2024 NC Women's Conference

* Indicates member of the Council for Women

Pam Cashwell
Secretary, NC Department of Administration

As Secretary of the NC Department of Administration since 2021, Pamela Brewington Cashwell has led the state agency that serves as the business manager for state government and a voice for underserved communities through its advocacy programs and boards and commissions. She is the first American Indian woman to head a cabinet department in the state’s history. Before joining NCDOA, she served in top leadership roles at NC Department of Public Safety, State Ethics Commission and as a trial attorney in the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Office of Justice Programs and in the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Annette Taylor*
Director, NC Office of Digital Equity and Literacy 

Annette Taylor has more than 25 years of community service and civic engagement in both public and private sector roles and in the philanthropic arena directing resources to organizations across North Carolina. Annette joined the NC Department of Information Technology’s Division of Broadband and Digital Equity in May 2022. As director of the Office of Digital Equity and Literacy, she is helping expand NCDIT initiatives to ensure all North Carolinians have equitable access to high-speed internet and digital literacy resources. Annette has served on the Council for Women since 2017 and is the current Chair.

Advancing Economic Opportunity & Justice for the Women of NC — An Action Agenda

Michelle Kennedy
Director, City of Greensboro Housing & Neighborhood Development

Since 2021, Michelle Kennedy has led the City of Greensboro’s Housing & Neighborhood Development Department. As Director, Michelle oversees programs and services including revitalization and development efforts and affordable housing, creating better and brighter communities in the City of Greensboro. A long-time community housing advocate, she previously served as the executive director of Greensboro’s Interactive Resource Center, which offers fundamental services to help end homelessness including shelter referrals, case management and support groups. She previously served on the Greensboro City Council and was part of the effort to create a 12-week paid family leave program for city employees.  

Machelle Baker Sanders
Secretary, NC Department of Commerce

As Secretary of the NC Department of Commerce since 2021, Machelle Baker Sanders’ vision for North Carolina’s post-pandemic economic restoration is to work with partners to attract better paying jobs, support small businesses and stimulate our state’s innovation and entrepreneurial economy. Prior to this role she served as Secretary of the NC Department of Administration. She brings to state government more than 30 years of management and leadership experience as a seasoned pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive, previously serving as vice president of manufacturing and general manager of Biogen’s largest manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park.

Tina Sherman
National Director, Maternal Justice – MomsRising

As the National Director for Maternal Justice at MomsRising, Tina Sherman has dedicated her professional life to supporting and empowering moms and families through her work with several child and women’s advocacy organizations. A former legislative aide in the United States Senate, she has formal training in public policy and a heart for serving and supporting women and families and ensuring that public policies reflect the needs of real people and meet women where they are. She serves on several boards including NC Partnership for Children and co-chairs the NC Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

Lyric Thompson*
Founder and CEO, Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

After a career that spans two decades, Lyric Thompson is currently the founder and CEO of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, where she publishes and advises governments and thought leaders on feminist foreign policy. She is also an adjunct professor at George Washington University, where she teaches a graduate level course on women’s rights advocacy. Lyric previously served as the Vice President of Policy, Advocacy and Strategy for the International Center for Research on Women. Additionally, Lyric has served on the Council for Women since 2019 and is the current Vice-Chair.

Empowering Women — Political Participation & Civic Engagement

Nida Allam
Chair, Durham County Commission

When Nida Allam was elected to serve on the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 2020, she made history, becoming the first Muslim woman ever elected to public office in North Carolina. In the years since, Nida has become a leading advocate for affordable housing, universal healthcare, a fair living wage, a Green New Deal, abortion rights and labor rights across the state. Today, she runs the Brighter Future PAC, a new effort to bolster campaigns for young, progressive, first-time candidates like herself.

Gloristine Brown
Representative, NC House of Representatives

Elected in November 2023, Gloristine Brown serves the 8th District in the North Carolina House of Representatives. The district covers northern Pitt County, including much of the city of Greenville and the towns of Farmville, Grimesland, Falkland, Fountain and Bethel. She has served over 23 years in public service, most recently as Mayor of the Town of Bethel, and is on the Pitt Community College Board of Trustees. She has also held board positions for the NC Association of Community College Trustees, NC League of Municipalities and NC Mayors’ Association.

