Founder: Jo Atkins-potts
Jo Atkins-Potts (she/her) is a queer American activist and campaigner championing gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and human rights. With over ten years of experience, she specialises in strategic development, campaign management, and grassroots movement building. She has formed dynamic campaigns and programmes with organisations such as the Trussell Trust, the Jo Cox Foundation, Amnesty International UK etc. Much of her work is underpinned with challenging the charity sector to be anti-racist and to champion the positive sustainable impact of local activism.
Jo is passionate about people and a fierce advocate that they can create change and impact the world. Co-founding Feminists of_ was a long time vision realised to build an intersectional and anti-racist feminist movement for all genders. She provides direction and leadership to Fo_ working with its incredible volunteer team to live by Fo_'s values and its mission. In her spare time, she is likely to be found somewhere with delicious food, travelling, or playing with her rescue dog.
Founder: sophie fresco
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Sophie Fresco (she/her) is one of the founders of Feminists of_. She has a passion for intersectional feminism, with a strong belief that feminism is for all people, regardless of their gender. Sophie has confidence in the power of people to change the world and believes that grassroots activism and community building are key to long-lasting change.
Sophie holds a first-class honours degree in Social and Political Sciences with Philosophy, and her studies were significantly focused on gender inequality. She has also worked in hospitality and as an events host and currently works as an account executive at a brand agency which delivers strategy, content and activation. At Fo_ she ensures the organisation’s vision, aims and values are centred in its operations. When she’s not doing this, she loves nothing more than laying in the sun, spending time with her friends, and collecting cowboy boots.
Our Advisory board_
board member: vishna shah
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Vishna has spent the last decade leading and coordinating campaigns advocating for children’s rights and gender inequality. She has worked at the global level and more recently leading Save the Children’s campaigning, advocacy, communication and media work for West and Central Africa. She is hugely passionate about ending child marriage and ensuring equal rights to health and education. She believes change can happen through the power of public mobilisation, strategic advocacy and raising the voice of those most impacted. While Vishna has a BA in Economics and a Masters in Globalisation and International Development, she has also trained as a meditation teacher, completed an extensive Harvard leadership course and studied psychosynthesis.
She is passionate about how leaders can play a pivotal role in making the world a fairer, equal and healthy place. Vishna likes to use her spare time for long walks, travelling, reading and is a keen kickboxer!
CHAIR: CAROLINE KIOKO
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Caroline Kioko is a human rights lawyer specialising in Public International Law and Human Rights Law. She is keen on developing and applying inclusive civil, political, and social rights. Caroline has ten years of experience working in human rights, gender equality, policy, and advocacy organisations. She has authored several articles on sexual minority rights, feminism, and women's rights. She is the co-editor of the book 'Challenging Patriarchy: The Role of Patriarchy in the Roll-back of Democracy' and a research fellow under the Atlantic fellowship at the London School of Economics researching the relationship between funding and inequalities and decolonisation of Aid.
Board member: DEWI zamora mendoza
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Dewi Zamora Mendoza is a Peruvian lawyer specialising in human rights and development with a MSc in Emerging Economies and International Development at King’s College London. She has over eight years of experience in international cooperation projects in different government entities, along with international organisations and international cooperation agencies. She is also the co-founder of Somos Ciudadanía, a Peruvian non-profit organisation where she oversees the human rights and sustainable development working table.
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Dewi is a committed and action-oriented woman with vast experience in
developing and implementing projects from civil society and a high interest in
empowering women.
Board member: Jem Gibson
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Jem Jacob Gibson (they/he) is an environmental conservationist who is working towards more inclusive access to nature. He has worked for several environmental organisations across the South of England and is currently based in Somerset. They have a passion for working with diverse audiences and creating opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to get involved in wildlife orientated activities and reap the wellbeing benefits of getting out in the countryside.
Jem has a particular interest in LGBTQ+ issues and when he is not out in nature, he is often volunteering for various charities including an LGBTQ+ youth support service. As a non-binary transgender person, Jem is passionate about challenging gender bias in all areas of life and is excited to be a part of a movement that makes space for gender-diverse people. They have many hobbies including woodworking, and anything that will get them outdoors, especially kayaking and scuba diving.
Board member: Gaia caruso
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Gaia Caruso is an award-winning corporate leader. She has been named one of Most Influential Culture Leaders by HiveLearning, one of the Top Inspirational Corporate Women by WeAreTheCity, and a Winner of the Women in Tech Excellence Awards.
Gaia is the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Sparta Global and a vocal advocate for educational and employment equality. She is regularly invited as a keynote speaker on national and global ED&I forums and has delivered panels to industry audiences spanning over 40 countries. With over ten years of experience in the technology sector and an academic background from the LSE and Bayes Business School, Gaia has driven high-profile industry projects in the ED&I space, has delivered advisory to private and public organisations, and has led research on equality in business and its implications for sustainable economic development.
As an Advisory Board Member at Feminists Of_, she is passionate about advancing the organisation’s growth and impact through a strategic approach to Governance and People.
Board member: Mais montazar
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Mais has extensive experience in the field of culture development for non-profits. With a passion for building and promoting inclusive communities, Mais has worked on programmes that support youth and women throughout the Middle East and South Asia.
As a strong advocate for equal rights and diversity, some of Mais’ work has been focused on developing and implementing programmes that empower women and girls in underprivileged communities. She has also been working closely with community leaders, sector officials, and funders to bring about sustainable change.
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Mais believes that inclusion is key in building social cohesion and that everyone has an important role in this change process, it starts with one first step, one change at a time. Mais has been working with the British Council for more than 11 years and currently leads on global alumni and scholarship programmes. Her passion stems from the hope that together we can create a pathway of change for the next generations.
Board member: danielle lauren
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Danielle Lauren believes in the power of storytelling to change the world. With over 20 years of working in the film and television industry, her work has reached millions across the globe. She has held esteemed positions such as Executive Producer of MTV, Head of Content Strategy & Innovation at CNN International, Innovation Ambassador of WarnerMedia and feature film director of the 11Eleven Project.
Throughout her career, Danielle has pushed for the empowerment of female voices and equality for women, these are reflected in her role as the Director of The Vagina Monologues (Sydney Opera House) – which raised money for a Rape Crisis Centre, mentoring women through the Cherie Blair Foundation, Founder and President of CNN Women, and Chair of WarnerMedia Women EMEA. Today, Danielle consults for Reese Witherspoon’s production company ‘Hello Sunshine’ whose mission is to change the narrative for women.
