Meet the Leaders We Invest In
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Investment + Collaboration = Lasting Transformation The Women's Foundation of California invests in emerging leaders who are closest to the greatest issues of our time—poverty, health, the environment—because we know they are innovating the most effective solutions. Meet four of these emerging leaders:
The efforts of Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, led by Executive Director Eveline Shen have resulted in safer conditions for 300,000 California nail salon workers and their customers, the closure of a polluting medical waste incinerator and the engagement of high school girls to assist cities in meeting preliminary greenhouse gas reduction targets. Read about Eveline's work organizing nail salon wokers throughout California.
The Garment Worker Center (GWC) is an organization run collectively by garment workers who organize for fair pay, safer factory conditions and healthier working environments. Since its inception in 2001, GWC has trained workers to advocate for themselves and others. Their goal is not to shut down the garment industry, but to promote responsible factories. Kimi Lee, a fellow at the Movement Strategy Center in Oakland has been extensively involved with this work, both as a former exeuctive director and as a current board member. Read about Kimi Lee's personal motivation for helping garment workers and GWC's successes.
ACT for Women in Girls in Visalia started in 2003 following a Women's Foundation of California event, the Foundation gave ACT their first grant. ACT trains young women to become leaders and to engage in advocacy, from protesting against gender-based violence on college campuses to lobbying for reproductive rights legislation in Sacramento. Sarah Marquez is a volunteer with ACT and a graduate of their female leadership academy. Read about what inspires Sarah to advocate for women and girls in her work with ACT.
Transitioning, transforming and transcending. While the "trans" in transgender might stand for any one of these, the work of the Transgender Law Center (TLC) stands for all three. With support from the Women's Foundation, TLC advocates for policy changes that address the root causes of challenges faced by women, girls and transgender people throughout California. Most recently, their work has focused on equal pay for equal work. Masen Davis has been an integral component of TLC's work and has earned awards from the National Association of Social Workers, the International Foundation for Gender Education and UCLA. Read Masen's story and learn about TLC's work. |
Kimi Lee
Sarah Marquez
Masen Davis
