BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAFF

ADVISORY BOARD

TO APPLY FOR CONSIDERATION TO JOIN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STEPHANIE JOSON - Chair of the Board of Directors

The chair of the board since December 2010, Stephanie Joson began her work with RightRides in 2006 as a volunteer in event planning and the flagship ride-home program.  She received the Distinguished Defender Award from RRWS for her volunteer work and joined the board as Board Secretary in 2008. 

Stephanie studied Visual Arts and Communications and Media Studies at Fordham University and is currently working towards a master's degree in Public Administration at the School of Public Affairs at CUNY–Baruch College.

ORAIA REID – Founder, Executive Director

See STAFF for bio

ANDREA DAVILA - Member

Andrea Davila works at a social innovation fund, scaling up promising ideas in the public sector. She volunteers teaching financial education workshops around New York City and writes about finance at online teen magazine Sadie.

Andrea recevied her MBA from Columbia Business School in 2011.

AQUILA HAYNES - Member

As the Director of School Development & Partnerships for Victory Education Partners, Aquila is responsible for business development and community relations. Previously, she worked for NYC Department of Education supporting both district and charter schools in various capacities. Formerly a board member of a high-performing elementary charter school located in her childhood community, Ms. Haynes has committed her professional and personal lives to civic service. Prior to her tenure with NYCDOE, she managed information technology and communications initiatives targeting underserved communities for a local government agency and worked as the Spokeswoman for the NYC Special Commissioner of Investigation.

Ms. Haynes received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Syracuse University and a Master in Public Administration degree from Long Island University.  She is a member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and a 2010 Coro Leadership New York Fellow.



JACLYN LEADER - Secretary

Jaclyn Leader is an attorney at Torys LLP, where she practices general commercial litigation.  Jaclyn's extensive pro bono work has focused on representing undocumented victims of domestic violence in immigration and family law proceedings.

Jaclyn received her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley (Boalt Hall), where she was a member of the California Law Review and served as a board member of Law Students for Choice (now Law Students for Reproductive Justice).  She received her B.A. from Vassar College with General Honors and Departmental Honors in Political Science.


LEAH PRYOR - Treasurer

Leah has worked in the public and nonprofit sector for 15 years, creating model programs in urban schools and training youth service professionals nationwide.  She is currently serving as the Director of School Partnerships for Peace First, a nonprofit organization that partners with schools to develop peacemaking skills in all children. Leah has also held positions at the NYC Department of Education, as a trainer and staff developer for organizations such as the Hetrick-Martin Institute, Project Reach Youth and Harvard University's Program in Afterschool Education and Research.She is also on the advisory board of Bent On Learning.

Leah received a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Health Policy from Brandeis University.

FARAH TANIS - Member

Farah has been creating change as a social justice advocate for Haitian-American and Black-American women for over 10 years. She is the co-founder of Black Women’s Blueprint is a national organization exposing, defending and protecting the civil and human rights of Black American women.  Previously, Farah co-founded of a women’s human rights organization operating in the Afro-Caribbean community, called Dwa Fanm and was its Executive Director for eight years.

She received her Bachelor of Science from New York University; her Master of Social Work from Fordham University; and completed a
Post-Graduate Certificate in Family and Couple’s Therapy from Hunter College.

STAFF

ORAIA REID – Founder, Executive Director

With over a decade of grassroots organizing experience, Oraia is committed to empowering communities on behalf of LGBTQ, socio/political justice, and women’s rights issues with a focus on ending sexual assault.

Serving as the Executive Director of RightRides For Women’s Safety (RRWS), Oraia has been instrumental in launching the organization from vision to operations and significant growth, by overseeing strategic and programmatic development, public relations, fund development, along with community and sponsorship relations.

Under her direction, RRWS has received awards, community recognition and press coverage. She is also sought for speaking engagements at conferences about her experiences as a young activist, community leader and social entrepreneur.

Recently, Oraia completed Executive Education certificates from Harvard Business School in Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations, and from Columbia Business School's Institute for Not-For-Profit Management, certificate of Middle Management and a certificate in Personal Leadership.  She is also a Junior Fellow at the Nonprofit Leadership Development Institute at the United Way of New York City (Spring '07).

Oraia's recent honors include being named a 2010 Women of Excellence for Service to New York City by the National Association of Female Executives; a 2010 21 Leaders for the 21st Century from Women's eNews; recognized as one of Brooklyn's Extraordinary Women 2010 by the Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes and more.

KIMMIE DAVID - Volunteer Coordinator, RightRides

A life-long New Yorker (Hi, Queens!), Kimmie joined the RightRides staff in 2009. As Volunteer Coordinator, she manages the RightRides program and volunteers. Kimmie also supports outreach efforts, fosters partnerships with like-minded communities, and performs general program management for RightRides.

She is a collective member (and volunteer coordinator!) at Bluestockings New York City's only collectively-owned feminist bookstore, cafe, and activist center. Kimmie is also a founding member of FiRE NYC (Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment). Her many other hats include: artist, writer, tattooed lady, informal tech support go-to gal, burlesque enthusiast, bookkeeper, voracious reader, and safe driver.

Kimmie holds a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and English from the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Hunter.

2010-2011 ADVISORY BOARD


Janet Weinberg, Chief Operating Officer, GMHC

Jeannine Corey, Director of Operations, FJC

Jed Sutton, Chief of Staff, Stonehenge Partners

Katherine Freund, Founder, President, ITNAmerica

Purva Panday, Director, Programs & Development, V-DAY

TO APPLY FOR CONSIDERATION TO JOIN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

At this time, we are seeking dedicated leaders in the non profit and for profit sectors, especially those with senior-level experience in operations managment, and/or fund development areas. We are also seeking those who are, or with ties to, Major donors.

We are seeking Board Member Candidates with these specific skill-sets, abilities and interests:


Strategy/Operations Management - Seeking candidates with senior-level experience (10+ years) in Strategic Planning, Operations Management, Program Development and/or Evaluation either in the for- or nonprofit sector.  Ideally, candidates will have experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, national expansion via licensing agreements and/or establishing affiliates.  Members must have strong interest in working closely with the Executive Director, staff and key volunteers (including ad-hoc Board Committees when created) to develop a long-term operations strategy for organization, including performance management on various levels.

Major Donor/Fundraiser - Seeking candidates who are, or have strong ties to, Major Donors and who can work closely with the Executive Director and the Board Fundraising Committee to successfully solicit and secure major donations ($5,000+), including corporate sponsorships.

Help us grow RightRides For Women's Safety into a prominent organization! If you are interested in becoming a member please and request an Application. We'll send you this document, and ask you to return it along with your resume/CV. Our Nominating Committee will be in contact with you upon receipt.