PRESIDENT

I am one of the 4 Founding Mothers of the Appleton Area NOW chapter. I came of age during the 60s and 70s and was aware of NOW and those “radical feminist bra-burners” during my college years at Lawrence University: Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm. After earning my master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, I was hired at Kimberly-Clark as an entry-level scientist and worked my way up to Senior Director in product & technology development and new consumer business, experiencing plenty of discrimination along the way. When I left K-C due to a restructuring, I became a consultant in innovation and product development and eventually took on a very part-time role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Lawrence University. This career shift allowed me to have the flexibility to give back to the community through volunteering with a variety of nonprofit organizations including the Women’s Fund, Mid-Day Women’s Alliance (business women’s organization), and the local League of Women Voters as well as 9to5, the organization for working women, and Main Street Alliance for small business advocacy. Through these efforts, I became acutely aware that no local organization focuses on women’s rights—especially advocacy work on public policies that women need—other than NOW. The rest—for NOW—is history!

VP-ACTION
A passionate advocate for women's rights and human equality, I take an intersectional approach to dismantling oppression. As the original organizer of the 2017 Women's March, I demonstrated my commitment to driving impactful social change. After 20+ years as an insurance brokerage owner, I have redirected my focus to academic pursuits at UW-Oshkosh. I am pursuing a double major in Women & Gender Studies and Anthropology, with double minors in African American Studies and History, and certificates in Indigenous Studies, Social Equity & Diversity, and LGBTQ+ Studies. I am committed to pursuing a law degree upon completion to gain the skills necessary to defend democracy and fight for social equality. My family, including my five children and partner William, currently reside in Appleton, WI.

VP-ACTION

Rachel Levine is a community organizer putting down roots in the Fox Cities. She volunteers for both Girl Scouts and hospice while also homeschooling her teens. Homeschooling gives Rachel an excuse to geek out 24/7 and spend lots of time at libraries and on field trips. Rachel's favorite things include art museums, children's literature, and studying history. Rachel has been registering voters and making calls for candidates for almost 15 years but deepened her activism during the 1st Trump Administration. At that time, she became a leader in Indivisible in Roanoke, Virginia. While working with Indivisible Rachel focused on Immigrant Rights, organizing numerous actions in support of immigrants. After relocating to Appleton with her family, Rachel is excited to work with NOW to continue fighting for equal rights and dignity for all people.

CO VP-MEMBERSHIP

I have always felt empowered to take action to make change even as a child chasing lunch bags blowing in the wind at school so they wouldn’t end up making pollution. I worked 32 years for Kimberly-Clark in various positions of accounting, purchasing and ending with project management for the Project Management Office within IT. Upon retirement I intentionally made a pivot to focus my energy on the non-profit sector. After little more than a year of investigating the various non-profits in the Fox Valley area I settled in on organizations that support women’s empowerment & getting out the vote. I found myself working part-time for the Girls Scouts, being on a committee for the Women’s Fund luncheon, joining the League of Women Voters supporting the voter services committee and joining Mid-Day Women’s Alliance with emphasis on the Legislative committee. I was obviously interested in helping to start the Appleton Area NOW chapter as a founding mother and am currently serving with a co-VP for membership.

My husband, Gary, and I have been married 30 years. We have two sons who are both married and one granddaughter. We are lucky they are all in the Appleton area! We also have a 2-year-old golden doodle rescue, Ruby.

CO VP-MEMBERSHIP

I am passionate about fostering community engagement and expanding membership in my role with Appleton Area NOW. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and the University of Wisconsin - Stout with degrees in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Training and Development. I hold certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), which reflect my commitments to effective project management and agile practices. In addition to my professional work, I am a musician and enjoy playing both flute and piccolo in the New Horizons Band Fox Valley. If I'm not at a NOW event or at band rehearsal, you can find me playing trivia, as I love challenging myself and others with interesting facts. I am also a proud member of the Clan MacEwen Society, which showcases my dedication to cultural heritage and community.

TREASURER

I have spent most of my career working in finance and investments. I started my career in the  Investment Department at Norwest Bancorporation (now Wells Fargo) in Minneapolis, MN.  After moving to Appleton, WI, I continued to work in banking at Valley Bancorporation in the  Investment Division. After taking a break and staying home with my son, I launched back into  my career at investment firms including Salomon Smith Barney and Thrivent Financial  Brokerage. After Thrivent Financial moved the Brokerage Office to Minneapolis, I was  employed in the Thrivent Trust Department where I remained until I retired in 2013.  

Although I was successful in the world of finance, my true passion lies in the art world  especially acrylic abstracts. I now pursue painting in my retirement years.

RECORDING SECRETARY

I have been a passionate advocate for women and children since my college years.  I was fortunate to cut my teeth on the civil rights and women’s movement while in school.  This dedication to change led to my career in social work where first hand I saw the impact that laws, policies and cultural mores had on the most vulnerable populations. Women and children suffered the most under oppressive prescriptions that resulted in these populations having the highest poverty rates and limited access to quality health care. My commitment to activism naturally led to positions in non-profit and governmental entities as both a direct line worker and manager and to my Master’s Degree in Social Work.  Through the years, I have worked in child welfare, sexual assault services and treatment of incarcerated persons living with mental illness.  As director of Reach Counseling I was able to institute benefits in an agency with mostly female staff that reflected my belief that women needed excellent health care policies, generous time off to allow for care of family members and the opportunity for retirement income.  The lack of these benefits continues to marginalize women, make work/life balance difficult, if not impossible, and eventually leads to poor retirement outcomes.

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA

I came upon the Facebook event for the first organizing meeting and have been involved ever since. Handling the social media for an organization was all new to me, but I thought I’d give it a try. And here I am! 

I’m also involved with the Democratic Party of Brown County. I became involved in June 2022 after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I serve as the Area Representative for Ashwaubenon and West De Pere on the administrative council. I’m also a Staging Location Director for the elections. 

I'm involved in my church which is Pilgrim Congregational Church. I'm a board member, on the search committee for a new pastor, and am also a leader in the Contemporary service.  Maintaining a progressive environment where all are welcome is important to me.

My time outside of work consists of fighting for social justice. I strive to make my community and the world a better place. It’s more important now than ever that we take action! We need to continue fighting for democracy and our rights!

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

My name is Sarah, I’m 36, and I live in Appleton with my husband Andrew and our 5 “fur-kids”: 3 cats and 2 dogs. Cooper, Mini, Finnegan, Brooks, and Sushi.

I’m currently a Project Manager in the automation industry, but I’ve worked in many different fields, and volunteered with many different causes, such as animal shelters, food pantries, and healthcare for underserved communities. I enjoy playing video games, painting and crafting, learning, and spending time with loved ones. And coffee! 

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

I'm Michelle Skaja. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. I am currently working as a Marketing Merchandiser for a gas station company. I have four kids, and eight grandkids. I am an outdoor enthusiast. I like to go camping / hiking /kayaking/ fishing. I am working on building my own business, I was to have a successful Polish Food Truck.