Mary J. Dent
Mary is an experienced executive and public company Board member who has spent more than 30 years in the financial services and technology sectors, working with companies ranging in size
Shawn Taylor Kaminski | Executive Director
Shawn joined DirectWomen as its Executive Director in September 2017. She has spent her entire career in the legal non-profit world and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). Shawn worked at the American Bar Association for 25 years serving in a variety of positions, including Director of the Commission on Women in the Profession. She also staffed the Gender Equity Task Force presidential initiative while with the Commission. Prior to joining DirectWomen, Shawn was the Director of Committees at DRI: The Voice of the Defense Bar. Shawn is an avid reader of fiction, loves to cook, and is a gardener-in-training. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two college-aged children.
(833) 239-6636
Kelsey Vuillemot | Director of Programs and Operations
Kelsey Vuillemot joined DirectWomen in August 2018. Prior to joining DirectWomen, Kelsey served as the Senior Program Manager at the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”), where she worked with a group of talented and passionate lawyer volunteers to plan and execute all NAWL programming, ranging from single and multi-day conferences to programmatic webinars and teleconferences. Kelsey is involved on Women Employed’s Advocacy Council and is active in her Alma Matter’s Alumni Association. She previously served on the Board of Directors of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Chicago (“YNPN Chicago”), where she served as Membership Co-Chair, and on the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois’ Associate Board, where she helped plan the Board’s signature “Derby for a Cause” event for several years. Kelsey received her Bachelor’s degree, with honors, in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Michigan.
(833) 239-6636
Anna Bower Richardson | Marketing Associate
Anna Bower Richardson joined DirectWomen in April 2021. Prior to joining DirectWomen, Anna worked as a Field Coordinator for her Congresswoman’s successful reelection campaign. Anna has a legal background, having worked in prominent civil litigation firms in Connecticut since graduating high school. She is a founding member of Connecticut Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Circle and serves on the Grant Review Committee and the Steering Committee. She also serves on the board of directors of Jane Doe No More, a nonprofit that empowers survivors of sexual crimes. Anna got her B.A. with honors from New York University, where she majored in Politics, minored in Psychology and Philosophy, and received the Presidential Honors Scholar award.
(833) 239-6636
SUCCESS STORIES
Sylvia J. Kerrigan
Sylvia Kerrigan has over a decade of experience in the board room as a director and former executive for the industrial, transportation and energy sectors. In addition to her leadership
Laura Franco
A C-Suite executive, Laura Franco brings more than 25 years of public company experience including mergers and acquisitions, international expansions, corporate governance, and SEC and other public company compliance matters.