LOS ANGELES (January 27, 2022) – National mentorship nonprofit Step Up announced the newest members of its national board of directors, along with its new chair, during National Mentoring Month in January. Andrya Smith, partner at PwC, now chairs the national board. She assumes the Step Up national chair position from Maria Walker, partner at Patient Square Capital, who helmed the board for the past two years.
Tara Farnsworth (chief financial officer, Bayshore Global Management) and Suzanne Norr (chief operating officer, AvatarLabs, Inc.) will continue as officers, serving as treasurer and secretary of the board, respectively.
Joining Smith, Walker, Farnsworth, and Norr on the national board will be new additions Vanessa Salinas Beckstrom (forensics partner, PWC), T'Wana Brown (vice president, divisional merchandise manager for men's, JCPenney), April Carr (transformation and technology design executive, PepsiCo), Cat Chen (founder and CEO, Skylar), Katrina Craigwell (director, brand solutions marketing, Meta), Dawn Kohler (founder and master level executive coach, Kohler & Company), and Judie Verb (executive vice president of consumer and business banking, Mountain Region, US Bank).
"This is a critical moment for mentorship in our communities, and I'm grateful to these leaders for guiding Step Up as we prepare to mark our 25th year of service in 2023," Step Up CEO Delores Druilhet Morton said.
Step Up provides free mentorship programs for high school girls and gender-expansive teens. During the pandemic, the nonprofit also launched "Next Step Up" programs to provide continuing mentorship and support to young women and gender-expansive young adults ages 18-23. The programs, created to support girls of color who may be facing systemic barriers, help Step Up fulfill its vison to close the opportunity gap, transcend gender and racial inequities, and advance communities and families.
Many of the board members serve as mentors for the Step Up girls and help the organization access resources on a national level. In addition to the board, the organization relies on nearly 1,000 women members who share their time, talents and resources in support of the next generation of leaders. To inquire about board service or involvement, please email mentor@suwn.org. Below is Step Up's full 2022 national board of directors.
Step Up National Board of Directors
Chair Andrya Smith, partner, PwC
Vanessa Salinas Beckstrom, forensics partner, PwC
Rachel Begun, founder and CEO, Coaching and Culture
T'Wana Brown, vice president, divisional merchandise manager for men's, JCPenney
April Carr, transformation and technology design executive, PepsiCo
Tam L. Chambers, vice president of international and national accounts, NWEA - Northwest Evaluation Association
Cat Chen, founder and CEO, Skylar
Katrina Craigwell, director, brand solutions marketing, Meta
Tara Farnsworth, CFO, Bayshore Global Management
Bernadette Fitzpatrick, chief marketing officer, Bare Necessities
Heather J. Foster, senior director, national policy, Lyft Inc.
Marnie Kain, partner, Grey Group
Dawn Kohler, founder and master level executive coach, Kohler & Company
Kaye Popofsky Kramer, founder, Step Up
Sara Link, director of societal impact, Verizon
Molly Luetkemeyer, principal, M. Design Interiors
Marta Martinez, director, agency platforms, Google
Delores Druilhet Morton, CEO, Step Up
Suzanne Norr, COO, AvatarLabs, Inc.
Mark O. Page, AT&T executive (retired)
Beth Radichel, partner, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Maria Salcedo, VP, corporate strategy and program management, Ulta Beauty
Hilary Smith, EVP, corporate social responsibility, Comcast NBCUniversal
Maggie Stockdale, VP, Customer Success, Media Math
Judie Verb, EVP, consumer & business banking, Mountain Region, US Bank
Maria Walker, partner, Patient Square Capital
About Step Up
Step Up believes all girls should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams of success. By offering free mentorship programs, the nonprofit works with teens facing systemic barriers on becoming confident, career-focused, and ready to join the next generation of leaders. Connect at suwn.org.
media contacts:
Alissa Zito Cruz
Step Up
alissa@suwn.org | 310.880.9049
