Phyllis R. Caldwell, President
Phyllis R. Caldwell, former president of Community Development Banking at Bank of America, is a longtime resident of Washington, D.C. An executive with 20 years of sales and management experience, Caldwell has worked in Community Development Banking at Bank of America for the past decade and has been an innovator in affordable housing. Since 2004, she has served as president, leading a team of 200 people who provided loans and investments for real estate developments benefiting low and moderate-income individuals and communities. Caldwell originally joined Bank of America in 1997 as a community development lending executive in Washington, D.C., for the East and Mid-West regions. She later was appointed equity executive for Community Development Banking, in which she managed equity and tax credit investments in community development, historic preservation and affordable housing throughout the Bank of America franchise. In that role, she approved more than $75 million in community loan fund investments targeting hard-to-reach markets. She also oversaw $100 million in investments to venture funds targeting businesses owned by ethnic minorities or women, and companies located in low and moderate-income neighborhoods. Caldwell leads one of the nation’s fastest growing women’s foundations in terms of grantmaking and generating revenue. She is a member of Washington 100, a group of more than 100 women and men who each give The Women’s Foundation $10,000 over two years, resulting in more than $1 million to invest in women and girls.

Donna Wiedeman, Executive Assistant to the President
Donna has worked almost exclusively with nonprofits throughout her career, starting as a Girl Scout camp counselor and including stints as a child-care worker at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children, a bus driver for slightly less troubled children, general manager for a puppet company, and administrator for a pet-therapy organization. She spent 15 years working for In Trust, Inc., an organization that works with trustees and key administrators to improve the governance of graduate theological schools in the U.S. and Canada. While there, she provided the administrative support that saw the organization grow from a project of the Lilly Endowment into a registered membership organization with multi-faceted educational programs and a broad funding base. She came to The Women’s Foundation from the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau where she was director of operations. Donna serves on the board of Arlington Center for Dance/Center Dance Company.

Marjorie R. Sims, Chief Operating Officer
Marjorie has more than 20 years of experience as a policy advocate for women and girls. Prior to joining The Women’s Foundation staff, she served as the Executive Director of the California Women’s Law Center (CWLC). Founded in 1989, CWLC is the only statewide organization dedicated solely to advancing the civil rights of women and girls. Marjorie successfully designed and implemented a five-year strategic plan for the Law Center focused on sex discrimination, violence against women, women’s health, economic security, race and gender, and exploitation of women. She also co-founded and served as executive director of Women’s Policy, Inc. (WPI), which was established to conduct legislative research on the full spectrum of policy issues affecting women and families. She holds a Master of Arts degree in governmental policy from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, Program Officer
Jennifer has spent the past 12 years working to improve the lives of low-income and under-served women and girls. Prior to joining The Women’s Foundation, Jennifer served as the Director of Public Policy at the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, where she advocated on behalf of publicly funded family planning clinics and worked to improve access to family planning services for the low-income and uninsured. Prior to that, she spent nearly 10 years at Women’s Policy, Inc., where she directed the organization’s policy research and analysis and worked extensively with the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. She holds a Master’s degree in international policy studies with a concentration in women in development from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. She serves on the board of the Falls Church-McLean Children’s Center and co-chaired The Women’s Foundation’s 2007 Leadership Awards.

Gwen Rubinstein, Program Officer
Gwen has more than 15 years of experience in advocating for policy change at the federal and state level to provide women with the services and supports they need to achieve economic security for themselves and their families. Most recently, as Research Director of The Workforce Alliance, Gwen managed policy research projects aimed at improving public support for training and education for low-skilled adults. Previously, as Director of Policy Research at the Legal Action Center, Gwen led research and advocacy projects focused on increasing access to addiction treatment and other services and supports low-income women need to achieve recovery and self-sufficiency. Gwen was a 1992 Presidential Management Fellow, serving in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Gwen was a founding board member (and a former Board Chair) of Our Place, DC, a community-based organization that supports D.C. women who are or have been incarcerated. She holds a Master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s in Languages from Georgetown University.

Nicole Cozier, Philanthropic Education Officer
Nicole comes to Washington Area Women’s Foundation with more than 12 years of non-profit experience working on behalf of women and girls. Prior to joining The Women’s Foundation, Nicole spent nearly five years working for Women & Philanthropy. Nicole was responsible for the development and implementation of Women & Philanthropy’s programs, including the complete redesign and implementation of the organization’s centerpiece program – the LEAD (Leadership for Equity and Diversity) Award. Before joining W&P, Nicole spent four years working for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, in several different positions focusing on research, education and organizational development, the last of which was Senior Director, Programs & Organizational Development. Prior to moving to the Washington area, Nicole has lived in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Toronto, Canada and the US Virgin Islands, and worked for The Cooper Health System in Camden, NJ and Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia and Toronto. Nicole has served on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Mautner Project’s Spirit Study and currently sits on the board of directors for Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues. She holds an MBA in health administration and a Master’s degree in healthcare financial management from Temple University in Philadelphia and an honors bachelor’s degree with a double major in human biology, sociology (w/ a focus on gender studies) and a minor in women’s studies.

