Women’s Voices Board + Staff

Dr. Nicole Acevedo | Minneapolis, MN

Nicole Acevedo is a reproductive and environmental health scientist with expertise on the health risks of everyday exposures to hormone-disrupting chemicals. Dr. Acevedo received her doctorate in Molecular and Integrative Physiology from the University of Michigan and her postdoctoral research at Tufts University School of Medicine focused on the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the development of human health disorders and disease. Her academic research formed part of an unprecedented collaboration between government and academic scientists to integrate the strengths of academic and regulatory research approaches to identify best practices for hazard assessment of environmental chemical contaminants. In 2015, she was recruited by a pioneering brand in ‘clean beauty’ to lead and build out their company strategy on ingredient and product safety and sustainability. In 2016, Nicole joined the Board of Directors for The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX), a science-based, non-profit research institute that serves to assure the integrity of the science that supports the endocrine disruption movement and the larger environmental health movement by maintaining and championing the scientific foundations of sound advocacy.

In 2017, Dr. Acevedo launched her own scientific consulting business, Elavo Mundi Solutions, LLC, to provide personal care and household cleaning brands clear solutions for cleaner, more sustainable and high-performing product development. She is also actively involved with international working groups engaged in creating viable business solutions for cleaner, safer, more sustainable product development across different industries. Nicole is deeply driven by a desire to build awareness for science-based approaches to environmental injustice issues that disproportionately affect women, children and minority populations around the world.

Boma Brown-West | Chicago, IL

Boma is the Director of Consumer Health at Environmental Defense Fund. She has over 15 years’ experience in working with businesses to improve product sustainability. She currently leads EDF’s work to influence companies to eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products, packaging and food. This includes getting major brands and retailers to set ambitious chemical policies, increase transparency and invest in safer ingredient innovation. Boma also works to end the toxic disparities in products marketed to different consumer segments, primarily calling on beauty brands and retailers to significantly reduce the toxic disparity in beauty products marketed to women of color. Boma has a M.S. in Technology & Policy from MIT and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University.

Debra Erenberg | Milford, CT

As Strategic Director for the Cancer Free Economy Network, Debra serves as lead staff for a multi-sector network collaborating to promote healthy environments where no one gets sick because of toxic chemicals where they live, learn, work, and play. Prior to joining CFE in 2018, Debra consulted on network best practices; developed a coalition-building guide to combat anti-Semitism and hate crimes for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); served as National Field Coordinator for the 2017 Peoples Climate March; and designed a strategy for an environmental health approach to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. As Director of State Affairs at Justice at Stake, she oversaw advocacy for fair and impartial state courts and to promote diversity on the bench. As Midwest Regional Director for Amnesty International USA, Debra led human rights efforts in 13 states, representing the organization on successful collaborative campaigns to abolish the death penalty in Illinois and shut down a notorious Supermax prison. She has also worked as Organizing Director for Rainforest Action Network and Director of Affiliate Development for NARAL Pro-Choice America. She holds a J.D. from George Washington University National Law Center and a Master’s degree in Public Policy (M.P.P.) and Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Cynthia Gutierrez | Oakland, CA

Cynthia Gutierrez (she/ella) is an award winning first-generation Nicaraguan Salvadoran reproductive justice organizer, full spectrum doula, cultural strategist, writer, and public speaker.

Cynthia was a graduate of the 2021 Rockwood Leadership Institute Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice cohort. Cynthia‘s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Lily, Elle Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Rewire News Group, etc.

She is currently the program manager for the University of California San Francisco Hub of Positive Reproductive and Sexual Health (HIVE) and Team Lily programs. Cynthia is a proud abortion storyteller with We Testify. She is on the Board of Directors for ACCESS Reproductive Justice and the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom. Her work can be found on her website https://www.cynthiaagutierrez.com.

She has a Bachelors in Sociology from the University of CA, Santa Cruz. Cynthia is originally from San Francisco’s Excelsior District and now resides in East Oakland with her husband and son.

