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.
Tina Tchen, President and Chief Executive Officer
Tina Tchen serves as president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now and the TIME’S UP Foundation, overseeing the organizations’ strategic plans to change culture, companies, and laws in order to make work safe, fair, and dignified for women of all kinds. In 2017, Tina co-founded the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund with Robbie Kaplan, Fatima Goss Graves, and Hilary Rosen; since then, the Fund has connected thousands of people to legal or public relations support for sexual harassment across dozens of different industries.
A former assistant to President Obama, executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Tina has worked for decades to advance gender equality, particularly for working women. At the White House, Tina spearheaded the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families and helped form the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.
Prior to taking the helm at TIME’S UP, Tina was a lawyer specializing in workplace culture, advising companies on gender inequity, sexual harassment, and diversity. She has served on numerous strategic advisory boards for organizations, businesses, and nonprofits, including the United State of Women, which she continues to co-chair.
Jae Aron, Communications Manager
Jae is TIME’S UP’s lead storyteller on advocacy, campaigns, and corporate change strategies. She helps provide strategic direction for our evolving PR needs and is responsible for implementing our advocacy media work in-house. Jae enhances our internal communications and helps ensure our external messaging across TIME’S UP’s vast network of spokespersons and allies is aligned. Previously, Jae worked at Spitfire Strategies where she worked with nonprofits, foundations, and grassroots leaders to build momentum for inclusive paid leave laws across the country. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Wesleyan University and a Masters in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics.
Mikaela Bernstein, Operations Coordinator
Mikaela supports the TIME’S UP team with any and all needs pertaining to programming, events, and ensuring alignment across departments. Before joining the TIME’S UP team, Mikaela worked for No Label, a production company started by Baron Davis in 2016. In her role at No Label, she supported three busy executives as they developed projects with a focus on diversity and empowerment in the film, television, and digital spaces. Mikaela is a Los Angeles native and earned her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Santa Clara University in 2017.
Mariah Brown, Data and Analytics Manager
Mariah is TIME’S UP’s resident data expert, leading the day-to-day management of the TIME’S UP client relationships manager and digital engagement database. Mariah gained experience with data analysis, survey design, donor stewardship, and reporting as a development assistant for a D.C.-based nonprofit, SOME (So Others Might Eat), which serves homeless and impoverished communities. While a student, Mariah interned with Chemonics International, the World Bank, and United Nations Foundation conducting research and designing proposals. Mariah holds a B.A. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master’s in Public Policy from the George Washington University.
Gina Garapolo-Ciaccio, Executive Operations Manager
Responsible for the daily management of the President and CEO’s administrative affairs, we call Gina the “director of first impressions.” In addition, Gina provides oversight of the operations of our Chicago office, as well as finance, operational, and administrative functions of TIME’S UP. Prior to joining TIME’S UP, Gina was an executive assistant at the Chicago office of a global law firm and the director of membership and club events at one of Chicago’s most storied clubs.
Jess Forden, Research Analyst
Jess Forden supports the TIME’S UP Impact Lab’s research on safety, equity, and dignity at work. She joins TIME’S UP from the Roosevelt Institute, where she worked on an array of topics, including labor markets, child care, taxes, and the intersection of race and gender in the economy. Prior to that, she worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development, West Bank & Gaza, where she supported the private enterprise office with local economic development projects. Jess holds a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College.
Rebecca Goldman, Chief Operating Officer
Rebecca joined TIME’S UP when the organization was still just an idea. Rebecca oversees day-to-day operations and ensures that the organization is set up to deliver on our global strategic goals over the short and long term. She brings two decades of leadership in building innovative social impact organizations, and in 2014 was named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business.” Previously, Rebecca was the founding director of Good Robot, the social impact arm of Bad Robot Productions, and the executive director of the Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams Family Foundation. In both roles, she partnered with social change leaders in Hollywood and nationwide to create campaigns and seed new initiatives. Rebecca was also a founding team member and vice president of global programs at Endeavor Global.
Amanda Harrington, Vice President of Communications
Amanda ensures that the many voices that comprise TIME’S UP are heard in the press, across digital properties, and on the ground. Amanda is an accomplished leader of high-impact campaigns that influence public policy and inspire people to take action in support of women’s rights. Amanda managed the preparation of Planned Parenthood former president, Cecile Richards, for sworn testimony before Congress and she helped make health care a winning issue for House Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections.
Tshombe Hubbard, Vice President of Finance and Administration
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.
Angie Jean-Marie, Director of Public Engagement
Angie leads strategic partnerships and advocacy campaigns to advance safety, fairness, and dignity for women at work. Angie has spearheaded advocacy initiatives, including a campaign to change the culture of voting as the director of #VoteTogether at Civic Nation, and a philanthropic effort to spark civic activism in Los Angeles. Angie began her career in the U.S. House of Representatives as a legislative assistant for Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards of Maryland, where she helped launch an economic agenda for women.
Michelle Jones, Senior Programming Manager, Entertainment Industry
Michelle spearheads efforts for the Who’s in the Room mentoring program and the Women of Color (WOC) programming for our entertainment initiatives. Michelle previously worked as senior assistant director of the Riordan Programs at UCLA Anderson, where she oversaw the development and design of 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 – California (CDF), where she managed all aspects of recruitment, development, expansion, and retention of their Beat the Odds scholarship program. She produced 20 documentaries and directed one documentary for CDF’s annual gala.
