Women’s Voices Board + Staff

Dr. Nicole Acevedo | Minneapolis, MN

Board Chair

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 has been a champion for safer and more sustainable consumer products for over 20 years, with expertise in environmental health, circularity, climate, and water. She has advanced environmental solutions across several sectors including food, household cleaning, apparel, buildings, electronics, household appliances, and most notably beauty and cosmetics. Boma has a M.S. in Technology & Policy from MIT and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University.

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

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.

Charmaine Lang | Los Angeles, CA

Charmaine Lang (she/they/sista docta) is a Black queer woman from South Central Los Angeles who now resides in North Carolina. As a certified healing centered coach and full-spectrum doula, Charmaine supports clients in accessing the pleasure and joy they desire–in their workplace, career, and personal life. Her experiences with Vipassana Meditation, generative somatics, and bodywork has played an essential role in her personal transformative work.

Somatic tools have been incredibly healing for Charmaine, and she incorporates them into her coaching and consulting practice, often inviting clients to tap into their bodies for connection and guidance. As an organizational development consultant, Charmaine brings her experiences in non-profit leadership and movement work to help organizations create sustainable people-centered operations and cultures of care. 

All of Charmaine’s work is grounded in Black Feminist Praxis and Possibilities. Charmaine has been part of the reproductive, economic, and racial justice movements for over a decade as an organizer, trainer, and facilitator. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Charmaine presents on Black women’s well-being and organizing traditions and uses Black Feminism to explore the intimate lives of Black women.

Her dissertation, “Learning to Take the Excess Baggage Off”: An Ethnographic Study of Black Women Activists’ Self-Care Practices, examined how contemporary Black women activists in Milwaukee, Wisconsin use community support and pausing as care strategies. The dissertation centered self-care and the health of Black women as an integral part of the history and future of social activism and liberation work.

A Forever Echoing Ida Writer, find Charmaine on the dance floor, traveling, or writing about queer and pleasurable things.

Adrienne Ellsworth | Montana

Click here to view the 2022-2023 ARTIVISM PROJECTS by WVE’s Fellows.

Sai Allareddy  | (she/her) Intimate Care and Menstrual Equity Fellow

Sai Allareddy was born in Detroit, Michigan, but has been living in Colorado when she was 3 years old. She is currently a sophomore at the University of Colorado Denver, where she is pursuing a double major in Public Health and Biology and a minor in Medical Spanish. Sai’s professional journey includes conducting pediatric cardiology research at the CU School of Medicine and working as a medical scribe at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Beyond this, she has collaborated with the National Mental Health Innovation Center where she worked to understand the role of virtual reality and telehealth in increasing access to mental healthcare for rural and underserved populations.

Beyond her current work, Sai co-founded the nonprofit organization Money for a Miracle (M4M), which addresses inequities faced by underprivileged communities. M4M has had many successful initiatives like fundraising for homeless care packages during the COVID-19 crisis, holding blood drives in Colorado communities, and organizing free medical camps in Indian villages. Sai’s values are deeply rooted in equity, compassion, and education. She believes in the transformative power of awareness and aims to leverage her skills and give voice to community members to drive positive change at WVE (Women s Voices for the Earth). Outside of her academic and professional life, Sai’s hobbies include baking, skiing and being outdoors, and spending time with her family and friends. Sai is excited to bring her dedication and passion to WVE, where she hopes to further their mission and expand her impact.

Nu Bawi  | (she/her) Intimate Care and Menstrual Equity Fellow

Nu Bawi migrated to the US at the age of 8 from Myanmar, fluent in four languages. I am currently studying at the University of Colorado Denver, majoring in Public Health. Hoping to get into an administrative position in the future as a health career, she worked as a CNA, mobility, and many other jobs to gain the necessary experience to be a reliable leader who listens and shows compassion to others.

Nu has great interest in leading and empowering youth. From working as a mentor for high schoolers, college students, to church youth groups. Nu realizes that education is the greatest tool she could share with her family, often she would educate her immigrant family about prevention to help them understand worldly issues around us that are present and important. From not speaking English when she arrived to being fluent, she understands how language barriers are barriers to health, and seeks to go past that. Nu enjoys strength training to cook and enjoy short hiking trails. Nu is excited to join WVE, and spread its mission, she is pleased to offer her help as well as continue to learn herself.

