national leadership

Jenni Luke is chief executive officer of Step Up Women's Network, a nonprofit, professional membership organization based in Los Angeles. In this role, she leads one of the most sought-after women's groups in the country in its second decade of service.

Overseeing Step Up's offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, Jenni directs the organization's objective of bridging communities of professional women and underserved teen girls through mentorship, networking and advancement.

She currently sits on the advisory board for the Conference on Girls' Education, set for February 2012 in Washington D.C.

Jenni and Step Up have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Inc., Real Simple, W, CBS Moneywatch, Yahoo! Hot Jobs, The Huffington Post, and Our Kitchen Table, the e-zine of the California Women's Conference. She is also a regular workplace contributor to MariaShriver.com and TCWmag.com, the website of Today's Chicago Woman magazine.

Jenni came to Step Up Women's Network from within the nonprofit sector, having served as the director of development for The Alliance for Children's Rights and most recently, the ACLU of Southern California.

She began her career in law and focused on social justice issues. Jenni holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law and a BA from UC San Diego.

Alissa Zito is director of marketing and communications for Step Up Women's Network. Based in the organization's national office in Los Angeles, Alissa joined the nonprofit in 2009 to build and execute strategy for the marketing and communications efforts of all of regional offices and the organization as a whole.

Alissa handles all media requests, as well as Step Up's relationships in Hollywood. Through her efforts, the organization has enjoyed coverage in outlets including Good Morning America, People, InStyle, Marie Claire, Real Simple, Entertainment Tonight, The New York Daily News, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Nonprofit Times and others.

Alissa came to Step Up with public relations and marketing experience in both the agency and higher education arenas. She holds a BA and MBA from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Alissa currently sits on the advisory boards for LMU Magazine, the print publication of her alma mater, and for the campus' chapter of Delta Zeta Sorority.

Kaye Popofsky Kramer founded Step Up Women's Network and currently chairs the national board of directors.

Popofsky Kramer began her career as a talent agent at United Talent Agency, working with talent such as Renee Zellweger, Jim Carey and Joe Pantoliano. She segued into production as an executive with Interscope Pictures, serving as associate producer on the award-winning film "Kissing Jessica Stein."

Popofsky Kramer also enjoyed time as head of new business development for Kaufman Patricof Enterprises, and as vice president of marketing and new business development at Load Media Network, Inc. As the vice president of online research for Nielsen's NRG, Popofsky Kramer launched and supervised the growth of NRG's online research competency.

Popofsky Kramer added entrepreneur to her impressive resume in 2004, when she co-founded Nurseryworks, a Los Angeles-based furnishings firm that celebrates the younger generation and design-savvy parents with modern furniture, bedding, and accessories. Popofsky Kramer launched the company to provide clean, simple, and modern furnishings for creating the ideal first environment, a vision that reinforced the nursery's relationship to the rest of the home decor. After growing distribution to 300 domestic stores and 12 countries, Popofsky Kramer sold Nurseryworks in 2010 to Million Dollar Baby.

Popofsky Kramer earned her bachelor's degree from Tufts University. She now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeremy, and their three children.