Sandy Romero, Program Assistant
Sandy has more than six years experience in the nonprofit sector. Her work focuses on support of the grantmaking and technical assistance aspects of The Women’s Foundation’s work. Sandy also currently works part time as a consultant to The Latin American Youth Center’s Bard College Clemente Course in The Humanities, which is based on the belief that an encounter with the humanities can promote your personal growth and development. Sandy is currently on the Board of Directors of Manna, Inc., an organization that focuses on affordable housing for D.C. residents. In her spare time, Sandy organizes community events, collects blankets for a homeless shelter, prepares meals for senior citizens or collects toys for children with terminal illnesses. She is a native of Washington, D.C. and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in the humanities.

Sharon Levin, Director of Major Events and Policy Advocacy
Sharon Levin is an attorney and native Washingtonian who has spent the past 15 years working to expand opportunities for women and their families. She joins Washington Area Women’s Foundation after successfully managing the 2007 Leadership Luncheon – which raised a record breaking $1 million. Prior to working for The Women’s Foundation, Sharon was the founder and Executive Director of Women’s Prerogative, an internet-based nonprofit organization. She was Senior Counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, focusing on women’s health and reproductive rights. Sharon also worked for Congress, first for Representative Nita Lowey (for whom she managed the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus) and then for Senator Charles Schumer and the Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition, during her years of private legal practice at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Sharon represented several women’s organizations on a pro bono basis on matters that included domestic violence, Title VII and child care. Sharon is also an adjunct professor teaching sex-based discrimination, feminist jurisprudence and legislative process at the Washington College of Law of American University. In addition, she sits on the Advisory Council for the Women’s Information Network and the Advisory Board of the Younger Women’s Task Force of the National Council of Women’s Organizations. Sharon is a graduate of Columbia University and the University of Chicago Law School.

Stacey Miller, Director of Development and Philanthropic Services
Stacey Miller brings 20 years of corporate and nonprofit experience to The Women’s Foundation. Most recently, as the Director of External Affairs with The Washington Ballet, she was responsible for revenue growth by overseeing development, special events, marketing, communications and ticket services. Prior, as a Vice President at AOL, Stacey contributed eight years to the success and growth of its international ventures. During her tenure, she managed key launches of AOL around the world, including Europe, Latin America, Australia, and Asia, and supported their global product marketing and technology development needs. In 2003, she became co-founder and president of Esprit Events Incorporated, a full service special events and production company. The company’s business model included giving 10 percent back to the nonprofit community through the donation of event planning services. This work led to the development of her skills in fundraising, and she eventually took on the role of Director of Development for the See Forever Foundation. She also had a successful sales and account management career working for Legent, AGFA and Frame Technology, spearheading the growth of their direct and indirect sales divisions. Stacey holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Penn State University, serves on the See Forever Foundation’s Board of Directors and actively volunteers in her community.

Allison Mitchell, Development and Philanthropic Services Associate
Associate Allison has worked for nearly 10 years at the national, state, and local levels to advance policies and programs that assist women to achieve self-sufficiency. She has fundraising and communications experience on a range of issues including women’s rights, economic and workforce development, poverty, reproductive rights, and LGBT rights. Prior to joining The Women’s Foundation staff, she worked as development manager at Women Work! The National Network for Women’s Employment. Allison holds bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and women’s studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Arts degree in public policy from The George Washington University. She is on the Board of Directors for the DC Abortion Fund and the Community Advisory Board for LSP/Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Julie Leibee, Development Assistant
Julie is a native Washingtonian and has spent nearly four years working to expand opportunities and resources for underserved communities. She has development experience in a range of issues that include micro-enterprise development, financial literacy education and youth mentoring. Before joining The Women’s Foundation, she worked as a development associate at the Hispanic Committee of Virginia. Prior to that, Julie served as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador, where she organized citizen-run committees designed to promote community development and environmental protection, educated youth on health issues with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS education/prevention and coached a girls’ soccer team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State University with minors in Spanish and international studies.

Lisa Kays, Senior Communications and Marketing Officer
Lisa has 10 years of professional experience, primarily focused on work that empowers women and improves the effectiveness of development efforts. As Communications and Marketing Officer at The Women’s Foundation, Lisa’s work is focused on all areas of communications, from publications to the Web site to media relations. Previously, Lisa served as Implementing Partners Technical Advisor on USAID’s Ambassador’s Girls’ Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships and mentoring to school girls in Africa. She provided technical assistance, monitoring and training for partner organizations, managed country programs and published educational calendars. Lisa previously worked on InterAction’s Africa Liaison Program Initiative, which aims to generate more effective collaboration among stakeholders in African development. Lisa’s interest in gender issues and community development began during her service as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, where she taught secondary school English for two years and then served as national coordinator of Peace Corps Benin’s Women in Development program. Lisa holds a Master of Arts degree in international print journalism and public affairs from American University in Washington, D.C. and a bachelor’s degree from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.

Latricia R. Allen, Office Manager
Latricia has 13 years of administrative and sales support experience in businesses such as UPS in Atlanta and Future View in Washington, D.C. Latricia has also worked as a meeting and conference coordinator for Danya International and has managed, from conceptualization to completion, numerous conferences and trainings attended by over 2,500 participants. Latricia is a native Washingtonian and has worked on Capitol Hill for the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and for Congressman Julian C. Dixon (D-CA) in administrative roles. She brings a wide range of office and event planning skills to our work. Latricia also owns a small business, Girl Friday on The Go!, which merges many of her creative talents and work experience. Latricia is currently completing coursework at the University of Maryland towards her bachelor’s in English with a concentration in journalism.