Amanda Klasing | Washington, DC

Amanda Klasing is an associate director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch. Her work focuses on reproductive rights and women’s health, gender-based violence, and economic and social rights. She is a specialist in the rights to water and sanitation.

Amanda has engaged in research and advocacy on a broad range of human rights issues including: the First Nations water crisis in Canada; the rights of women and girls in affected by Zika in Brazil; the relationship between women’s and girls’ human rights and access to good menstrual hygiene management; the rights to water and sanitation in schools in Haiti; and the impact of climate change on the rights to health, food and water.

Amanda published in peer-reviewed journals on the right to water and on human rights and humanitarian response and is a contributing author of an academic book on health and human rights. She has spoken before United Nations human rights bodies.

Amanda holds a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago, and a law degree from New York University, where she received the Vanderbilt Medal for outstanding contributions to the Law School.

Monica Schrock | Vancourver, WA

Monica Schrock is an introverted copywriter and marketing strategist with over a decade of marketing experience helping brands and people find their voice and create a business that truly speaks to who they are and what they want to accomplish.

Monica’s taught over 200 clients to craft their message and helped them gain the confidence to share it, and themselves, with the world. She’s created marketing campaigns for international nonprofits, including an App that’s been downloaded in over 170 countries. She created over 40 celebrity ads that have been shared thousands of times and created educational content that has reached hundreds of thousands of people.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest, working from home (like a true introvert!) and helping people achieve their goals through authentic, growth-driven marketing strategies, and implementation. She gets joy out of playing basketball, reading, and hanging with her cats. You can catch her drinking a coffee and reading a comic book at any given moment.

Kyra Naumoff Shields | Boulder, CO

Kyra Naumoff Shields is an environmental health scientist and mother of three kids with over a decade of experience in community engagement and exposure assessment. She is the Bright Cities Program Director at the national non-profit Healthy Babies Bright Futures, and provides funding and technical resources to support city-led strategies to reduce neurotoxic exposures. Previously, Kyra led monitoring and intervention projects in communities suffering from chronic air pollution exposure, both nationally (in Pittsburgh, PA) and internationally (in four states in India). While working at the California Air Resources Board, she worked extensively on a health impact assessment of CA’s cap and trade program and advised small businesses on pragmatic strategies to reduce their carbon footprint. Kyra holds a PhD in environmental health sciences and a MS in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California Berkeley. She lives in Boulder with her gregarious family, and can’t resist a good donut.

Aimée R. Thorne-Thomsen | Falls Village, CT

Board Chair

Aimée R. Thorne-Thomsen, MPA, is a long-time reproductive justice activist who focuses on advocating with and for women, communities of color, immigrants, LGBTQ people and young people. She recently launched Guerrera Strategies, LLC, a woman-of-color lead strategic consulting firm with other women of color from progressive movements.  Prior to that, she served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships of Advocates for Youth, where she oversaw and coordinated the development, implementation and evaluation of Advocates’ strategic partnerships with youth activists and organizations in allied social justice movements.  Aimée was also Interim Executive Director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and Executive Director of the Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP). She is the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and a member of the Board of Directors for the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program.  Aimee has spoken throughout the country in places like the National Abortion Federation Conference, the Women’s Convention, NOW National Conference, Netroots Nation, Center for American Progress and Facing Race, and her writings and blogs have appeared in Women’s e-News, Daily Kos, Feministing, Feministe and Rewire , among others. A proud Boricua, Aimée received her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and a Master of Public Administration from the City University of New York.

Karen Wang | Bay Area, CA

Karen Wang, PhD, MSc, is the Director of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the founder and editor-in-chief of Because Health, an environmental health education campaign for millennials. Her responsibilities include leading and managing CHE’s science and education programming, forming and managing partnerships, and development and fundraising. She is also responsible for the content strategy and production of content for Because Health. She is deeply committed to and passionate about sharing science and education on the health effects of toxics and effective toxics reduction. She brings deep knowledge and experience in science communication, statistics, research methods, and data analysis. Karen completed her PhD in Strategic Management, a quantitative social science discipline grounded in applied economics and social psychology, at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. Karen also holds a MSc in Environmental Science and a BA in Economics from Stanford University.

