The following women, listed in alphabetical order, stepped into leadership in 2003 to help steer the future of Gather the Women.  Many represented various women's organizations who partnered in the first inaugural Gather the Women Congress. 

Connie Allen, Women of Vision and Action

Connie, founder of A New Vision for Children, began her work in response to the emotional distress she saw in children growing up in our modern world and the challenges experienced by their loving parents and educators. As an expression of the joy she finds in relating with children and watching them grow, she shares her insights with others to increase their awareness of the emotional needs of children. With a master's degree in psychology and over 20 years experience teaching and working with children, families, and educators, Connie inspires others to joyfully and courageously live their own truth. As a visionary guide, trainer and consultant, Connie teaches the secrets of creating truly joyful relationships with children of all ages and how to help all children flourish as happy, successful people. Visit her website to learn more: www.joywithchildren.com.

Jane Burruss, Women's Perspective

Jane R. Burruss, a native Texan somewhere in her 50s, serves as Vice President and Treasurer of the Board of Women's Perspective, an organization that focuses on education to assist women in aligning their faith & values with their economic power. Professionally Jane is Vice President of The Ayco Company, a Goldman Sachs Company, providing fee-based financial advisory services to individual clients and working in the best-practices area of the company as well. Jane is on another board working to align one's faith and their use of money, travels extensively, has a delightful golden retriever puppy, and dotes on her many nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

Donna Collins, EarthLuck International Society™

Donna Anderson Collins, feng shui expert, artist and founder of The Everyday Feng Shui Company™, EarthLuck International Society™, and the Texas Chapter of The International Feng Shui Guild™, knows the value of change and the rewards of taking a chance.  After more than ten years in the cosmetic and spa industry and moves all over the world, she changed career fields and made a name for herself in the world of art and Chinese philosophy as the primary artist to the Saudi Arabian Royal Family and a feng shui consultant and educator.  Collins concluded her Master certification in feng shui with Grand  Master Yap Cheng Hai of Malaysia in January 2003.  A full time practitioner since 1996 and a feng shui educator since 1997, Collins has created four organizations to promote the art and science of feng shui, all devoted to improving home, office, health and spirit.  Determined to create stress-free lives for her clients, students and family, Collins also completed her licensing with The Institute of HeartMath this year.  HeartMath is the only scientifically-validated system of stress intervention techniques and objective biometric feedback that quantifiably, and dramatically, boosts the health and performance of individuals and organizations. For more information about Donna and her work, please visit her websites at The Everyday Feng Shui Company and EarthLuck International Society.

Sandy Gaser

Sandy is strongly aware that globally we face myriad problems that cannot be resolved without concerted effort to strengthen ties. The skills I've developed, from employment and life in the past 30 years, are in the areas of leadership, communication, organization, writing, creative problem solving, public relations, and protocol. My goals are to coordinate with others in facilitating conflict resolution and promoting peace and understanding between diverse cultures in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, I have an interest in promoting the cultural creative voice in the media. I remind myself every day to "think outside the lines."

Jennifer Green, PEACE X PEACE

Jennifer Green is Executive Coordinator of PEACE X PEACE, a non-profit organization (www.peacexpeace.org). Her work with PEACE X PEACE puts her in direct contact with grassroots women-based movements and groups around the world and has made her a catalyst in the building of partnerships using internet technology between groups to overcome cross-cultural barriers of ignorance, arrogance and isolation. With a deepened understanding of consequences borne of the imbalance between the feminine and the masculine in today's world, her work has underlined the urgent need to strengthen the feminine voice so that co-creative solutions, representing both masculine and feminine principles, may be brought into the social mainstream to ensure substantive peace in personal lives and in our communities. Jennifer has an MA in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where she studied gender and security, and conflict management and negotiation, with a focus on Afghanistan. An alum of UNC-Wilmington and the University of Helsinki (Finland), she worked for the East-West Center and Pacific Gateway Center in Honolulu, Hawaii before pursuing her graduate studies. She currently resides in Washington, DC.

