations, she is an expert in building sustainable social impact initiatives supporting underserved narratives. Ariana is on a mission to elevate diverse perspectives in STEM with a focus on the next generation of underrepresented social innovators. Through intentional programming, facilitating knowledge sharing, and building inclusive technologies, Ariana is leading movements that will leave tremendous impacts in the world.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 27: TRESemme Event At Nexxus Salon on October 27, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for TRESemme)
United States

Anna Gabriella Casalme

2019 Fellow, Founder & CEO, Novelly

Anna Gabriella Casalme is the proud daughter of Filipino immigrants and is dedicated to designing genuinely youth-driven learning experiences. She is the founder and CEO of Novelly, an educational technology non-profit that inspires civic action among youth through stories. Novelly is releasing a mobile reading app with generous support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the US Department of Health and Human Services. As a Rotary Maternal and Child Health Scholar and a Scottish Saltire Scholar, Anna completed an MSc in Childhood Studies at the University of Edinburgh, where she conducted research on the relationship between the Mexico City Policy of the US and adolescent reproductive health in Kenya. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Human Biology and honors in education from Stanford University. In her spare time, she also serves as the youngest ever board member of the School-Based Health Alliance.

AnnaGabriellaCasalme
United States

Angel Harris

2019 Fellow,

Angel S. Harris is currently senior legal counsel with The Justice Collaborative. Angel previously served as Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., where her advocacy focused on capital defense, juvenile life without the possibility of parole, felon disenfranchisement and policing reform. Prior to joining LDF, Angel served as a Staff Attorney with the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project where she represented death-sentenced prisoners nationwide. Between 2009-13, Angel was a public defender in Louisiana. A nationally recognized expert on criminal justice and civil rights issues, Angel’s writing has appeared in the New York Times and the Huffington Post and she has provided commentary on “Democracy Now!,” “1A” and “The Roland Martin Show.” Angel graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2009. In the spring of 2008, Angel studied at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she volunteered with the University’s Refugee Clinic. Angel graduated summa cum laude from Hampton University with a B.A. in English. She is a member of the DC Bar and Louisiana State Bar.

AngelHarris
United States

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