Yami Lopez  | (she/her) Intimate Care and Menstrual Equity Fellow

Yami Lopez was born and raised in Denver, Colorado therefore naturally enjoys hiking, cheering on the Rockies, eating green chili, and attending concerts at Red Rocks, like a true Coloradoan. However, she has yet to own a Subaru and/or a blonde Labrador. She also enjoys staying busy with her collection of hobbies which include Pilates, indoor cycling, ice skating, reading, and long-distance running.

She remains connected to her Mexican heritage, customs, and traditions whilst also balancing her American culture, often displayed by her creative combinations of cuisines from each culture. Hamburger burritos anyone?

By the end of the year, Yami will have completed two bachelor’s degrees in international studies and Public Health and a minor in Spanish from the University of Colorado Denver. She aspires to work abroad in a fulfilling role that integrates her passions: environmental health equity, women’s health advocacy, and global health. Thus, aligning her goals phenomenally with Women’s Voices for the Earth’s mission.

Yami has prior experience with international projects as a volunteer, providing educational presentations and workshops for local communities in Peru, Thailand, and soon in Indonesia. Yami looks forward to supporting and further empowering fellow women!

Miarri Phillips  | (she/her) Intimate Care and Menstrual Equity Fellow

Miarri Phillips is a student at the University of Colorado Denver, where she is currently studying sociology. She is a highly motivated individual passionate about social justice and has an intense drive to create change in areas that she recognizes. Miarri is actively involved in both her communities, starting with Rochester, New York, to her previous Ohio campus, and now in the Denver community. She is a beacon for change and a natural-born leader taking on any task and amplifying others’ voices to see a more significant impact.

Miarri was a Teaching Assistant and Cohort Coordinator for a Leadership Program. She has held several executive positions that educate others on the importance of active citizenship and civic engagement. She is notorious for her creative ideas and served as the Outreach and Engagement Chair for a nonprofit called Millennials 4 Environmental Justice. Phillips was also a Cities United Fellow taking a public health approach to gun violence. Miarri has had several internships and research experience and is always looking to implement her experiences into stepping blocks for future generations after her. She was a Teaching Fellow through Generation Teach, where she taught environmental law during the summer of 2022. She was also a CivicSpark Fellow with the City and County of Broomfield, working on Sustainability Communications. Her love for nature stems from attending summer camps that she attended as a young child, where she taught herself how to swim. She fell in love with nature and realized a connection to the outdoors.

Miarri enjoys activities such as hiking, biking, and even zip-lining. This is how the Green Goddess developed. Our mission is to provide emotional and social support for girls of color to develop identity, purpose, and community by providing and facilitating equitable and inclusive experiences. Our vision is to curate equitable and inclusive environments for young women of color to foster community, culture, and connectedness. The challenges that young girls of color face are varied from inequalities and barriers throughout their lifetime.

Natasha Piette Basheer

(she/her)
Development Director

Natasha Piette Basheer is an Afro-Euro-SWANA-Brit third-culture kid with a deeply rooted passion for environmental health and gender equity movements. With a decade of international experience, she specializes in diversifying fundraising streams and organizing impactful campaigns. Prior to joining WVE, Natasha managed fundraising at Tahirih Justice Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, a legal aid organization supporting immigrant survivors of gender-based violence.

From 2017-2021, Natasha led the reactivation of the Environmenstrual Campaign at Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) in the UK. She built a coalition of 60+ organizations, co-founded Environmenstrual Week, and secured successful grants and partnerships to advocate for safer period products.

Natasha has worked with organizations like GADN, Plan International USA, Endometriosis UK, and Tea Leaf Trust, focusing on gender equity, donor engagement, and menstrual health advocacy. She launched a successful Change.org petition addressing harmful chemicals in hair treatments linked to cancer, highlighting the disproportionate impact on Black women.

Natasha holds a bachelor’s in International Development from the University of Essex (UK) and a master’s in Anthropology: Development & Rights from Goldsmiths, University of London. She has volunteered with Amnesty International and conducted dissertation research on the social impacts of menstrual health in rural Sri Lanka.