Adrienne Kelly
Co-Executive Director, Democracy NC

As Co-Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that aims to strengthen democratic structures and build power among disenfranchised communities, Adrienne Kelly oversees Finance, Human Resources, Communications and Development. Prior to her six-year tenure at Democracy NC, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for an education nonprofit organization. Her career in nonprofit work came after years of volunteerism in the arts and education, serving on both local and national boards. Adrienne is a staunch advocate for public education, voting rights and women’s rights.

Allison Riggs
Associate Justice, NC Supreme Court

With her 2023 appointment by Governor Cooper, Justice Allison Riggs made history as the youngest woman to have served on our State Supreme Court. Justice Riggs spent 14 years as a civil rights and voting rights attorney at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Durham, eventually serving as the Co-Executive Director for Programs and Chief Counsel for Voting Rights. She worked with communities across the South to advocate for fair elections and safe and healthy environments.

Maggie Barlow*
Co-founder and Partner, Maven Strategies

Maggie Barlow is a co-founder and partner of Maven Strategies, a political and non-profit consulting firm that is the most prominent women-owned firm of its kind in North Carolina. Prior to that, she independently owned Ad Astra Consulting, which focused on financial and administrative support for political campaigns and non-profit organizations. Notably, Maggie served as Director of the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus, where she helped lead the effort to regain the Democratic House majority in 2004 and expand that majority to 68-52 in 2006. She also served as the Finance Director for the Democratic Party of Virginia. Maggie joined the Council for Women earlier this year.

The Value of Public Education in NC

Leah Carper 
2022 NC Teacher of the Year

Leah Carper is the Director of Stakeholder Engagement for Guilford County Schools. In this role, she elevates the voices of students, families, community members, business partners and policymakers to ensure all students have access to an excellent education. Her dedication was honored when she was named the 2022 North Carolina Teacher of the Year. Leah previously served as a high school English teacher and believes in leveraging classroom experiences to equip students with the skills needed to become successful, empathetic contributors to a global community.

Mike Hawkins
President, Pisgah Enterprises, Inc.

Mike Hawkins is President of Pisgah Enterprises, Inc., a family-run company that owns and operates Pisgah Fish Camp Seafood Restaurant in Brevard as well as commercial and residential real estate in North and South Carolina. He served 12 years as a Transylvania County Commissioner including 10 years as chairman and has served on several state and regional economic and tourism boards. He currently serves on the NC Rural Center Board and the Governor’s Task Force on Racial Equity in Criminal Justice.

Monika Johnson-Hostler
Chair, Wake County School Board and
Executive Director, NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Monika Johnson-Hostler is a lifelong advocate and policy leader. She is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, where she leads the survivor-focused charge for over 60 rape crisis centers and a host of first responders across the state. In 2013, she became the third African American woman elected to the Wake County School Board. She is also the first African American woman to serve as the board president for the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the policy voice for 1,500 rape crisis centers across the country.

Letha Muhammad
Co-Executive Director, Education Justice Alliance

Letha Muhammad is the Co-Executive Director of the Education Justice Alliance, based in Raleigh. As such, she works to advance the organization’s impact on dismantling the school-to-prison and school-to-deportation pipelines in Wake County and in other districts across the state. Her work includes engagement and leadership training with parents, families and community members to ensure they know their rights and how to advocate for themselves and their students.

Geoff Coltrane
Deputy Policy Director and Senior Education Advisor, Office of the Governor

Geoff Coltrane currently serves as Governor Cooper’s Deputy Policy Director and Senior Education Advisor. His previous roles included the Director of Institutional Research and Strategic Initiatives at the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the Director of Program and Policy at the Hunt Institute, and the Research and Communications Director at the NC New Schools Project. Geoff began his career as an elementary teacher in Durham.

