Vanessa Byrem
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Meet the Coaches
Vote Run Lead is offering exclusive one-on-one coaching sessions just for you. Personal coaching sessions are with women who have been in your shoes. Coaches are elected officials and political experts ready to listen.
Do you need help figuring out if and when you should run? Are you in office now and need a trusted resource? Let Vote Run Lead support your leadership. Take your skills to the next level by working with a trained personal coach.
Coaches coming soon! -
Amanda O’Donnell | Chief Operations Officer
Amanda O’Donnell is a finance and operations expert who helps innovative and high-growth organizations build capacity to scale and increase impact. She is passionate about empowering women and girls in leadership, bridging digital divides, and increasing diversity in our democratic systems. Amanda is thrilled to have joined Vote Run Lead in 2017 as the organization’s first Chief Operations Officer. Prior to Vote Run Lead, Amanda built over a decade of experience in the technology sector: as a founding member, CFO, and Partner at Control Group, where she developed financial and operational strategies that enabled the company’s transformation from startup to industry leader to acquisition and merger; and as SVP of Finance at Intersection, a Sidewalk Labs company committed to improving the urban experience, and the team leading LinkNYC. Throughout her time in the industry, Amanda has been a leader of Women in Technology initiatives. Amanda graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts focusing on Environmental Justice and earned her MPA from NYU-Wagner. She is a Board Member of MOUSE, a nonprofit that prepares historically excluded youth for roles in tech in order to build an inclusive and equitable future. She is also a proud mom of two native New Yorkers.
Contact: [email protected]
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Erin Vilardi | Founder & CEO
Erin Vilardi is the Founder and CEO of Vote Run Lead, the nation’s largest and most diverse training program for women to run for office and win. She first launched the program as Vice President of Program and Communications at The White House Project. She has served as a Leadership Development Consultant for a range of clients, including Fortune 100 companies, global girls’ initiatives, and the U.S. Department of State. Vilardi is the co-author of the Athena CORE10©, an innovative set of leadership competencies for 21st century women leaders based on the latest research and gender analysis for the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College. She was named a 2019 NYU Alumni Changemaker and a 2018 Champion of Change from UN Women NY. She has appeared on the mainstage at Personal Democracy Forum and the Skoll World Forum, on CNN, BBC, and Fox News and her work was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, New York Magazine, among others. She is an Executive Producer of Ann Richards’ Texas, a documentary about the late pioneering governor.
Contact: [email protected]
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Vanessa Byrem published Want to help change the face of democracy? in Black History Month 2022-02-17 12:18:17 -0500
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Vanessa Byrem published A Monumental Shift in Women’s Representation in Black History Month 2022-02-17 12:17:50 -0500
HELP US MAKE THE STATEHOUSE, #HERHOUSE
19 States Have Zero Black Women in the State Senate
Black women’s political participation keeps our democracy thriving. However, Black women face unique barriers to running and winning, but remain one of the country's most powerful voting blocs.
We need more Black women in the state senate, where issues from jobs to voting rights to women’s health are being legislated. We must support and call more Black women into our statehouses.
RUN/51 is Vote Run Lead’s solution to achieving reflective democracies in America’s statehouses.
Nominate yourself, or another formidable Black woman, and you'll receive a 10-week plan to run a successful campaign for the House or Senate in your state, get access to coaches who have won legislative races, and join a network of your peers.
Sign up or nominate someone below.
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Vanessa Byrem published A Monumental Shift in Women’s Representation Image in Black History Month 2022-02-17 12:17:45 -0500
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How Long Until We Are Represented?
A reflective democracy means that the folks who live in that democracy see themselves in leadership at the same rate. For women, who are the majority at 51% of the population, we will have to wait generations to see ourselves in state leadership.
Just one state in America has a female majority in their state legislature: Nevada. At 60% women’s representation, they are a model for what is possible: a country led by women.
How long will it take for your state to reflect you? Use our new tool and know the facts.
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Vanessa Byrem published How Long Until We Are Represented? Image in Impact 2021 2021-12-23 12:19:45 -0500
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A New Strategy Revealed
At TEDWomen, Founder, Erin Vilardi took part in "Leaders building the multiracial democracy of the future" with Bo Thao-Urabe of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders & AAPI Civic Engagement Fund; Tiana Epps-Johnson, founder of Center for Tech and Civic Life; Liz Alarcón, founder of Pulso; Yordanos Eyoel of New Profit; Jade Begay of the NDN Collective; and Steph Sterling of the Roosevelt Institute. All women and organizations you need to know, so check them out! Vote Run Lead Board Member Kitty Kolbert gave her TED Talk on the fate of Roe v. Wade where she layed out a new, better future that prioritizes the health of all women and children. It requires that more of us run for "everything from the school board to town councils to state legislatures to Congress and the White House."
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Political Wellness
Meet Penny Abeywardena, New York City's Commissioner for International Affairs, who over the last several years has been the face of international relations and building global trust. Hear from Irene Godínez, founder of Poder NC Action, who in less than two years is using creativity, art and love as political action to empower the Latinx community and redefine politics as usual. Watch Sung Yeon Choimorrow, who leads the National National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, outline how she is building power within and across the Asian American community. Meet Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder of Vote Mama, who is halfway to securing the use of campaign funds for childcare expenses in all 50 states.
Watch the full 7-part Political Wellness series or listen to the Spotify Podcast here.
Pictured left to right: Penny Abeywardena, Irene Godínez, Liuba Grechen Shirley, Sung Yeon Choimorrow
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Snapchat and Vote Run Lead
Snapchat and political groups nationwide launched the largest-ever candidate recruitment campaign to increase the number of young people interested in public office, reaching over 3 million people. Read more about it here.
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August 26th is now Women’s Majority Day
Every year in August we celebrate the passing of the 19th amendment but this year we wanted to go further. Instead of asking for equality, we demanded the majority. Working with PopSugar.com, we elevated the voices of our team and alumnae with powerful articles like Running with Imposter Syndrome, Why Women and Femmes Must Call for the Majority, and How to be a Better Ally to Black Women Leaders. We created a powerful social media campaign to shift the narrative and get more women excited about running for the statehouse.
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Vote Run Lead launched RUN/51 to move our state legislatures to 51% women’s representation
First, we mapped the baseline of every state in America to see how long it will take each state to reach 51%. Then, we got out the bullhorn to share how and why the state legislatures are vital to our democracy, from podcasts to social media to national news. We inspired women with stories of our alumnae making a difference in state legislatures right now. Today, everyone can nominate a woman to run for the legislature and she will get access to our coaches, a 10-week "ramp up" and a tool-kit of tips and trainings to run a successful campaign for the legislature in her state. Get an overview here and join the cause here.
