Elizabeth Maynard, Co-Chair
Class of 2012
Elizabeth “Libby” Maynard is an Emerge Alumnae of the Class of 2012. She is a passionate advocate for women in leadership. She brings a strong background in organizational and nonprofit management.
Elizabeth is an Executive Director with McKenna Management, an association management firm headquartered in Westford, MA. Her professional interests include: government relations and grassroots member advocacy, membership recruitment and retention, meeting planning, and association management technology. While at McKenna Management she has successfully developed and implemented many client initiatives ranging from grassroots letter writing campaigns to sold out educational programs. Prior to joining McKenna Management she worked at the Massachusetts Nurses Association and managed several political campaigns in Western Massachusetts, including Class of 2011 Alum Mary Olberding’s successful first run for Register of Deeds in Hampshire County.
Apart from her Emerge Massachusetts volunteer role, she has also served as a Gala Committee Member for the Progeria Research Foundation’s Night of Wonder, was a founding board member of the UMass Women into Leadership program at UMass Amherst, and is currently the 20s/30s Vision chair for Christ Church Episcopal Church. She previously served as Chair of the Young Democrats of Massachusetts from 2013-2015 and held various leadership roles in the organization from 2008-2013. Elizabeth splits her time between Alexandria, VA and Chelmsford, MA.
Sharon Stout, Co-Chair
Sharon Stout has been a fundraising consultant & event designer for almost 30 years. She is highly active in the Newton Community, where she has lived for almost 20 years. She is a former board member of Boys & Girls Club, Birthday Wishes, Kiwanis, Newton’s League of Women voters, former member of the Human rights & Youth commission’s. She has also worked with such wonderful causes as Second Step, CAN-DO, NCSC, the Senior Center & YMCA. Under the last 3 mayors, she has touched, organized or fundraised for many of the signature citywide events, for the past 15 years, Newton Serves, Harvest Fair, 4th July, in recent years Newtonville Day. Her personal passion was chairing the American Cancer Society – 24 hour Brookline/Newton Relay for Life walk for 8 years, with the last 3 years merging into the Watertown/Newton/Waltham Relay for Life Walk.
She is currently serving as Chair of Newton Democratic party, one of the Deputy Treasurers of The Mass Democratic Party, she is a trustee of Newton Free Library, Co-Chair of Emerge, and on the advisory board of JALSA, just to name a few.
She has dedicated the last 30 years of her life working within the political arena for local, state, & National races. She has managed events at 3 National Democratic conventions and has even been elected as a delegate in Charlotte, NC. She has worked with over 5 dozen local, statewide, national campaigns over the years, and advises many fundraising committees. Which included sitting on President Bill Clinton, President Obama & President Biden finance committee team.
Charlene Rideout, Vice Chair, Treasurer
Charlene Rideout is a partner at Kearney, Donovan & McGee, P.C. (KDM). With more than 25 years of government affairs experience, she represents clients at both the state and local level on a wide variety of matters including state appropriations, health care, financial services, small business, economic development and non-profit organizations.
Prior to joining KDM in 2004, Charlene served as Intergovernmental Affairs Manager for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). In that capacity, she was responsible for implementing legislative and regulatory strategies as well as promoting and advocating for MWRA’s agenda. She also worked as legislative director in the Massachusetts State Senate where she was responsible for researching and analyzing a broad range of legislative and policy issues relating to affordable housing, health care and budgetary matters.
Ms. Rideout previously served on the Community Advisory Board of WGBH and the City of Boston Waterways Board. She is active in various civic organizations and charitable causes and has been involved with numerous local, state and federal political campaign efforts.
Ms. Rideout received a B.A. from Suffolk University, an M.P.A. from the John J. McCormack Institute of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
Kathryn Dixon, Secretary
Kate Dixon is a development and communications professional with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit industry, including foundation relations, grant writing and reporting, publication production, and budget management. She currently serves as a Director of Development for Foundation Relations at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she works on institutional fundraising efforts for the hospital’s Cancer Center and Center for Global Health, among other areas.
In 2016, Kate relocated back to her home state of Massachusetts after a decade in Washington, D.C., where she worked for NARAL Pro-Choice America as Deputy Director of Development for Foundation Relations, and prior to that as the Senior Manager of Foundation Relations at the National Women’s Law Center, overseeing institutional fundraising efforts for the both organizations’ reproductive rights and health-focused work. She has also held Development positions at anti-hunger, anti-homelessness, and environmental conservation non-profits in Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
Kate received her Master’s Degree in English from Boston College, and her Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She currently lives in Boston.
