Our Staff
Our team is made up of dedicated professionals with backgrounds and expertise as vibrant and diverse as the women we work to lift up. Learn more about joining our team.
Monifa Bandele, Interim President & CEO
Before becoming TIME’S UP Interim President & CEO, Monifa was TIME’S UP Chief Operating Officer- she led operations, culture change, and policy campaigns that work to achieve the organization’s strategic goal to ensure safe, fair, and dignified workplaces for women. Currently, she sits on the policy table leadership team for the Movement for Black Lives and the steering committee for Communities United for Police Reform. Bandele has more than two decades of advocacy and policy experience, such as launching two historic and successful legal cases against police misconduct in New York City (Floyd v. NYC and Daniels v. NYC) and working to pass five landmark pieces of police reform legislation in New York. Prior to TIME’S UP, Monifa served as senior vice president and chief equity and partnerships officer at MomsRising, co-leading a national on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people working to achieve economic security and justice for moms, women, and families. She also worked at the Brennan Center for Justice as national field director for the Right to Vote Campaign, leading a successful coalition that restored the right to vote to more than 250,000 formerly incarcerated people in five states.
Gina Arias, Director of Healthcare Industry
Gina Arias leads TIME’S UP’s Healthcare Industries, focusing on addressing issues related to safety, dignity, and equity in the healthcare workplace. She is a Spanish and French-speaking nurse and public health professional with more than 25 years of experience locally and internationally in the areas of program management, training, monitoring and evaluation, health education, and policy/advocacy. Prior to TIME’S UP, Gina worked at the New York City Department of Health engaging OB/GYN department chairpersons and other medical staff to address maternal health inequities. She also served in the United States Peace Corps in Niger from 1994-1996, where she conducted health and nutrition education with a focus on maternal and infant health and guinea worm eradication. In addition, she has worked extensively with the U.S.’ leading HIV/AIDS organizations.
Sophie Bair, Data & Research Associate
As the Data & Research Associate, Sophie supports the work of the TIME’S UP Impact Lab. She is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data and translating findings into evidence-based strategies to advance workplace equality. Previously, Sophie served as a project coordinator for the Columbia University Data for Good program, where she researched trends in African-American migration, and as a federal data science fellow through the Civic Digital Fellowship. She also brings 2 years of experience in mental health research. Sophie holds a B.A. in neuroscience and statistics from Columbia University.
Arielle Baldwin, External Affairs Associate
Arielle coordinates, manages and provides support for all non-press external engagements for TIME’S UP leadership. Previously, Arielle worked as a Crisis Response Specialist at the Family Violence Prevention Center, and as a Program and Development Coordinator with Hostage US. These experiences helped Arielle nurture a passion for victim and survivor rights. Originally from Ohio, Arielle moved to Washington, DC to pursue a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at American University’s School of Public Affairs. Prior to receiving her MPA, Arielle received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bowling Green State University in 2018.
Irene Berman-Vaporis, Publications Manager
As the Publications Manager for TIME’S UP, Irene helps develop, draft, and edit new research products. Previously, Irene worked as an infographics editor at National Geographic where she conducted data-driven research on a diverse range of topics, including climate change, conservation, women’s rights, and global health. She was also the lead cartography researcher for the Atlas of the National Parks. Prior to National Geographic, Irene was the associate managing editor for Boston Magazine and an editorial project manager for Sage Publications. Irene holds a B.S. in journalism from Boston University (BU) and is currently pursuing an MBA from BU’s Questrom School of Business.
Gina Garapolo-Ciaccio, Executive Operations Manager
Because she is the first person our new team members meet on their first day at TIME’S UP, we call Gina our “director of first impressions.” In addition to leading our onboarding and benefits administration, Gina co-leads our Intern Program while also managing the President and CEO’s daily administrative affairs. Before joining TIME’S UP, Gina spent many years working in Chicago’s most prestigious law firms and served as the director of membership and club events at The Standard Club.
Stacey Ferguson, Digital Director
Stacey oversees the strategy and implementation of TIME’S UP’s digital brand architecture, inclusive of content and platforms, efforts to cultivate new and existing audiences, and initiatives to shape attitudes about issues affecting women and work. Stacey brings over a decade of experience in integrated marketing, digital brand strategy, strategic partnerships, and community building. Prior to TIME’S UP, she co-founded Blogalicious, a marketing network and annual conference aimed at elevating the voices of multicultural women influencers. Stacey began her career at Proskauer Rose LLP as a privacy attorney and at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, where she protected consumers against deceptive advertising practices online.
Kelsey Flower, Business Innovation Fellow
Kelsey supports TIME’S UP’s private sector research, strategy, and programming to increase engagement from corporations on evidence-based gender equity solutions. Kelsey brings experience in corporate partnerships, strategic visioning, and analysis in the gender equity, caregiving, and social innovation spaces. Prior to TIME’S UP, she was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she liaised with companies, philanthropies, and multilateral organizations in strategy formulation and implementation on both private and social sector projects. Kelsey holds a Bachelor of Arts with honors in government and human-centered design from Dartmouth College.
Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Senior Director of Research
Kate joins TIME’S UP in the role of Senior Director of Research, she brings more than a decade of experience in research and policy analysis focused on gender, the conditions of low-wage work, caregiving, and racial justice. Kate was most recently the Director of Child Care and Early Education at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), where she helped lead the effort to secure a historic $50 billion investment in child care relief funding. Prior to joining CLASP, Kate was the Senior Director of Poverty Policy at the Center for American Progress and the Director of Research and Policy Analysis at the National Women’s Law Center. Robbins holds a B.A. in Government from The College of William and Mary and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Laura Galindo, Digital Associate
Laura supports the communications and digital teams in executing TIME’S UP’s digital advocacy priorities, including digital engagement and outreach. Prior to joining TIME’S UP, she served as Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), empowering farmworkers and working Latinx families to take action against systemic exploitation. Laura brings 8 years of experience working at the intersection of worker, gender, and healing justice. She graduated from Oregon State University with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Gender Studies.
Karina Gonzalez, Development Operations Associate
Karina supports the development team with planning, organization, and the overall delivery and administration of TIME’S UP’S donor database. She brings experience working in nonprofits in various capacities — from planning special events to working in direct services and development. Previously, she was a case manager for asylum-seeking children at the International Rescue Committee. Karina is just a few semesters away from completing her M.S. in Social Entrepreneurship from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Tshombe Hubbard, Chief Financial Officer
Tshombe oversees the administrative functions of TIME’S UP, including finance, IT, facilities, and compliance. Tshombe brings over 20 years of experience in high-level nonprofit organizational development, strategy, and finance. Previously, he was the senior director of program and financial management at Planned Parenthood Action Fund, where he was responsible for all components of financial management during the last three presidential election cycles.
Michelle Jones, Director of Cultural Strategies & Initiatives
As associate director of industries at TIME’S UP, Michelle facilitates the strategic growth of initiatives and relationships within the entertainment and advertising communities. In this role, she oversees programming, leadership groups, and efforts to ensure that the voices of women of color (WOC) are centered throughout our work, which includes leading a global campaign called We, As Ourselves to shift the narrative around Black survivors. Michelle previously worked as senior assistant director of the Riordan Programs at UCLA Anderson, where she oversaw educational programming for the Riordan Scholars, Riordan Fellows, and College to Career programs. She served as a program manager for the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) – California, where she managed all aspects of their Beat the Odds scholarship program. She produced 20 documentaries and directed one documentary for CDF’s annual gala.
Emily Koh, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives
Emily sets the strategy for and leads TIME’S UP’s organization-wide campaigns, initiatives, and operations. Before TIME’S UP, Emily worked in city government at the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), where she led the team that developed programs to jump-start small businesses in all five boroughs. Prior to SBS, Emily worked at LeanIn.Org, where she led a global community of Lean In Circles and oversaw the development of Circles programs in companies and on campuses around the world. Early in her career, Emily worked as a field organizer for President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign in Florida.
Allison Lee, Chief Development Officer
Allison leads the development team responsible for building and expanding TIME’S UP’s revenue base. She brings over 25 years of development experience for progressive nonprofits, specializing in institutional giving, major gifts, and board development. Prior to joining TIME’S UP, Allison served as vice president of external affairs at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, where she worked to increase their annual revenue and directed their communications program. Before that, Allison served for eight years as founding executive director of American Jewish World Service – Southern California.
Latifa Lyles, Vice President for Advocacy and Survivor Initiatives
Latifa leads TIME’S UP’s advocacy agenda for public policy and private sector change and its efforts to advocate for survivors of sexual harassment and assault. Latifa brings more than 15 years of movement experience working on issues of economic justice and equity for women, workers, and survivors. She served in the Obama administration as head of the Women’s Bureau at the US Department of Labor, where she led initiatives on paid leave and pay equity, including a collaboration with the White House Council on Women and Girls to organize the White House Summit on Working Families. Prior to joining TIME’S UP, Latifa was a vice president at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, overseeing private partnerships, communications, and economic justice for survivors.
