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Mary Bruce
Executive Director

Mary champions the growth of leaders and the impact of social sector organizations, including through previous work with America’s Promise Alliance, College Board, CPB, the GradNation, MENTOR, and AmeriCorps Alums. She also served as an adjunct professor in leadership at the University of Virginia, is a practitioner of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Results Count™ leadership development framework, and is on the national steering committees of Equity in the Center and New Politics.

Mary earned her BA from the University of Virginia and her MPA from Princeton. She is an alumna of AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. She got her start in the nonprofit sector interning at the Spanish American Committee in Cleveland, Ohio and now lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

Mary joined the foundation as its first executive director; she has B.A.’s indomitable will to make things happen.

Shaterri Casteel
Assistant Events Coordinator

Shaterri Casteel supports BA Women’s events, including our annual Welcome to Washington celebration for EmpowHERed women. She is an operations and project manager with more than 15 years of experience leading complex projects in fast-paced environments. She has supported creative marketing efforts, supported talent development efforts, and done the often unseen work of keeping the trains running on time at organizations including the American Nurses Association, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, and Points of Light.

Shaterri earned her B.B.A. in marketing from Texas A&M. She got her start at College Summit (now known as Peer Forward) and continues to bring the commitment to supporting collegiate women to her work at BA Women.

Like B.A., Shaterri will state uncomfortable truths, which we’re all better off for hearing.

Amber Cruz Mohring
Special Projects Manager

Amber supports our special projects and operations. She is also the owner of ACM Consulting. Before launching her consulting firm, Amber was the Interim Co-Executive Director of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN), the Senior Strategy Officer for Convenings at Lumina Foundation, and Director of Programs for Mobilize.org, and a field organizer United States Senator Jeff Merkley.

Amber currently serves on the board of directors for YI Advisors, as well as for Giving+Sum. She has a BA in politics from Willamette University, and an MPA in nonprofit management at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She got her start interning on Washington State Representative Deb Wallace’s campaign and now lives in Portland, Oregon.

Amber joined the team in 2018; she has B.A.’s compassion and persistence.

Ana Estrada Daniels
Dare To Lead™ Facilitator

Ana works with our programs team to deliver curated Dare To Lead™ content as part of our EmpowHER program curriculum. She is also the president and CEO of Anavo Solutions; where she has worked with organizations such as the Corporation for National and Community Service, ProInspire, University of Southern California, Sierra Health Foundation, and Korwin Consulting.

Ana holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) from the Coaches Training Institute, an Annie E. Casey Foundation fellow from the Social Sector Talent Pipelines Strategy & Learning Lab, and an advisory member of Equity in the Center.

Like B.A., Ana leads by example, demonstrating the courage to be vulnerable in advocating for equity in all the spaces she inhabits.

Anna Foster
Program Coordinator

Anna assists Kristen by coordinating our EmpowHER program from the beginning of application season to our program graduation at the end of each summer. She also manages the communications of BA Women, maintaining our digital presence and coordinating content. Anna has previously worked at the City of Charlotte’s Office of International Relations and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

She has a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University and is an alumna of the Elizabeth J. Somers Women’s Leadership Program. She is also an alumna of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and currently serves on their Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She got her start interning at the U.S. House of Representatives and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Anna was our first intern-to-staff hire; she has B.A.’s generosity and moral compass.

Kristen Hecht
Program Director

Kristen oversees our signature program, EmpowHER. She also supports our growing community of BA Women. Previously, Kristen worked as the director of membership and programs at the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area and now sits on the executive committee of its board of directors. She has also worked at the Human Trafficking Legal Center, the American Physical Therapy Association, and Quota International.

Kristen graduated from American University with a master’s degree in international politics and she holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of North Texas. She got her start in Washington, D.C. interning at the Women & Politics Institute and now lives in Washington, D.C.

Kristen has been an integral member of the team since inception; she has B.A.’s integrity and commitment to excellence.

Trisha Leon-Guerrero
Events and Strategic Partnerships Manager

Patricia “Trisha” Leon-Guerrero supports BA’s corporate partnerships and major events, including bringing her passion for creating community and memorable experiences to our annual Breaking Barriers celebration. Trisha is also the Founder and Chief Curating Officer of Experiences On Demand (EOD), where she has curated events ranging from small intimate gatherings to large-scale summits with over 1,000 attendees. Previously, she held leadership roles at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Teach for America.

Trisha got her start in public service as an elementary school teacher in Nevada. She received her bachelor's degree in public policy and sociology at Syracuse University, where she stays involved as a board member of their alumnae association.

Like B.A., she has an outsized attention to detail and operates with the utmost poise under pressure.

Lindsey Loyd
Partnerships Manager

Lindsey supports BA's development efforts, specifically for foundation and small business partnerships.

Lindsey has over 10+ years of experience in the fields of organizational development and fundraising, providing counsel to over 40 non-profits with a broad spectrum of scope, size, and regional presence. Before becoming an independent fundraising consultant, she worked as a Senior Consultant at Graham-Pelton, a Major Gifts Officer at New Orleans City Park, and an Associate Director at Orr Group. She pivoted into the non-profit space (and to D.C.) after serving as a cognitive therapist for children with special needs.

Lindsey graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree in business management. Lindsey now lives in the Washington, D.C. area where you can find her running on the Mall. She has B.A.'s compassion and commitment to equity.

Quianna Rodriguez
BA Career Coach

Quianna Rodriguez is one of BA Women's signature career coaches, guiding our EmpowHER participants through their internship search and beyond. As the founder of Happy Work Week, LLC she provides coaching and training that shifts perspective and focus to achieve a successful transition into meaningful work.

​An Air Force Veteran, she has provided technical writing, education & training, and information technology expertise to both military and corporate agencies for over 10 years. She also served as a Professional Development Instructor at the Carolina School of Broadcasting. She continues to educate and train others by providing corporate seminars workshops, and coaching at establishments such as TIAA-CREF, AIAAP, and WithIt.

Quianna holds a Degree in education and seven coaching certifications. Like B.A., Quianna possesses an infectious joy for her work and passion for lifting others as she climbs.

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