Carol Hansen Grey, Women of Vision & Action

Carol is Executive Director of Women of Vision and Action (WOVA), a non-profit organization (www.wova-archive.org). Under her leadership, WOVA initiated the Gather the Women project, the 2003 inaugural Gather the Women Congress, a pilot mentoring program called Athena Wisdom Exchange (AWE) in partnership with SpiralMuse, the 2002 Feminine Face of Leadership event that added momentum to the Gather the Women initiative and WOVA's 2003 Leadership Institute program. Carol is an author, publisher, motivational speaker, graphic artist and web developer. She is partner with her husband in their publishing company, Open Heart Press, their web development company, CustomDynamic.net and the World Peace Experiment initiative. More information about Carol can be found at carolhansengrey.com

Ronita Johnson, WOVA and Millionth Circle

Ronita is Principal of Inclusive Hearts, dedicated to "creating opportunities for all voices to be heard and all hearts to be included." As Diversity Consultant, Certified Life Coach and International Circle Convener, she is dedicated to conscious evolution through authenticity that encourages compassion and a spirit of loving-kindness. She has served on several nonprofit boards including The Millionth Circle and brings to the WOVA board her leadership, planning, training and coaching skills. Her experience has been that Women of Color often find reasons to say "no" when asked to be a part of the foundation, energy and/or direction of a particular movement. She has said "yes" to serving on WOVA's board because she wants to be a part of the energy of wisdom that was generated at the 2003 Gather the Women Congress and to be a part of weaving a world that is kinder, gentler, more thoughtful, caring and appreciative of all people and our planet. She feels that WOVA is like a new baby with parents, godparents, guardians and community all offering nourishment and guiding principles for the possibilities of a different kind of living. "I offer myself, as a thread in this baby's life."  For more information see her website at In Every Heart

Corrina Cop Rain McFarlane, WomenRise for Global Peace

Corrina is UK born, a founding member of WomenRise for Global Peace, a bringer of the World Peace Flame to Santa Cruz California and a Redwood Peace Pole to City Park. She is a midwife to the new paradigm, dedicated to realizing full human potential. This plays out in endless surprising and awesome ways. After clocking thousands of hours of computer time for the purpose of peace and connection, I am suddenly swept away from that medium and applying tools of transformation under my own roof, accommodating temporarily a eco-warrior recently paralyzed in a diving accident, the sister to whom I was mother in our childhoods, a 10 year old nephew home schooling for a year or more, a daughter and grandson in wondrous transition, and a twinkly spouse. This is my work. It may look entirely different from year to year, season, to season but always is in essence the same.

Marilyn Nyborg, Women of Vision and Action

Marilyn was introduced to WOVA through her service as the Outreach Coordinator of the Gather the Women Guiding Circle and the GTW Liaison. She brings to the board extensive leadership, group facilitation and public speaking skills that she acquired through her work with Creative Initiatives (Beyond War) and training with Jean Houston and Carolyn Myss. She is the Sr. Partner in Nyborg-Dow Associates, a high tech recruiting business with a 21 year track record. For the past 6 years she has produced a newsletter "Seeing the World Through Women's Eyes" and is currently involved in several community organizations focused on creating peace, creating a mediation center, sponsoring mediation trainings, as well as producing ongoing Gather the Women activities in her local community. She lives on 8 acres of land situated on a private lake in Grass Valley, CA where she and her partner hold workshops and other events.

Kathlyn Schaaf, Women of Vision and Action

Kathe is the Co-President of the WOVA board and was the inspiration behind the Gather the Women Congress. She has extensive administrative skills and experience in nonprofit service. Her background includes a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is founder of Wise Woman Workshops, a vehicle through which she provides workshops and seminars to empower women. She has served as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Positive Youth Development Initiative, the Wisconsin Child Welfare Advisory Committee, served on many nonprofit boards and convened numerous state and national conferences.

Lucky Sweeny, Foundation for Conscious Evolution

I started life Lucky as my grandfather named me shortly after my birth because I weighed 7-11 and those are lucky numbers, and the nickname stuck. I've grown since then. Now, I live in California, where I'm deeply involved in an evolutionary learning community, Conscious Evolution Santa Barbara. I believe that we are the ones we've been waiting for. For 20 years, I was a social-profit professional working in progressive agencies dealing human rights and women’s concerns. I continue this work as a volunteer working on HIV/AIDS and Lesbian and Gay issues. I'm an internationally certified astrology professional with 35 years experience. I work with individuals and couples around varied life issues. Since 1991, I have been coaching individuals and groups to create the lives they truly want. I trained at Coach University and use those skills along with a spiritual perspective.