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Our Team

RepresentWomen is a close-knit research-based advocacy group that works to increase women's representation and leadership by identifying and promoting systems-based reforms to the recruitment processes, voting systems, and legislative practices used in the United States so that more women can RUN, WIN, SERVE & LEAD! To achieve our goal of reaching gender parity for women in politics, RepresentWomen partners with allies across the country and political spectrum who help to amplify our work by putting what we've researched into practice. 

Board

Michelle C. Whittaker
Michelle C. Whittaker
Board Chair & Communications Specialist
As a communications strategist, Michelle has over 15 years of experience in for-profit and nonprofit communications. Her expertise is in strategic messaging, constituency engagement, online engagement, and media outreach. Prior to joining DIEF, Michelle was the...
Amber McReynolds
Amber McReynolds
Board Member & National Vote At Home Executive
Amber McReynolds is one of the country’s leading experts on election administration and policy. During her career, she has proven that designing pro-voter policies, voter-centric processes, and implementing technical innovations will improve...
Dania Korkor
Dania Korkor
Board Treasurer & Counsel to FEC Commissioner
Dania serves as Counsel to FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub. Previously she worked as staff attorney at FairVote while teaching at the UDC David A Clarke School of Law. She has served as...
Lindsey Drath
Lindsey Williams Drath
Board Member & Forward Party CEO
Lindsey Williams Drath serves as the CEO of the Forward Party where she is responsible for taking the Forward Party from early-stage to a sustainable, durable enterprise with a steady and permanent...
Mehrnaz Teymourian
Mehrnaz Teymourian
Board Member & International Development Expert
Mehrnaz Teymourian is an international development expert. During her 30 year tenure at the World Bank she designed strategies and multi-sectoral programs to help communities respond to development and growth challenges. Mehrnaz’s...
Onida Coward Mayers
Onida Coward Mayers
Board Member & MiRam Group VP
Onida Coward Mayers is Vice President of the MiRam group, former Director for New York City’s Voter Assistance at the Campaign Finance Board, and an award-winning communications executive. For the past 10...
Susannah Wellford
Susannah Wellford
Board Member & Running Start CEO and Founder
Susannah Wellford is a lawyer and founder of two organizations designed to raise the political voice of young women in America. In spring 2007, Ms. Wellford founded Running Start to inspire young...

Staff

Cynthia Richie Terrell
Cynthia Richie Terrell
Executive Director and Founder
Cynthia Richie Terrell is the founder and executive director of RepresentWomen and an outspoken advocate for institutional reforms to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States. Terrell and her husband Rob...
Courtney Lamendola
Courtney Lamendola
Research Director
Courtney Lamendola (she/her) is the Director of Research at RepresentWomen. As an inaugural member of the RepresentWomen team, Courtney co-led the development of RepresentWomen's strategic plan, launched the internship program, and has overseen...
Katie Usalis
Katie Usalis
Programs and Partnerships Director
Katie Usalis serves as RepresentWomen's Programs and Partnerships Director. In this role, Katie focuses on developing and overseeing program strategies that activate and equip changemakers to advance structural solutions to the representation crisis...
Michele McCrary
Michele McCrary
Operations Director
Michele McCrary (she/her) is currently serving as the Operations Director at RepresentWomen. She is a passionate advocate for racial and gender parity. With over a decade of experience in Banking and Operations, Michele boldly decided...
Alissa Bombardier Shaw
Alissa Bombardier Shaw
Operations and Development Manager
Alissa Bombardier Shaw is the Operations and Development Manager at RepresentWomen. After graduating from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a concentration in...
Fatma Tawfik
Fatma Tawfik
International Research Manager
Fatma Tawfik is the International Research Manager at RepresentWomen. Driven by her passion for politics, international relations, gender equality, and human rights, Fatma pursued her education and graduated with a political science degree...
Steph Scaglia
Steph Scaglia
U.S. Research Manager
Steph Scaglia (she/her), research manager, is based in New York City and originally from the Bay Area, California. She holds an MA in political theory from Columbia University and a BA in...
Marvelous Maeze
Marvelous Maeze
U.S. Research Manager
Nigeria-born, Texas-raised Marvelous Maeze (she/her) works as a Research Manager at RepresentWomen. She graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Arts in Human Rights Studies. She is also a proud alumna of New...
Victoria Pelletier
Victoria Pelletier
Programs and Partnerships Manager
Victoria Pelletier is the Programs and Partnerships Manager at RepresentWomen, and is based in Portland, Maine. She is currently serving her first term as a Portland City Councilor, and is the second Black...
Tamaya Dennard (she/her)
Tamaya Dennard (she/her)
Programs and Partnerships Manager
Tamaya Dennard is the Programs and Partnerships Manager at RepresentWomen and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Inspired by Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan and an abiding belief that everyone deserves a non-tokenized voice...
Ria Deshmukh
Ria Deshmukh
Digital Media Manager
Ria Deshmukh recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Criminology and Sociology. Ria believes that education should be used to create lasting change. She used her education and passion to help...
Arianna Conte
Arianna Conte
Communications Manager
Arianna Conte (she/her) is the Communications Manager with Represent Women. In this role, she is responsible for supporting the overall communications strategy of Represent Women, including amplifying our research, publishing social media,...

Interns and Fellows