Click here to view ARTIVISM PROJECTS by WVE’s Fellow.

Umyeena Bashir

Weavers Fellow

Umyeena Bashir has recently graduated with her MS in Chemistry from University of San Francisco and also has a BS in Applied Mathematics from Southern Methodist University. She is passionate about helping the community understand chemicals that are used in period products and how they impact the vaginal microbiome. She has done extensive research in the field of medicinal chemistry and drug development. Outside of chemical research, she has done also a lot of advocacy work in reproductive health. She is currently on the PCRHP team at UCSF, which aims to better the patient experience at the hospital setting for those going in for reproductive reasons. In addition to this, she is also the CEO, Founder of spotBOX LLC, a holistic period care company that is working on developing a period tracking app that will include a subscription service that helps users correlate their menstrual symptoms to the exact period product that will alleviate them. Outside of her career, Umyeena loves hot yoga, cats, and coffee!

Keana Davis

Weavers Fellow

Keana Davis is a graduate student at the University of San Francisco studying Chemistry. Her research project is in bioinorganic chemistry, focusing on metal-binding interactions of the antimicrobial peptide Holothuroidin-2 by investigating which metals bind to it and how the binding of one metal affects the binding of a different metal to the same peptide. With potential uses to combat difficult-to-treat infections caused by biofilms, her project reflects her passion to support the discovery of innovative therapies through research work. In 2016, she earned her Bachelors of Arts in Biochemistry at the University of Iowa with her first year of undergraduate spent at Loyola University Chicago (LUC). It was at LUC that Keana was first involved in advocacy work related to reproductive justice, joining an organization of students collaborating to create spaces for and provide resources for individuals of all gender identities who menstruate and who required access to safe reproductive health care. Though rough around the edges, this organization did help put a name to the education and advocacy work that was a growing passion for her at the time. With WVE, Keana hopes to assist in furthering their mission and work to support communities disproportionately affected by menstrual inequity.

Sandra Criswell

(they/them she/her)
Director of Programs & Special Projects

Sandra Criswell is a queer mixed-race Pilipinx femme movement-building nerd with roots in reproductive justice, red state organizing, and network weaving. A former Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion consultant to WVE, Sandra brings a deep bench of experience as an organizational and leadership development facilitator; former clients include the National Network of Abortion Funds, Center for Community Change, National Asian American and Pacific Islander Women’s Forum, Move to End Violence, and Social Movement + Innovation Center at The New School. Sandra uses a variety of modalities in her work to center play and pleasure as powerful acts of resistance, as well as dismantle white supremacy and other systems of oppression through community-building, creative practice, healing justice, and liberated innovation frameworks.

Sandra has over a decade of grassroots movement and non-profit experience, from local organizing in Oklahoma to their national movement roles at CoreAlign and Take Root: Red State Perspectives on Reproductive Justice. They are an alum of the Rockwood Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Fellowship, the CoreAlign Speaking Race to Power and Generative Fellowships, and the Consulting for Prefiguring Liberation pilot cohort, as well as a recipient of the URGE Generations Award and the Take Root: Spreading Roots Award. Currently based in Oakland, California, Sandra spends their downtime learning about astrology and plant medicine, and talking about the finer points of daytime soap operas as a third generation fan.