Anwesha Majumder, Associate Director of Data Analysis
Anwesha helps chart the direction of the research team and is responsible for the data dashboard piece of the Time’s Up, Measure Up initiative, which hopes to ensure that women, particularly women of color and low-paid women, are spotlighted in conversations around the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, she was the Co-Principal Investigator of the US News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings, where her work focused on hospital quality measurement and developing maternity care and health equity evaluation frameworks. She has also performed field epidemiology for vaccine-preventable diseases and monitored public health priorities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Anwesha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Health Science in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Sapna Mehta, Director of Policy
Sapna is a seasoned policy advocate with over 13 years of experience across advocacy, labor, government, and philanthropy. Most recently she worked with the Center on Law and Social Policy (CLASP) to ensure paid family and medical leave was included in President Biden’s American Families Plan and Chairman Neal’s Building an Economy for Families Act and built momentum for its inclusion in a legislative package. Prior to CLASP, Sapna was the Policy and Research Director at Groundwork Collaborative where she helped secure emergency protections for workers and families during the pandemic including pandemic unemployment insurance and emergency paid sick days. As the Legislative and Policy Director at Main Street Alliance, she was part of efforts that led to first ever House of Representatives hearing on paid family and medical leave. She’s also held positions with the New York City Comptroller’s Policy Bureau, Ford Foundation’s Future of Work team, Main Street Alliance, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Daily News, Crain’s New York, The Hill, and other publications. Sapna holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from The Ohio State University.
Rashema Melson, Advocacy and Survivor Justice Coordinator
Bio to come.
Ngoc Nguyen, Senior Vice President, Head of Entertainment Industry
Ngoc oversees all entertainment strategy, initiatives, programming, talent relations, and publicity for TIME’S UP. Ngoc started her career at festivals in Texas, followed by public relations roles on the west coast at Miramax Films, Creative Artists Agency, and Paramount Pictures before jumping to the other side to become an independent producer. With over 20 years of experience that spans across entertainment, sports, and philanthropy, Ngoc uniquely holds an expertise as a publicist and experience as a filmmaker. As the founder of Nguyen Strategies, her consultancy included clients such as TEDx, Google, CBS Sports, US Open, Bad Robot, SAG Awards, Women Rising, and XPRIZE among others. As a filmmaker, her projects have centered on issues such as anti-bullying policies, sexual harassment prevention, and empowering girls in STEAM fields.
Stephanie Odiase, Senior Manager of Research and Partnerships
Stephanie oversees the research grant-making program for the Time’s Up, Measure Up Initiative — a first-of-its-kind project to track, measure, and share the impact of COVID-19 on women and the economy at large. Stephanie is an experienced social scientist in the fields of international education policy, community-based interventions, and measurement and evaluation. Previously, she served as head of policy research at Local Civics, an ed-tech startup that fosters community engagement for students of color. In addition, Stephanie was a researcher at the World Bank and a management consultant at a boutique consulting firm, focusing on economics research and technology advisory work. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Columbia University and a Master of Philosophy in Evidence-based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford.
Emily Okonowsky, Entertainment Manager
As TIME’S UP’s Entertainment Manager, Emily provides support with strategy, initiatives, and community-building efforts. With a background in publicity, talent relations, and event production, Emily uses her expertise to identify industry trends and opportunities for positive impact within the entertainment community. Before joining the TIME’S UP team, she spent several years working as a publicist and talent relations specialist for the Television Academy’s Emmy Awards and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.
Isabel Orbon, Director of Individual Giving
Isabel is responsible for individual fundraising, research, events, and communications at TIME’S UP. Prior to joining TIME’S UP, she served as the associate director of major gifts at Park Avenue Armory, a dynamic cultural institution. There, she focused on board development, leadership giving circles, and production sponsorship. She also worked at the American Academy in Rome, launching the giving circles, overseeing the annual donor trip to Italy, and organizing galas in New York City and Rome.
Hope Rohrbach, Digital Associate
Hope supports the communications and digital teams by executing on TIME’S UP’s digital priorities, including content development, digital organizing and community engagement, email marketing, and social media and data management. Previously, she worked at The Campaign Workshop, where she organized political candidate trainings and managed robust direct mail and digital programs for organizations focused on issues such as environmental protection, public health, and workers’ rights. She graduated with honors from The University of Wisconsin–Madison with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology and Environmental Studies.
Raana Simmons, Director of Survivor Initiatives
Raana oversees TIME’S UP’s organization-wide strategy for responding to and supporting survivors of sexual harassment, abuse and retaliation. She is responsible for threading the lived experiences of impacted individuals and communities to inform cross-departmental decision-making and leads external coalition-building efforts that advance trauma-informed policies and industry-specific solutions to prevent and address sexual violence in the workplace. Raana brings more than a decade’s experience in building strategic initiatives related to gender-based violence and safety policy, including recent government affairs accomplishments: 1.) the first of its kind law in the U.S. to protect juvenile victims of online privacy violations (non-consensual image sharing); 2.) funding to build TeleSANE infrastructure and ensure access for rural/remote communities; and 3.) the elimination of the civil statute of limitations for sexual misconduct to include a constitutional path forward for vested rights states to address retroactive claims. Raana holds a BS in Communication, Public Relations from the University of North Florida, and a Master’s in Public Administration with a dual concentration in Program Management & Policy Development and Gender-Based Violence from the University of Colorado Denver.