Gender-Based-Violence — Pervasive but not Inevitable

Chris Ash
Survivor Leadership Program Manager, Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking and Member, US Advisory Council on Human Trafficking

Chris Ash is an anti-violence advocate and educator who started their community healing work in 1994 as a suicide hotline counselor and LGBTQ activist/organizer. They are a 2024 presidential appointee to the US Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, where they provide recommendations and guidance to the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking and the Senior Policy Operating Group. Currently, they are the Survivor Leadership Program Manager at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (Cast), where they manage the National Survivor Network.

Sabrina Garcia
Law Enforcement Specialist, NC Victim Assistance Network

Sabrina Garcia has spent nearly 30 years training and responding to domestic violence, sexual violence and stalking and has served as a national presenter in areas of sexual and domestic violence for law enforcement, advocates, prosecutors and sexual assault nurse examiners. Retired after 28 years with the Chapel Hill Police Department as a domestic violence/sexual assault specialist, she now serves as a law enforcement specialist with the NC Victim Assistance Network.

Ya Liu 
Representative, NC House of Representatives

Representative Ya Liu is serving her first term in the North Carolina House representing Wake County. She is the first and only Chinese American woman to have served in North Carolina’s legislature and is a freshman co-chair of the NC Democratic House Caucus. She previously served on the Cary Town Council where, there too, she was the first Asian American to be elected to that governing body. Representative Liu earned her Ph.D. in sociology from NC State University and her J.D. from NC Central University.

Deborah Weissman
Reef C. Ivey II Distinguished Professor of Law, UNC School of Law and Chair, Domestic Violence Commission

Deborah Weissman is a distinguished professor at the UNC School of Law whose research, teaching and practice interests include gender-based violence law, immigration law and human rights in the local and international realm. She chairs the North Carolina Domestic Violence Commission and serves on the committee that supports Domestic Violence Intervention Programs. She initiated an interdisciplinary project on DVIPs that includes faculty and students from the school of law, public health, global studies and communication known as Project RESTART. She also has published widely on topics of gender violence, immigration and human rights.

Charnessa Ridley
Deputy Director, Council for Women & Youth Involvement

Since 2021, Charnessa Ridley has served as the Deputy Director for the NC Department of Administration’s Council for Women & Youth Involvement. As such she oversees the division’s domestic violence and sexual assault programs and supervises three regional offices. With a career spanning well over a decade in victim services, she has held various positions from rape victim’s court advocate to associate director of a campus violence response center. She also worked at the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault and as a consultant for various organizations including USA Gymnastics, Carolina Federation and the LGBTQ Center of Durham.

The Fight for Bodily Control & Reproductive Health Care in NC

Alma S. Adams
Congresswoman, US House of Representatives

Dr. Alma S. Adams has represented North Carolina’s 12^th Congressional District since 2014. The Congresswoman is a founding member and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, which works to reduce the unacceptable rates of mortality and morbidity for Black parents. Additionally, she is an active member of numerous other Caucuses including those on Women, Diabetes, Autism, AIDS/HIV, Hunger, Medicaid Expansion, Art, Equality and HBCUs. Dr. Adams previously served in the NC House of Representatives and on the Greensboro City Council and Greensboro School Board. She also taught art at Bennett College for 40 years.

Dr. Amy Bryant
Associate Professor, UNC School of Medicine and
Adjunct Associate Professor, UNC Gillings School of Public Health

Dr. Amy Bryant, MD, MSCR, is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She leads both the Division and Fellowship in Complex Family Planning at UNC and has been active in education, research and advocacy on reproductive access in North Carolina for the last 15 years. Dr. Bryant serves on the Executive Board of the North Carolina Ob/Gyn Society, and on the Board of Directors of the Society of Family Planning.

