Board
Jackie Anderson
Jackie (she/her) is a lifelong Rhode Island resident. As a registered nurse with a focus on Reproductive access, health, and rights, Jackie began working closely with TWP; and in 2022 ran for state representative in her district, challenging house speaker with the sole purpose of facilitating the passage of the equity in abortion coverage act (EACA). In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, her 3 dogs, and singing in a band with her husband.
Tammy Brown, Vice Chair
Tammy is a life-long Rhode Islander dedicated to making the state a better and more just place to live. She is a theatre-maker whose work runs the gamut from activist social justice-oriented art pieces to Shakespeare productions and human statues. Tammy helps to lead The Womxn Project’s ARTivist efforts to utilize the power of art to shift conversations.
Kait Castillo
Kait (she/her/ella) was born and raised by her two dads in Northeast Los Angeles. She is a first generation American and a Latina who brings a passion for politics. Kaitlynn was the Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper and a volunteer with her local neighborhood organizations. She came out east to attend the University of Massachusetts Boston where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a minor in Public Policy from the Honors College. She also received a graduate certificate in Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy and went on to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree.
While at UMass, Kaitlynn was the President of the College Dems and a founding member of UMB Voter Coalition to help increase voting and political involvement on campus. She held many leadership roles, which helped to prepare her for her work on several political campaigns, including as a campus leader for Senator Elizabeth Warren during her 2018 Senate campaign as well as her 2020 Presidential campaign.
Kaitlynn served as a communications and policy intern for Andrea Campbell during her Boston City Council campaign in 2019 and went on to work for her race for Mayor of Boston in 2021. She worked as the Communications Director for State Senator Jason Lewis where she managed all of his public facing communications including talking points, press releases, social media, local cable tv, Community conversations, and Town Halls.
Kaitlynn is excited to bring her skills and passion for writing and journalism along with her dedication to shaping and influencing both the political process and policy making to The Womxn Project and to be part of our efforts to advance reproductive health, rights and justice.
Susie Chakmakian, Secretary
Susie Chakmakian has been a volunteer and creative partner in the artivist work of The Womxn Project and the Womxn Project Education Fund since its inception in the summer of 2020. Most recently, Susie could be heard in downtown Bristol, reading the names of people who were enslaved residents, as part of TWPEF’s Illuminating the Legacy of Slavery program during Art Night Bristol Warren. Susie developed her love of theater in high school and has performed in productions for West Bay Community Theater, Head Trick Theatre, and the Contemporary Theater Company, including the one-woman show There Was and There Was Not: Telling Armenian Stories, which she wrote and performed. She works as the Systems Librarian at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport. Besides her creativity and performance skills, Susie brings to The Womxn Project Education Fund her expertise in information technology, research, and data analysis. She received her undergraduate degree in English and Renaissance and Early Modern Studies from Brown University and her Master's in English and Library and Information Studies at the University of Rhode Island. She also serves as the recording secretary on the executive board of the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island.
Alana Con Artist
Alana Con Artist (she/her) is an Artist, Educator and Activist. Originally from San Francisco, CA, she is an alum of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Alana is a full time visual art teacher in Massachusetts, the Creative Director of the Marlborough Makers Artist Collective, & also serves on the Board of Directors for The Collaborative, a nonprofit arts organization. Under the name "The Con Artists" she, her husband Ryan, and daughter Polly lead community workshops and create public art that can be seen in New Mexico, California, Rhode Island & Massachusetts. Alana has been involved with The Womxn Project and The Womxn Project Education Fund for many years, providing imagery for posters, postcards and projections. She could be seen at community events across Rhode Island in the summer of 2022 running screen printing activities for TWPEF with her original “Punk Bands, Not Abortion Bands” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll and Birth Control” designs.
Jocelyn Foye, Board Chair
Jocelyn’s own design firm has been around over 20 years and she’s led marketing and design at private companies, as well as exhibited her spectacle-based art internationally, and was a professor in graphic design and sculpture. You can find her spectacles both projected onto the halls of power in RI and at www.jocelynart.com.
Daria-Lyric Montaquila, Treasurer
Daria was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island where she still is an avid activist and community organizer. Her chief responsibility is coordinating community outreach for the Rhode Island People’s History Museum and The Collective, based in Peacedale, RI. She first began engagement with The Womxn Project during her senior year at the University Rhode Island and has since been an active supporter. Graduating in 2018 with a BFA in acting, when she is not advocating for policy change, she spends her time performing with local theater companies and her goal is to combine community outreach with the arts.
Staff
Nicole Adams - Lead Administrator
Emily Olson - Communications
Past Board Members
Beth Braganca Bell
Emily Boucher
Deb Kopech
Cristina DiChiera, Director