Jayla Burton

(she/her)
Director of Programs

Jayla Burton, MPH, MS (She/Her) is Director of Programs at Women’s Voices for the Earth, where she leads program and policy initiatives aimed at reducing environmental health disparities, particularly among marginalized communities. She holds a masters degree in Public Health and a masters degree in Science from the University of San Francisco and an undergraduate degree in Health Science from the University of Cincinnati.

In the public health sector, Jayla has extensive experience in organizing and empowering advocacy, conducting community-based participatory research, leading corporate, educational, and legislative campaigns, and fostering leadership development. Before joining Women’s Voices for the Earth, Jayla worked at the National LGBT Cancer Network, where she developed a leadership and training program for emerging leaders interested in public health and cancer advocacy. Before that, she worked at Breast Cancer Action, where she mobilized breast cancer activists nationwide, spearheaded corporate accountability campaigns, and critically analyzed emerging breast cancer prevention and treatment recommendations.

Jayla’s work spans a wide range of issues, including cancer, environmental health, environmental justice, reproductive justice, harm reduction, and substance use recovery. Her efforts are driven by a deep passion for systems change to reduce health disparities, with a focus on historically underrepresented populations and women’s health, particularly breast cancer. In 2024, she was recognized as a Transformational Leadership Initiative Fellow. Additionally, Jayla leads a community initiative that hosts events to foster community resilience by promoting sustainable living through fashion and culture, with a commitment to uplifting BIPOC circular systems and providing equitable access to quality, environmentally conscious practices.

Debra Erenberg

(she/they)
Interim Co-Executive Director

As Strategic Director for the Cancer Free Economy Network from 2018 through January 2024, Debra served 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, 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.

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.

Molly Hirshik

(she/her)
Operations Manager 

Molly Hirshik is a non-profit operations and management leader who lives in Denver, Colorado. She is a Chinese-American transnational adoptee and grew up in central New Hampshire and New York City.

Prior to working at WVE, Molly was the Strategy & Operations Manager at Peak Heath Alliance, a Colorado-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing health insurance premiums and increasing access to healthcare in rural mountain communities across the state. There, she drove strategic initiatives and community-informed endeavors to improve health equity amongst historically underserved and overlooked populations. Additionally, Molly developed a strong analytical and financial skillset in previous roles at HealthTrust Purchasing Group and Healthcare Appraisers.

Molly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with an emphasis on Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. As a woman of color who has lived in diverse metropolitan areas, Molly has developed a uniquely informed commitment to advancing intersectional equity and elevating marginalized voices in her professional and personal life. Molly is deeply passionate about mission-driven operational excellence and proficiency.

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.

Drea Vail

(she/her)
Digital Communications Manager

Drea was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She is passionate about utilizing digital and print media to serve social justice causes. Drea earned a B.A. in Political Science, with a concentration in Environmental Policy, and Journalism Media Communications from Colorado State University. She also studied abroad at University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa researching social movements and how they’re reflected in media.

Prior to working at WVE, she worked as an in-house and freelance Graphic Designer for various non-profits, such as Planned Parenthood Advocates and Disability Law Colorado, elevating reproductive rights, disability justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and healthcare reform.  

Outside of work, she enjoys running, creating art, reading, and attending Denver Broncos and Nuggets games.

Imani West

(she/her)
Communications Director 

Imani is a Baltimore-based strategic communications and marketing professional with nearly a decade of expertise in crafting and executing communication tactics that support organizations in sharing their story, advancing their mission, expanding their reach, and driving organizational growth.

As the Communications Director of WVE, Imani leads the organization’s Communications strategy and Communications department. In collaboration with WVE’s Comms Manager, Imani also implements and executes key strategies to support WVE’s missions and values, including, but not limited to, digital and media campaigns, social media strategy, and branding.

Before joining WVE, Imani was a Communications Associate for Johns Hopkins’ Urban Health Institute. From there, she became an independent communications consultant and contractor, working with an array of equity and justice-driven organizations, including the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and the Black Equity Collective.

Imani received her Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Political Science from Virginia Wesleyan University. When she is not behind her desk, you can catch her exploring trails in the DMV and Baltimore metro area with her pup, Harper, or living her best life as a self-proclaimed foodie.