Omisade Burney-Scott
Creator & Chief Curatorial Officer, Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause

Omisade Burney-Scott is a seventh-generation Black Southern feminist, storyteller and reproductive justice advocate. She has worked in the nonprofit sector around social justice since 1995 and has been an organizational development and capacity-building consultant for 20 years. She created The Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause to provide guidance and support for marginalized communities through the various stages of menopause by centering the stories of Black women, transgender and gender-expansive people and other marginalized groups. The program has been featured in venues such as Oprah Daily, Forbes, VOGUE, WebMD, NPR, InStyle Magazine, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Eliazar Posada
Interim Executive Director, Equality NC

Eliazar Posada became the first openly LGBTQ Latino elected in North Carolina after being elected to the Carrboro Town Council in 2022. Born in Florida and raised in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, he has worked and lived in North Carolina since 2006. He serves as the Interim Executive Director of Equality NC, the oldest statewide organization in the country dedicated to securing rights and protections for the LGBTQ Community. He also founded Posada Strategy Consulting, a firm that works with nonprofit and grassroots organizations to build capacity, develop programs and create strategies around fundraising, community outreach and advocacy.

Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson
State Health Director & Chief Medical Officer, NC Department of Health and Human Services

Dr. Betsey Tilson has served as North Carolina’s State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer since 2017. In this role, she works to advance the health of North Carolinians and provides guidance and oversight on a variety of cross-Departmental priorities linking public health and clinical care, including the COVID-19 pandemic response, behavioral health and resiliency, child and family well-being, a strong and inclusive workforce, Medicaid expansion and transformation, social drivers of health and violence prevention. Dr. Tilson practiced primary care pediatrics for 26 years and has been active in many leadership roles in local, state and national pediatric, public health and preventive medicine organizations.

Tara Romano*
Executive Director, Pro-Choice North Carolina

Tara Romano has been advocating for and providing services to local victims of domestic and sexual violence since 1999. Her interest in how public policy impacts the experience of domestic and sexual violence survivors prompted Tara to join with grassroots activists to bring local legislative priorities to the state level. During her tenure as President of NC Women United (2013–2017), she led the coalition’s work to take a gender lens to state policy, striving to incorporate the intersecting issues of reproductive, economic, racial and gender justice into the coalition’s policy agendas. Tara joined Pro-Choice North Carolina in 2016 and continues collaborating on issues to achieve social, political and economic equality, which includes equitable abortion access and reproductive freedom for all. She has served on the Council for Women since 2023.

The World of Women’s Work — Breaking Barriers to Equity in NC

Marjorie Molina
Member, Charlotte City Council

As Charlotte’s District 5 representative, Marjorie Molina’s primary goal is to work with the Council and staff to foster evidence-based policies and systems that address opportunity gaps within the city. As a Council member, her key priorities are workforce development and small business support, responsible infrastructure, the economic empowerment of more women in the community and focusing on equity and inclusion. During her tenure on the Council, she helped to approve $4.2 million in funds to the HOMES program to reduce home tax bills and voted to provide more than $1 million to the Charlotte Business Inclusion for minority business support and other programs.

Tracey Newkirk
Co-Founder and President, Genesis Block, ILM

Tracey Newkirk is the co-founder and president of Genesis Block, a business development organization established in 2019 to help advance entrepreneurship in the community. She is also the owner of a boutique consulting firm, UNEXO, and founder of Wilmington’s African American Business Council where she has served as chair for two years. She has 20 plus years of experience in the private sector as a human resources executive. She previously served as a recruiter for the City of Wilmington and as a talent acquisition executive for Verizon Wireless.

Ana Pardo
Co-Director, Workers’ Rights Project – NC Justice Center

Ana Pardo is the co-director of the Workers’ Rights Project at the NC Justice Center, where she convenes NC Families Care, a statewide coalition of organizations working for paid leave and paid sick days. Prior to joining the NC Justice Center, Ana coordinated policy campaigns and public education programs for Toxic Free North Carolina, the League of Conservation Voters and other organizations supporting efforts ranging from federal toxics reform to sustainable food systems. Her background includes biological sciences, community organizing, labor organizing and journalism.

Julie von Haefen
Representative, NC House of Representatives

Julie von Haefen has represented Wake County in the state legislature since 2019. She is currently on the Appropriations, Appropriations – General Government, Education K-12, Local Government and Military/Veterans Affairs committees, where she focuses her legislative work on public education, environmental protection and reproductive justice, including abortion and contraception access, maternal health and equal rights. She previously served on the Wake County Parent Teacher Association Council as a member of the board of directors and as president.

Fontella McKyer*
Workforce Development Director, SchermCo

Fontella McKyer recently became the Director of Workforce Development at SchermCo, where she brings over two decades of expertise in nonprofit management, philanthropy, community engagement and program development. Previously, she held a pivotal role at Dress for Success Charlotte, where she spearheaded the development, execution and evaluation of workforce development programs. She also previously served as Assistant Vice President of Client Services at Foundation for the Carolinas, where she managed high-net-worth philanthropic client accounts, including nonprofit endowments, family foundations and corporate giving programs. She has served on the Council for Women since 2023.

Women’s Health & Aging

Sydney Batch
Senator, NC Senate

Senator Sydney Batch is a family law attorney, child welfare advocate and social worker. She was elected to the NC House in 2018 representing Southern Wake County and, in 2021, was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the NC Senate. She was reelected in 2022. She currently serves as Democratic Deputy Leader in the NC Senate. Senator Batch has continuously advocated for families and small businesses during her time in the legislature. She serves on a number of committees including Appropriations on Health and Human Services, Commerce and Insurance, Finance, Health Care and Judiciary, as well as the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services.

Mary Bethel
Chair, Board of Directors, NC Coalition on Aging

For almost 50 years, Mary Bethel has worked in various roles to address challenges faced by older adults and create opportunities for successful aging. She spent 30 years working with the NC Division of Aging and 10 years with AARP North Carolina. Mary served as President and Founding Executive Director of the NC Coalition on Aging from 2015-2020 and was honored for her work in the field of aging in 2021. Although retired, Mary currently serves on multiple boards, advisory committees and work groups such as the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging and also is co-leading the development of the Multi-Sector Plan on Aging for North Carolina.

Dr. Vickie Fowler
MD, FAAFP, WakeMed

Vickie Fowler opened Mount Jefferson Family Medicine in Ashe County in 1999, where she practiced full scope family medicine for 14 years. Since then, she has held clinical and teaching appointments at the UNC Department of Family Medicine and Duke Health at Duke Primary Care in Mebane and Hillsborough, and now works at Wake Med Primary Care in Raleigh. Dr. Fowler is an active member of the NC Academy of Family Physicians and currently serves on the NCAFP Foundation Board. She is a strong ally and advocate for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and is a member of the WakeMed Diversity and Inclusion Council with an appointment on the Diversity and Inclusion Education Committee. Dr. Fowler was appointed to the NC Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control by Governor Roy Cooper in 2017.

Candance Gingles*
Director, Pharmaceutical Industry Quality Systems & Engineering

Candance Gingles has 30 years of experience leading engineering, manufacturing operations, quality and distribution functions in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Her commitment to mentorship and development of others is evident through her current service on advisory boards including the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State (Chair-Elect). Candance’s dedication has been recognized with prestigious honors, including the SEMS Outstanding Management Achievement in Industrial and Systems Engineering Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers in 2022. Candance has served on the Council for Women since 2018.

Gender, Climate Change & Environmental Justice

Dr. Kathie Dello
State Climatologist and Director, NC State Climate Office

Dr. Kathie Dello is the State Climatologist for North Carolina and the Director of the North Carolina State Climate Office. She is the fifth permanent director and first woman to hold this position in the state’s history. In addition, she is the co-director of the NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnership/Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) for the Carolinas, the Carolinas Collaborative on Climate, Health and Equity (C3HE). She works closely with North Carolina’s state agencies and local government officials, businesses and citizens to help them understand their climate risk.

Sharon Harker
Mayor, Town of Beaufort

As the Mayor of Beaufort, North Carolina, Sharon Harker is committed to the town’s environmental stewardship and community engagement. Her public service journey began nine years ago as a Beaufort Town Commissioner. Her dedication to community service extends to local and state boards, championing causes like affordable housing and economic development. As a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, Sharon also supports the professional growth of women educators and advocates for excellence in education. In addition, she is involved with the NC Coastal Federation, working to preserve coastal resources for future generations.

Blakely Hildebrand
Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center

Blakely Hildebrand is a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Chapel Hill Office. In this role, she advocates for clean water, clean air, a livable climate and healthy communities in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. Since joining the organization in 2014, she has worked on a broad range of issues including coastal resiliency, sustainable fisheries and seismic testing and offshore drilling. Over the past four years, she has also worked closely with community-based organizations to address pollution and environmental injustice caused by industrial animal agriculture.

Sherri White-Williamson
Environmental Justice Strategy Director, NC Conservation Network

As Director of Environmental Justice Strategy, Sherri White-Williamson leads the organization’s efforts to connect impacted community-led campaigns and organizations with decision-makers. She joined the NC Conservation Network in 2019, which is comprised of over 60 environmental justice organizations focused on protecting North Carolina’s environment and public health. Prior to this role, she worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Environmental Justice.

Dr. Virginia Guidry
Branch Head, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch – North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Co-Chair, Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Dr. Virginia Guidry has led the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch since 2019. She also serves as NCDHHS’ Environmental Justice lead and co-chair of the Governor’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. She has worked on environmental health and environmental justice issues in North Carolina since 2003, including experience in community-based research, communications and applied epidemiology.

Plenary: Raising a Family in NC

Kay Brown
President, Greensboro NAACP & Organizing Director, Advance NC

Kay Brown is a community organizer and advocate, an activist, and a fearless leader. Kay currently sits on the board of the Interactive Resource Center and is also a board member of Jalloh’s Upright Services. Kay has served on the Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission and the Police Citizens Review Board. She has had close to a decade of organizing and community advocacy experience locally, statewide and nationally. Currently she is the branch President of the Greensboro NAACP and the Organizing Director for Advance Carolina.

Zack Hawkins
Representative, NC House of Representatives

Zack Hawkins has represented Durham County in the state legislature since 2019. He is currently on the Appropriations, Appropriations – Education, Education-Universities, Energy and Public Utilities, House Select Committee on Substance Abuse, Redistricting and Transportation committees. He has worked as a teacher in Durham Public Schools.

Kody Kinsley
Secretary, NC Department of Health and Human Services

As Secretary of NC Health and Human Services, Kody Kinsley oversees a department with over 18,000 staff and a $38 billion budget. In his current role he has focused on investing in behavioral health and resilience, improving child and family well-being and building a strong and inclusive workforce. Under his leadership, North Carolina expanded Medicaid and received the largest investment to bolster the mental health system in over a decade. His previous experience also centered on health policy and operations, having worked on digital healthcare transformation and national education and labor policies, and serving as COO and CFO of the US Treasury.

Michelle Schaefer-Old
Founder & CEO, Diaper Bank of NC

Michelle Schaefer-Old is the Founder and CEO of Diaper Bank of NC, the country’s largest statewide organization that addresses diaper needs and families struggling to afford basic needs. She previously worked for 20 years in the violence against women field, and she was co-founder of the Human Trafficking Task Force of NC in 2003. Michelle was MSNBC’s Foot Soldier of the Month, Women Advance NC’s Woman to Watch, and recipient of the Triangle Business Journal’s 2020 Corporate Philanthropy Award. She also was featured in Southern Living’s Secrets to a Good Life.

Adrienne Spinner*
Director of Strategic Partnerships, NC Housing Coalition

Adrienne Spinner is an active force in community organizing and advocacy, with a particular focus on fighting housing and food insecurity, advocating for public education and promoting equitable policies that uplift women and people of color. Adrienne is currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships for NC Housing Coalition, a statewide advocacy and policy nonprofit. Her volunteer work includes serving on the Andrea Harris Equity Task Force, along with staying involved in local activism. She has served on the Council for Women since 2018.