Molly Horan
Molly is a public affairs strategist who has spent the last decade developing winning strategies for government affairs and communications clients. Molly is a Vice President at Solomon McCown & Cence (SM&C), a fully integrated public affairs firm in Boston, where she leverages her public sector experience alongside her private sector work to creatively offer solutions to a range of non-profit, corporate and government clients. As a member of the agency’s crisis response team, Molly also develops crisis communications plans, manages sensitive situations, and provides media training and strategic counsel.
Prior to joining SM&C, Molly spent six years at Liberty Square Group in Boston. In that time, she worked with clients ranging from political campaigns, to coalition management, to corporate communications. She got her start working at the State House for Senator Cindy Creem and, later, Senator Eileen Donoghue.
She graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University with a dual bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Affairs.
Stephanie L. Everett, ESQ.
Class of 2012
Stephanie Everett was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. At the age of 19, Stephanie became a teen mother, giving birth to her first daughter. By the time she was 20 she found herself homeless with a 1 year old daughter. By 22, Stephanie had found an apartment and discovered she was pregnant again with her second daughter. It was during this pregnancy that Stephanie decided she would not let society determine her fate or that of her family and enrolled back into college. In 2002, Stephanie received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University. Completing her educational goals, Stephanie earned her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 2008 and was admitted to practice law in Massachusetts the same year.
Stephanie presently operates a solo law firm with an emphasis on criminal law, business contracts and real estate matters. Prior to practicing law, Stephanie devoted her professional career to public service and ensuring equal access to state and local resources and advocating for women rights. Her past roles included serving as the Executive Director for Multiple Boards with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Chief of Staff to the Department of Transitional Assistance, Deputy Chief of Staff to State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz where she her issue areas included Housing, Youth Violence Prevention, minority-women owned businesses. Adjunct Professor at Roxbury Community College and as a Public Safety Manager of youth violence prevention grants and public safety initiatives. Stephanie continues to serve her community as the Affirmative Action Liaison to Ward 17 and volunteering on campaigns for candidates seeking state and local seats.
Stephanie has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2012, Stephanie was recognized as a Top Woman of Law by Lawyer’s Weekly and in 2013 was received the Woman Of Color Changing Our Community by the Eastern Stars of Prince Hall. In January 2009, Stephanie was appointed by the Caucus of Women Legislators to serve as a Commissioner on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, an appointment she proudly held until 2013. Stephanie presently serves as a Commissioner on the Boston Employment Commission and a member of the Massachusetts Cannabis Commission Citizen’s Review Committee. She previously has served on the boards of Mass Alliance of Teen Pregnancy, Roxbury Youthworks and Think Politics. Stephanie continues to reside in Mattapan with her husband and children.
Danielle Valle Gilchrist
Class of 2011
Danielle Valle Gilchrist guides brands in bringing their social mission to life. As Director of Goodness Solutions, she consults with organizations to build and scale social impact strategy. Has worked with clients including Biogen, Campbell Soup Company, Fitch Group, Helen of Troy, Tripadvisor, and Vertex on corporate responsibility, communications, and philanthropic programs.
Prior to her current role, she managed employee engagement at Blue Shield of California, where she led a record breaking 80% participation in giving and volunteering programs. She is a graduate of the Boston University Questrom School of Business with an M.B.A. in Public and Non-Profit Management. Danielle enjoys teaching yoga and is a Head of the Charles Regatta champion (the person who steers during rowing races).
Akriti Bhambi, Ed.M.
Class of 2019
Akriti is the first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants with a long history in advocacy and public policy. Her passion lies in strengthening the way that institutions, including government, offer strong, equitable, and accessible services for every member of our community. She is the Director of Public Policy & Government Advocacy at the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association (MHA) where she and her team develop and advocate on behalf of policies to expand access to healthcare statewide. Prior to her role at MHA, Akriti served for four years as Representative Marjorie Decker’s Chief of Staff and, in that time, supported the work of several bills to become law, including one that expanded cash benefits for low-income children and another that created an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) process to promote gun safety.
Akriti received her Master’s in Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis.