Amplify Her® leadership network Co-CHAIRS
Aamina Awan-Khan
Aamina Awan-Khan is a Senior Advisor and Chief Partnerships Officer at the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State. With more than 15 years of experience in cross-functional stakeholder partnerships, project development, and management, Aamina has created and led programs in the areas of education, technology, and community engagement. She brings a multi-sectoral perspective, leveraging prior experience working with governments, corporations, academic institutions, and civil partners in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to joining the government, Aamina began her tri-sectoral career at Credit Suisse. She has also held management roles at the Clinton Foundation and the United Nations. A 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former U.S. Fulbright to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Aamina holds a BA degree in International Relations and Political Science from Fairfield University and a MSc degree in Gender and International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Chirlie Felix
Chirlie Felix is a Managing Director at FSG, a global nonprofit consulting firm that partners with foundations and corporations to create equitable systems of change. At FSG, Chirlie supports corporate and philanthropic clients on educational equity, corporate social responsibility, strategic planning, organizational development, and community engagement. Prior to joining FSG, Chirlie was a Senior Strategic Advisor at Teach For All, and an Education Pioneers Fellow as a consultant for the Newark Legacy Charter School. Chirlie has been an equity advocate since her youth, first as a student board member of the Aspira Association of New York and as a U.S. Fulbright scholar undertaking research on racial equity in education in Brazil. While there she worked for the Steve Biko Cultural Institute, a nonprofit organization with the goal of growing educational opportunities for Afro-Brazilian students. Chirlie received her BA in Sociology and International Relations from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her MPA from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.
Maia Molina-Schaefer
As Amplify Her's 2025 Leadership Fellow, Maia works to accelerate the advancement of women and girls through innovative programming, strategic partnerships, and community building. As a military veteran, she brings to this role over two decades of exceptional leadership and program management, and a lifelong commitment to gender equity. Her journey began in the boxing ring at the U.S. Naval Academy and led her through roles as an Intelligence Officer and Military Diplomat in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army. As a combat-proven leader, Maia led high-performing teams in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, managed multi-million dollar defense spending portfolios, and served as an Assistant Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Throughout her rich career, Maia championed women's advancement through groundbreaking initiatives, such as creating the first Women, Peace, and Security program with an African military partner, and leading West Point's Corbin Women's Leadership Forum, a transformative organization that empowers cadets to become exceptional military leaders while fostering a supportive community for women in service. Her dedication to gender equity led her to Amplify Her's Leadership Network, where she serves as a Co-Chair. Now, as a speaker, author, and community advocate, she channels her expertise and passion for gender equity into expanding Amplify Her's impact. Outside of her professional pursuits, Maia cherishes time outdoors with her family and performs at local storyslams.
Amplify Her® leadership network MEMBERS
Darlene Blanco
Darlene is the Head of Workforce and Talent Development at the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce where she develops strategies to advance talent pipelines on Staten Island. Prior to joining the Chamber, Darlene worked closely with executive leaders across various industries including life insurance, retirement planning, fintech, healthcare administration, and green energy. She also served as co-chairwoman of AXA Equitable Life’s Hispanic Employee Resource Group, leading volunteer initiatives targeting community outreach and promoting equity and inclusion. Darlene developed the Voyage Education Services Team, dedicated to leadership development, public speaking, and education, and designed and implemented the Internship Experience corporate model, providing high schoolers the opportunity to experience the corporate setting. A U.S. Chamber Business Lead Fellow, Darlene holds a master of arts in executive leadership from Liberty University and a bachelor of arts in corporate communications from Baruch College.
Chantal Bonitto
Chantal Bonitto is the Director of Philanthropy at Women’s Funding Network (WFN). At WFN, Chantal creates and executes annual and long-term development strategies to secure funding for general operations, pooled funds, and campaigns. Chantal is also a Senior Consultant at The Inclusion Firm, a consulting firm that helps organizations achieve their DEI and advancement goals through modernized philanthropic strategies and enhanced community, volunteer, and donor engagement. Chantal serves on the boards of Women in Development (WID) New York and Community Resource Exchange (CRE). She is a member of the Advisory Committee for WOC: Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy, a co-creator of the Women Writing Philanthropy: Writing Clinic Program with the Feminist Press, and an inaugural member of the Leadership Network of the Amplify Her Foundation, where she advises and supports the foundation’s grantmaking strategy. Professionally, Chantal has worked with leading organizations such as Women Moving Millions, The Thomson Reuters Foundation, Ms. Foundation for Women, CARE USA, UNICEF USA, Asia Society, and The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and completed the Fundraising Strategy Certificate Program at The George Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, New York University. She is also a 21/64 Certified Philanthropic Advisor.
Nikita Desai
Nikita Desai is a Senior Philanthropic Strategist dedicated to building the first Women’s Collective at the Robin Hood Foundation. In this pioneering role, Nikita focuses on engaging and mobilizing women philanthropists to drive transformative solutions addressing poverty and social inequality in New York City. She brings a deep commitment to empowering women and girls, combined with expertise in crafting impactful initiatives that promote gender equality and advance social development. In addition to her role at Robin Hood, Nikita serves on the Leadership Network of Amplify Her Foundation, where she supports innovative grantmaking and advocacy efforts that uplift women and girls globally. Previously, Nikita served as Associate Director of East Coast Philanthropy for The Asia Foundation, leading private fundraising strategies and overseeing donor cultivation efforts. Her earlier roles include six years as Director of Policy and Corporate Programs at the Korea Society and positions at the Asia Society and the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. Nikita has consulted for organizations such as The Asia Foundation, World Bank, USAID, Femmes Africa Solidarité, Alliance for International Women’s Rights, and the Office of New York Mayor Bloomberg. Her work has consistently focused on advancing gender equality and creating opportunities for marginalized communities. Nikita holds a master’s degree in International Policy Studies with a specialization in Gender and International Development from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She also earned an International MBA as a Fulbright Scholar at Spain’s IE Business School. A polyglot, she speaks Gujarati, Hindi, Spanish, Mongolian, and English.
DIANA FRANCO
Diana Franco is Vice President of Women.NYC at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Diana is a long-standing advocate for women's economic empowerment. A serial entrepreneur by nature, she started her career on the founding team of three successful startups: Latinred, CycleLogic, and Kactoos. Diana also is the founder of Grenout, an agency focused on helping foreign entrepreneurs launch their products and services in the U.S., and co-founder of CoreWoman, a foundation aiming to empower women professionally and economically. Diana served as the Executive Director of Women Entrepreneurs (WE NYC) at the NYC Department of Small Business Services. The City of New York has publicly recognized Ms. Franco's work with two awards, in 2019 for Excellence in Public Service and 2020 for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion. Like many New Yorkers, Diana is an immigrant, originally from Medellín, Colombia.
Latressa Fulton
Latressa Fulton currently serves as Budget Director in the Office of Computing and Information Services at the City University of New York (CUNY), the nation's largest urban public university. In this role, she plays a key role in advancing CUNY's mission by ensuring the effective and efficient management of IT budgets, overseeing vendor contracts, and managing IT expenditures. She previously served as Deputy Director of IT Administration at NYCHA where she oversaw the $100 million operating budget and supported vendor engagement to establish effective collaborations for residents. Her previous positions include serving as Senior Advisor to the First Deputy Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication, and tenures with the Ford Foundation, International Rescue Committee, and the Food Bank of NYC. Latressa is the founder of Move and Groove YogaTM, which builds community through events focusing on music, movement and mindfulness practices. Her volunteer commitments include the Leadership Network of Amplify Her Foundation, Board Member of The James Brister Alumni Society, Advisory Board Member of the Makuu Black Cultural Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Black Ambition, The New York Women’s Foundation, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and Girls Who Code. Latressa holds a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Regina Gwynn
Regina Gwynn is the Co-Founder of Black Women Talk Tech, the organization that aims to identify, support, and encourage Black women to build the next billion-dollar business. It is the largest collective of Black women tech founders. As Co-Founder, Regina co-leads business strategy, strategic partnership development, and sponsor relations. Regina launched her first tech startup in 2014 with TresseNoire, a platform that empowers women of color to celebrate their textured hair. Regina has been named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women by Entrepreneur Magazine and Top Ten Women in Tech by Essence Magazine. She’s on the cabinet for Black Entrepreneurship in the City of New York, and is a Women.NYC advisor. Regina started her career at Federated Department Stores, now Macy’s Inc. After graduating from the Kellogg School of Management with her MBA, Regina was a management consultant with the Monitor Group, now Monitor/Deloitte Consulting.
Esmeralda Herrera
Esmeralda Herrera is the Deputy Director of Capacity at Echoing Green, where she brings over a decade of experience in social entrepreneurship, program development, and community engagement. She has designed and led initiatives including launching accelerators, supporting 10+ cohorts of early stage founders, and activating innovation spaces in the Bronx and Harlem. A Reed College graduate in linguistics, Esmeralda has worked globally, supporting artisans in India, advancing experiential learning in China, and collaborating with changemakers in the Caribbean. Her leadership is shaped by fellowships such as the AIF Clinton Fellowship, Princeton Asia Fellowship, and CORO Workforce Leadership Program. She also serves as treasurer for Farm School NYC, championing equity, sustainability, and community-driven change.
Anne Hogarty
Anne Hogarty was most recently CEO of Extend Fertility, a women's healthcare company pioneering a new model for fertility services. Anne is an operations and finance executive who partners with mission-driven organizations to drive their growth. Over her career Anne has held a variety of executive positions at healthcare and tech startups. Anne also held a variety of roles at BuzzFeed as it scaled from a late-stage startup to one of the most prominent digital publishers. Anne began her career in finance, with stints at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. She is a lifelong New Yorker and a mother of 3 children. Anne has an A.B. in History and Literature from Harvard College and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.
Yolanda F. Johnson
Yolanda F. Johnson is the CEO of YFJ Consulting, LLC, and is the Founder of WOC, Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy®. She has developed strategies to raise more than $1 billion for nonprofits while also advising philanthropists and grantmakers. With her faith as her guide, Yolanda is a champion of equity for women in the sectors of fundraising, philanthropy and specifically within the realm of Women's Philanthropy. She remains an active performing artist and uses her background as a performer to view fundraising and philanthropy through a creative lens. She is a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute National Council and a founding member of the Women's Philanthropy Alliance, in addition to being an active presenter and keynote speaker around the United States and abroad.
Paulina Linares
Paulina Linares is a Strategy & Operations Associate at Google. Prior to her current role, Paulina was a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. At McKinsey, she served clients across diverse sectors, including TMT, banking, and education. Driven by a passion for social impact, Paulina recently supported Harlem Capital, a fund focused on investing in diverse founders to change the face of entrepreneurship. Outside of her professional endeavors, she is a mentor in MLT's Ascend program, empowering first-generation, low-income college students. A first-generation college graduate, Paulina holds a B.S. in both Statistics and Business with a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, attending HIIT workouts, exploring vibrant New York City, reading, and curating playlists.
Nayancie Matthews
Nayancie Matthews is an Associate in Pfizer's Product Portfolio Management, Strategy & Innovation team within the Global Supply Chain, where she works across all emerging markets and countries. Her responsibilities extend to championing the introduction of new pharmaceutical products in the Emerging Markets region while devising strategic initiatives tailored to diverse countries to ensure patients have access to the medicines that they need. Nayancie graduated from Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in International Business, with minors in Finance & Investments and Spanish. Nayancie has an unwavering commitment to equity and accessibility, principles she intends to fortify through her pursuit of a JD/MBA to further propel equitable healthcare solutions.
Kaley Pillinger
Kaley Pillinger is pursuing a JD at Yale Law School, where she is funded by the Samvid Scholarship and the Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Scholarship. Prior to her law degree, Kaley has worked in real estate finance and development, first at Blackstone, and subsequently for Fairstead, a national purpose-driven affordable housing developer. At Fairstead, Kaley's work included a $600M+ transaction to bring comprehensive renovations to an 87-building, 3400+-resident portfolio in Brooklyn, which won Fannie Mae's 2023 Deal of the Year. Beyond real estate, Kaley has worked in New York City government and on campaigns, most recently as Get Out the Vote Director for Mark Levine's successful Manhattan Borough President race, where she managed a 1,000-volunteer operation. Kaley graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude from Yale University with a joint Bachelor’s degree in Economics and History, and a Master’s degree in History.
Aruni Ranaweera
Aruni Ranaweera currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School where she was awarded the Public Service Fellowship for outstanding commitment to serve the public sector. Aruni is community organizer and policy advocate committed to creating more equitable and sustainable cities. Prior to returning to school, Aruni managed the Catalyst program at the New York City Parks Department’s Partnerships for Parks division, where she advanced grassroots community organizing efforts and founded Partnerships for Parks’ CommonGround initiative. Aruni served on Mayor Eric Adams’ Community Visioning Council for the Brooklyn Queens Expressway corridor redesign initiative, and was in the Leadership Committee for Transportation Alternatives’ Brooklyn Activist Committee where she worked with community boards and City Council members. Aruni graduated from Rice University with a BA in Economics and Statistics and is an alumnus of the New York University Wagner Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service.
Alexandra Ruiz
Alexandra Ruiz is the Founder and CEO of Poder Capital, a lending platform by and for the Latinx Community that uses a community-focused funding process to unlock capital for Latinx entrepreneurs. Alexandra spent over five years working for the City of New York, where she developed the City's vaccination strategy for 12-17 year olds and served as the Executive Director of Programs at the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Alexandra also previously founded and led a non-profit that provides services and resources to immigrant New Yorkers.
Talia Scott
Talia Scott is a JD/MBA candidate at NYU School of Law and Stern School of Business and will begin her career as a corporate attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP later this year. Passionate about supporting women and increasing diversity in the legal profession, she founded the Legally BLK Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing Black women's representation in law through nationwide scholarships, mentorship, and resources for law school applicants. Her leadership has earned her the 2023 David Prize and the 2024 Haverford College Young Alumni Award. A Harlem native and first-generation college graduate, Talia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Haverford College, where she was a QuestBridge Scholar.
Dayna Sessa
Dayna Sessa is a Biomedical Engineer and the Founder and CEO of Datanomy. She was an inaugural WE NYC Mentor for the City of New York’s initiative to empower women to start and grow companies, and an Ambassador and Advisor to the Clinton Foundation, The Center for Advancing Innovation, and TechWomen. Dayna is also a Contributor to the Huffington Post. As an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers School of Engineering, Dayna teaches a course on Healthcare Data and Technology and regularly speaks about healthcare technology, data analytics, startups, data-driven business strategy, and using data for social impact. The US Department of State sent Dayna to Rome (2022) and Nairobi (2023) to discuss how to use data to build healthier communities and support women leaders. Dayna sat on the boards of Clinton Foundation 2030, Friends of Mount Sinai, and Porvenir, a STEM-ED non-profit she Co-Founded. She has received honors from the Tory Burch Foundation, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, named a top 10 US finalist for the Cartier Women’s Initiative, and was part of the 2017 New York State Health Trade Delegation to Africa.
MARY TAN
Mary Tan is Co-Founder of New York Women in Business (NYWIB), an organization dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs succeed. NYWIB, as a coalition of professional women’s organizations, has a combined reach of 100,000 women across the tristate area. Mary spent more than 30 years at Colgate-Palmolive working in a wide range of marketing and strategic planning roles, managing and building major brands such as Palmolive, Colgate, and Ajax both in the United States and in global markets. Mary has in-depth knowledge of branding, innovation, business development, business management and strategic planning, and marketing for businesses and nonprofits. She previously worked in retailing as well as nonprofit and publishing sectors. Mary joined SCORE, a partner resource of the Small Business Association, in 2012 and led its marketing function for two years. Since joining SCORE, she has conducted more than 2,000 mentoring sessions. Mary has a BA from Wellesley College and an MBA in Finance/Marketing from Columbia Business School.