Our Team

Kristy Kade
CEO

In a world, where the agenda for social change is usually set by the wealthiest donors and too often women’s and girls’ needs are ignored in favor of corporate strategies and stakeholders’ risk tolerance, centering women’s and girls’ voices is truly a radical idea. We need a paradigm shift and we need it now.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Participatory Design and Engagement, Facilitation & Strategic Planning, Campaign & Advocacy Strategy Development, Network & Coalition Building, Advocacy Assessment, Monitoring & Evaluation

CONTACT ME TO make What Women Want a reality around the world

Leanne Levers
Acting Director of Advocacy & Communications

Women occupy complex and multiple identities. As we work to dismantle the system of patriarchy, it is imperative that we consider the multi-faceted nature of women’s lives, by taking a participatory and intersectional approach.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Communications, Strategic Campaign and Advocacy Development, Capacity-building, Racial Justice, Maternal Health, Justice Policy, Human Rights, Gender-based Violence, Restorative Justice, Black Feminism

CONTACT ME TO Develop creative, strategic and effective campaigns

Kimberly Vitolo
Chief Operating Officer

Too often, women are discouraged from saying—and seeking—what we want. Too often, the world responds with criticism when we do. At WRA, we support and celebrate those who advocate for themselves and others!

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Business & Strategic Planning, Organizational Leadership, Finance & Compliance Management & Reporting, Inclusive Grantmaking, Developing People, Processes and Systems for Impact

CONTACT ME TO work with us

Kimberly Whipkey
Advocacy & Communications Manager

We believe that women can, and should, lead the world. We believe women and girls are more than what they are told. That they should own their bodies, health, lives, and the future of their communities.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Self-care, Facilitation & Strategic Planning, Campaign and Advocacy Strategy Development, Knowledge Management and Communications

CONTACT ME TO practice self and collective care

Diana Copeland
Advocacy & Communications Manager

At WRA, we demand a world that doesn’t yet exist, and believe this world can only be built through local action and global solidarity.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Digital Innovation, Campaign Management, Creative Storytelling, Strategic Communications

CONTACT ME TO mobilize our constituencies

Merette Khalil
Advocacy & Communications Manager

Every person and family has the right to high-quality, patient-centered, respectful, rights-based, and evidence-informed healthcare. Yet, we are far from this reality and we are moving in the wrong direction. We need an urgent and radical transformation to the systems deepening these inequalities. We need Stories. Solidarity. Action. Accountability.  

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Health Systems Strengthening, Human Resources for Health, Gender Equality, Respectful Maternity Care, Obstetric Violence, Research, Advocacy and SRHR

CONTACT ME TO transform health systems for gender and health equality

Molly Browning
Advocacy & Communications Manager

Political, social, and cultural pressures are constantly undermining women’s autonomy. We live in a world that tells women to be quiet, to sit down, say nothing. A world in which women’s experiences are “women’s issues.” At WRA we know that women, girls, and gender diverse people are inherently powerful, and we work with them to make sure their stories are sought out, heard, and taken seriously.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Storytelling, Partner Engagement, Midwifery, Abortion Rights, Birth & Postpartum Advocacy

CONTACT ME TO to join the movement

Michelle Emson
Lead Technologist

Bridging the gender data gap requires that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are sought, heard, and activated. Actionable insights require measurable impact to close-the-loop. At every step, data is the key.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Digital Transformation, Applied Technology, IT Strategy & Implementation, Data, Trans Inclusion & Gender Diversity

CONTACT ME TO leverage the What Women Want chatbot

Marissa Ware
Digital Strategist

There is immense power in owning your story, your words, your needs – refusing to let someone else tell your story. Women and gender-diverse people are the greatest agents of their own change, and when given the tools and platforms to succeed, they’re unstoppable.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FOCUS AREAS: Strategic Communications, Storytelling & Creative Writing, Website Management, Social Media, Digital Marketing, Advocacy for Nursing & Midwifery

CONTACT ME TO hone your authentic story and raise awareness

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