Our Team
Alicia Jay, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Alicia Jay (she/her) is a certified coach and organizational leadership expert who has spent the last 16 years driving change on behalf of social justice activists and organizations, with a focus on gender justice. As a consultant, Alicia works with foundations and organizations to ensure their work is having effective, radical impact. In 2018, Alicia helped launch The League, a cultural engagement firm integrating creative communications, cultural organizing, and narrative shift strategies into traditional civic engagement work. She also served as a co-founder and the Managing Director of Make It Work, a three-year national advocacy campaign advancing economic security issues for women and families. Alicia has helped mobilize millions of women through intersectional campaigns and events like the We Won't Wait coalition, the United State of Women Summit, and the Survivors’ Agenda; built the capacity of grassroots organizations through grantmaking at the Atlantic Philanthropies and as an organizational development consultant; and trained the current and next generation of social change leaders through Young People For, the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program, and as a coach working with hundreds of emerging leaders.
Kevin Simowitz, Co-Founder
Kevin Simowitz (he/him) has worked for nearly two decades as an organizer, campaign manager, and political strategist. As a consultant, Kevin works with leading political and advocacy organizations to develop creative and successful campaign strategies for some of the most pressing legislative issues at the state and federal levels, and works with foundation funders to sharpen the ways that philanthropy can be of service to movement organizations. As the Political Director at Caring Across Generations, Kevin led the coalition to pass the Kupuna Caregivers Act, a first-of-its-kind initiative to support family caregivers of older adults, and also co-led the 2018 Homecare for All ballot initiative campaign, demonstrating the robust grassroots support for an innovative new model of care. At Maine People's Alliance, Kevin worked as the Organizing Director and directed the Maine Small Business Coalition, coordinating the membership development and political program for more than 3,000 Coalition members. Kevin is a board member of Renew New England and a member of the Alpha Legal Foundation advisory committee.
Rebecca Gorena, Program Director
Rebecca Gorena (she/ella) is a community advocate, campaign manager and organizer with over 12 years of experience in activism and nonprofit work across states and social justice sectors. She has worked in senior leadership roles on issues such as abortion, voting rights, gender justice, racial equity, LGBTQ liberation, and labor which has resulted in a passion for building stronger, more empowered movement spaces and leaders. Rebecca has led campaigns to decriminalize sex work, fight anti-transgender bills, increase wages, and expand voting access across all levels of government with an emphasis on developing the skills and autonomy of the organizers she works alongside. After previous roles as Field Director for URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity and Senior Program Director at the Alliance for Youth Action, Rebecca now sits on the Executive Committee of the Equality Federation board of directors and consults with both organizations and individuals on providing values-driven support to young visionary leaders of color to build their own power in their workplaces. You can find her at a book store or farmer’s market in New York City with her partner and their wiener dog, Poboy.
Kara Park, Program Director
Kara Park (she/her) is an organizer, facilitator and coalition builder with over a decade of experience in state and national social justice movements. Her work has included grassroots organizing, issue-based advocacy, civic engagement, leadership development and political education, including consulting on curriculum and training for multiple organizations. Kara has served as the Director of Programs for Asian American organizing efforts in both Minnesota and Oregon, building state-based power and leading organizational strategy and program development. In 2017, she helped to pass Oregon's landmark Reproductive Health Equity Act, which has since become a model for multiple other state policy campaigns. Kara has also worked as Civic Engagement Manager for Forward Together, a national organization that unites communities to win rights, recognition and resources for all families, and co-created an Asian and Pacific Islander reproductive justice storytelling project called We Carry Oceans.
Research Review Board
Sarita Gupta
Ford Foundation
Judith LeBlanc
Native Organizers Alliance
Art Reyes
We the People - Michigan
Arisha Hatch
Color of Change (former)
Andrea Mercado
Florida New Majority
Nse Ufot
New Georgia Project
Kalpana Krishnamurthy
Forward Together
Michelle Miller
Coworker.org
Calvin Williams
Movement Strategy Center
Gara LaMarche
Democracy Alliance (former)
Supriya Lopez Pillai
Hidden Leaf Foundation