Amber Garcia

(they/them)
Executive Director

Amber Garcia was born in Denver and raised in Boulder, Colorado. They studied Ethnic Studies and Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). Their passion for human rights and justice has shaped their adult career and defines their purpose. Amber’s political home is in the Reproductive Justice (RJ) movement where they have been fighting for bodily autonomy and liberation for over a decade. Prior to joining Women’s Voices for the Earth as Executive Director, Amber ran COLOR’s (Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights) grassroots voter engagement and community advocacy work through a reproductive justice framework to mobilize the Latinx community in Denver and secure wins at both the legislature and the ballot box. Their work in the broader social justice movement includes working with community partners on policies to provide drivers licenses for undocumented folx and increasing the minimum wage for all Coloradoans. An organizer at their core, Amber is a dedicated movement builder at state and national levels through interconnected networks of individuals, organizations, and coalitions. They are a part of the North Star Network, an alum of the Rockwood Reproductive Rights, Health, and Justice fellowship program, a student of somatic healing, and a 2021 Transformative Leadership for Change (TLC) fellow. They envision a world where we have liberation for all people and that each one of us is able to fully embody and use our power to build a sustainable and collective future.

Vic Gómez Betancourt

(they/them)
Development Director

Vic Gómez Betancourt is a fundraiser extraordinaire who leverages 20 years of resource mobilization at the grassroots level and trust building with both state and national funding partners to secure multi-year investments for small to medium-size, social-justice organizational budgets. They work collaboratively and with a shared leadership approach that centers interdependence, appreciative inquiry, and collective healing.

Vic’s grassroots leadership includes professional, volunteer, and board roles with efforts focusing on worker’s rights, immigrant rights, human rights, education, and reproductive justice at organizations like COLOR, Chinook Fund, Coalition Against Global Genocide, El Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores and Rights for All People / Derechos Para Todos. Vic has a bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of Colorado Denver and a master’s in nonprofit management from Regis University, is a Transformative Leadership for Change 2019 fellow, a 2015 Regis University Affiliate Faculty, and a 2014 Mayoral Appointee for the Denver Women’s Commission. Vic also publicly advocates for health equity as a recognized opinion leader and published author in the reproductive justice space.

As a political creative, gender migrant, crip immigrant, and cuir feminista uplifting the struggles of the latine diaspora, Vic is an active storyteller, spoken word performer, and visual artist committed to stigma busting.

Jamie McConnell

(she/her)
Deputy Director

Jamie is a recognized national policy expert with more than a decade and a half of experience on ingredient disclosure and chemicals in everyday and salon products. In addition to overseeing WVE’s programmatic work and serving as a co-convener of the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance, Jamie devises and implements policies to increase ingredient transparency and reduce the use of harmful chemicals. Her work helped lead to the passage of seminal right-to-know laws for menstrual, cosmetics, salon, and cleaning products in New York and California, and she regularly consults on federal bills. Jamie leads WVE’s relationships with multi-national companies as part of WVE’s successful market campaign work that convinced some of the largest product manufacturers in the world to remove harmful ingredients from their product-line and transform ingredient disclosure practices and policies across the industry. She frequently facilitates and trains advocates for lobby visits with state and federal legislators, and regularly speaks to media and at conferences, campuses, and events about ingredient disclosure and safety, menstrual equity, and salon worker health.

Jamie holds an M.S. in Environmental Studies and a professional certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the University of Montana, and a B.A. from UCLA. She serves on the board of Mountain Home, an organization that provides shelter and a support network for young mothers in her hometown of Missoula. Jamie also serves on the advisory committee of the Missoula Women’s Giving Circle and regularly volunteers at the Missoula Community Food Bank.

Alexandra Scranton

(she/her)
Director of Science and Research

Alexandra Scranton is the Director of Science and Research at Women’s Voices for the Earth. Alex authors WVE’s scientific reports and provides scientific review for the organization’s programs. Prior to working at WVE, she worked in the epidemiology and statistics unit at the American Lung Association headquarters in New York. She currently sits on the Research Advisory Committee for the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative and on the Institutional Biosafety Committee for Rocky Mountain Laboratories (a National Institutes of Health facility). She has a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana and a B.A. from Amherst College. Alex lives and works from Cheyenne, WY, with her husband and two beautiful daughters.