Braver Together Event!
Scroll to view all of the speakers and organizations that participated in this event!
Speakers!
Kyla Woods
Kyla Woods is an experienced Broadcast Journalist, Host, and Communications Strategist currently serving as Public Information Officer for Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey. She is passionate about public service, impactful storytelling, and empowering women and girls to help them embrace their unique purpose. Kyla serves on the boards of the Mt. Washington School Foundation and Alloy Development; the Advisory Council for Whole Again; and the Executive Committee for America’s River Roots Festival. Kyla is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and a proud Forty Under 40 Honoree, and was recently honored as the 2024 Powerhouse by Johnson Investment Counsel. She is married to Allen Woods and they have 2 daughters.
Monique Gillam
Director of Organizing at Cohear. Expert in forging collaborative alliances and spearheading public outreach initiatives, demonstrated through impactful community engagement and event planning. Excelled in people management, enhancing organizational strategies by integrating community voices.
Sarah Corlett
Sarah Corlett has over 20 years of experience in social change as an organizer, a facilitator and a consultant. She has worked alongside communities, nonprofits and institutes to generate approaches to complex social issues. Recently, Sarah launched her own somatic coaching practice, Fluency. Unlike traditional coaching that often works primarily through conversation and cognitive strategies, somatic coaching recognizes that our bodies hold our experiences, patterns, and wisdom. Sarah helps clients view the body as territory for understanding why we are the way we are (both from personal experience and because of the systems we live in) and to tap into the body as an instrument for change and liberation. Sarah is a former professional dancer and teaches for DanceFIX, a popular dance fitness class for all bodies. She is passionate about creating safety and belonging within any community she is a part of. She has served on local community boards and is a 40 Under 40 Honoree. Sarah has two children.
Tamaya Denard
Tamaya Dennard is the Programs and Partnerships Manager at RepresentWomen and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Inspired by Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan and an abiding belief that everyone deserves a non-tokenized voice in what’s happening in their community, in 2017, Tamaya became the first openly gay woman elected to public office in the City of Cincinnati and served as President Pro Tem for Cincinnati City Council. In addition to being the Chair of the first City Council committee focused on issues of equity, inclusion and young people, among her proudest legislative moments is the creation of Cincinnati’s Salary History Ordinance and the Girls in Government program.
Mary Maune
Mary Maune is a dedicated advocate for women and girls, serving as the Program Administrator for the Hamilton County Commission on Women & Girls since 2021. In this role, she leads the Commission’s efforts to engage with community partners, civic organizations, and other local governments to identify service gaps, address resource shortages, and foster collaboration aimed at improving outcomes for all women and girls in Hamilton County. Each year, Mary works closely with the 20 women and 10 high school girls who make up the Commission to build upon previous recommendations while also researching and identifying new challenges and opportunities for meaningful change. Her leadership ensures that the Commission’s initiatives not only address immediate concerns but also create lasting impact through policy-driven solutions. Mary’s leadership has been pivotal in ensuring that no-cost period products are required to be available in all Ohio schools and that students can focus on learning without this barrier. Her work is also dedicated to closing the gender wage gap by convening, educating, and encouraging businesses in Hamilton County, Ohio to commit to pay equity.
Abby Westbrook
Abby Westbrook is the Executive Director of Collaborate Cleveland. Abby joined the organization in 2020 and led it through an evolution, including a rename and rebrand, to focus its work fully on supporting women and advancing gender justice in Greater Cleveland. Prior to her role at Collaborate Cleveland, Abby spent eight years at The Atlantic Philanthropies. At its conclusion, Atlantic was the largest philanthropic organization to purposefully spend-down its $8 billion endowment to solve urgent social issues now. Abby began her career in San Francisco at the Homeless Advocacy Project, providing direct service to homeless individuals to secure housing and public benefits. Abby holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and women’s studies from Marquette University and a Master of Public Administration from New York University. Abby lives with her husband and two sons in Cleveland’s Shaker Square neighborhood.
Fizz White
Fizz White helps to shape and oversee our programatic and communications initiatives in alignment with the mission and vission of The Matriots Education Fund. In this roll, they work to create more awareness and build accessibility for women to understand the levers and processes of the local and statewide political landscape to drive participation.They are instrumental in moving forward the strategy and implementation of impactful Matriots events, programs, and campaigns. Fizz grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from Xavier University in 2020 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and the Public and a minor in Gender and Diversity Studies. Prior to coming to The Matriots, Fizz most recently worked as a legislative aide to Rep. Sedrick Denson of Cincinnati.
Jadyn Riggs
Jadyn is a Graduate Assistant at the University of Cincinnati studying Women Gender and Sexuality Studies. Jadyn recently graduate of the University of Cincinnati- CCM. She is passionate about making the arts more accessible and diverse. Jadyn is also a current member of the Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls.
Participating Organizations!
League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area
Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio
Red Wine & Blue Education Fund
Cohear
Ohio Women in Government
Black Women Cultivating Change
Cradle Cincinnati – Queens Village
Groundwork Ohio
Ignite Peace
Represent Women
Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls
Matriots
Braver Together, hosted by The Matriots in partnership with Represent Women and the Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls, was an inspiring evening of community-building and activation! A huge thank you to our partners, all of the organizations who participated, our speakers, as well as our presenting sponsor, The Murray & Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation, for their generous support!
- We heard from a powerful line-up of speakers sharing their activation journeys!
- Connected with other activists working in the community and those who aspire to help create positive change!
- Discovered organizations working on the issues important to us at the Activism Fair!
Anyone can lead — and action can be contagious.
A huge thank you to all who were able to join us! We hope you left feeling inspired to hope for a more equitable Ohio and bold enough to take action, because we are, Braver Together.