Ankita “Kita” Kanakadandila, Policy Analyst
Kita supports all policy development, data, research, outreach, and advocacy work at TIME’S UP. She previously served as the deputy director of external affairs and downstate press secretary in the Office of New York State Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul. There, she was lead advisor to the Lt. Governor on many portfolios, including the women’s agenda and gun violence prevention, wrote speeches and op-eds, and staffed events across the state. Kita also participates in the Lower East Side Girls Club’s mentorship program, political activism groups, and the spoken word poetry scene in New York City.
Sandra Khalifa, Senior Digital Media Manager
Sandra is TIME’S UP’s eyes, ears, and voice out into the world as its head of social media. Sandra monitors traditional and digital narratives for strategic routes by which TIME’S UP can spark new storylines, fold into existing ones, and leverage our reach to elevate the work of partners, allies, and survivors. Sandra also provides leadership across the communications team by keeping key internal communications and planning processes on track. Previously, Sandra oversaw digital strategy for The Fairness Project, supporting ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage across the country, and the Dream Defenders, a Florida-based racial justice organization.
Devan King, Manager of Creative Services
Devan is TIME’S UP’s visual documentarian and archivist. She is responsible for expanding our visual identity, proactively working to grow our original content library, and for the development, organization, accessibility, and preservation of digital assets. Devan drives visual storytelling initiatives, including photo, video editing and production, with a particular focus on the types of long-lead storytelling needed to support fundraising initiatives. Devan began her career in the photography and creative department at The Nature Conservancy, where she was in charge of elevating the presence and reach of their conservation and environmental initiatives.
Jennifer Klein, Chief Strategy and Policy Officer
Jennifer develops and directs TIME’S UP’s strategy and advocacy across public policy, private sector, and culture change work. She provides thought leadership on TIME’S UP’s policy agenda of safe, fair, and dignified work for all. Jennifer has a robust history of advising governments, nonprofits, and foundations on domestic and global women’s issues. She served in the Obama and Clinton administrations and was also a senior advisor on women’s issues for the 2016 Clinton presidential campaign and transition team. Jennifer has taught at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Yale Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center. She also serves on the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership Advisory Council at Kings College London.
Emily Koh, Director of Strategic Initiatives
Emily sets the strategy for TIME’S UP Industry Change work and manages TIME’S UP’s partnerships with gender equity groups in various fields. 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 is responsible for building and expanding TIME’S UP’s fundraising capacity. 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 helped launch their Rapid Response Family Immigration Project and Transgender Advocacy Program. Before that, Allison served for eight years as founding executive director of American Jewish World Service – Southern California.
Rakeen Mabud, Director of Research and Strategy
Rakeen is responsible for the development of a strategic research agenda for TIME’S UP. This includes commissioning and writing papers that generate inclusive, innovative, and effective solutions for creating safe, fair, and dignified work for women of all kinds. Rakeen is an expert on the 21st century workplace and how the policy choices we make intersect with gender, race, and other social and economic inequalities. She previously spent three years at the Roosevelt Institute where she worked as a fellow and program director of Roosevelt’s 21st Century Economy and Economic Inclusion programs. She also served in the Obama administration, working on domestic economic policy issues in the Treasury Department.
Megan Malloy, Digital Communications Manager
Megan is the architect of TIME’S UP’s digital strategies, which she leverages to advance our mission of achieving safe, fair, and dignified work for all women. Megan designs smart digital campaigns to pass legislation, build TIME’S UP’s digital advocacy community, cultivate an online fundraising program, and motivate supporters to take meaningful action both online and offline. She also provides strategic oversight over the digital program’s growth and TIME’S UP’s online footprint. Previously, Megan worked for New York Public Radio, Everytown for Gun Safety, and M+R, where she consulted for clients including Planned Parenthood and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Mara Grobins Nasatir, Director of Initiatives, Entertainment Industry
Mara leads initiatives focused on making entertainment workplaces safe from sexual misconduct and increasing equity throughout the industry. She works with strategic and thought partners across the entertainment industry to design systemic solutions to the issues of workplace harassment, assault, and discrimination. Before TIME’S UP, she consulted on complex projects for nonprofits and organizations working in the public interest. Mara trained as a lawyer at New York University School of Law. Before consulting, Mara practiced antitrust law for eight years, including four years spent protecting consumers for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C.
Ngoc Nguyen, Head of Entertainment
Ngoc oversees all entertainment strategy, talent relations, and entertainment industry programming for TIME’S UP. With a background that spans across entertainment, sports, and philanthropy, Ngoc is a strategist who uniquely merges expertise as a publicist and experience as an independent producer, to impact culture through creative storytelling. Ngoc worked for over a decade in publicity at Miramax Films, Creative Artists Agency, and Paramount Pictures in addition to TEDx, US Open, XPRIZE, Bad Robot, and Google. As an independent filmmaker, Ngoc produces film, television, and online content that champions female-focused narratives.
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.
Lauren Powell, Vice President, Head of Health Care Industry
Lauren leads TIME’S UP’s work in the health care industry, which is focused on reducing sexual harassment and discrimination towards providers and patients alike in all health care-related fields. A lifelong champion of racial and social equity, Lauren joins TIME’S UP from the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity (OHE), where she pioneered innovative programs and initiatives to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in health across the Commonwealth. Lauren holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana, a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Doctorate in Clinical & Population Health Research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Christena Pyle, Vice President, Head of Advertising Industry
Christena is focused on driving change within the advertising industry and beyond. Previously, she served as director of diversity and inclusion at Omnicom Group, a global marketing and advertising company servicing over 5,000 clients, and director of ADCOLOR, an organization that advocates for diversity in the creative and technology industries. Christena has been deeply involved in shaping the direction companies worldwide have now adopted around inclusion and has received numerous accolades for her leadership and diversity efforts, including being named in Adweek’s 2018 Young Influentials list and 2019 Women Trailblazers list.