Our Staff

Marcela has over 40 years of experience advocating for women’s rights, reproductive health and justice and women’s empowerment. Prior to founding In Our Own Voice, she served as senior policy and communications consultant for Communications Consortium Media Center (CCMC). She is the former vice president of policy, communications and marketing at Advocates for Youth, a non-profit organization that works on adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues. She has a Masters in Literature from Saint Louis University and a JD from Pepperdine School of Law.

Jessica is the vice president of government affairs at In Our Own Voice, responsible for coordinating the development, implementation, and evaluation of In Our Own Voice’s national and state policy work. She previously served as government relations manager for YWCA USA. Jessica holds a M.A. in Government with a concentration in Political Communications from John’s Hopkins University and a B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Service from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Racine is the vice president of communications at In Our Own Voice, where she manages strategic and tactical communications for the organization. She is an award-winning storytelling strategist, brand builder, and media relations master. With 30 years of experience working in nonprofit communications, she has served as a champion of women’s issues and has led campaigns that incorporated impactful storytelling around global challenges affecting women and girls such as, disease prevention, food insecurity, and social justice. Prior to joining In Our Own Voice, Racine was the communications director at WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Redford University in Journalism.

Bettye has over 20 years of progressive experience in nonprofit and philanthropic management. Her career has focused on innovative organizational development and program management within the nonprofit sector. As a nonprofit leader and manager, she has had responsibility for the financial oversight, program development and capacity-building efforts for various nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining In Our Own Voice, she served as Deputy Director at Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity (URGE), a national reproductive justice and equity organization. She is also the former Executive Director of the Neighborhood Funders Group, a professional membership association of grant-makers that support social and economic justice issues around the country. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Gardner-Webb University and completed graduate work at the University of South Carolina.

Donna is the director of administration for In Our Own Voice. Previously she served as the administrative director at Communications Consortium Media Center (CCMC). She is the Founder & CEO of Xtra Pair of Hands DC, an events planning & staffing company she started in 2001 which currently employs fifteen staff and has over 300 clients in the DC Metropolitan area. She has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Lexi is the senior policy manager in the Government Affairs department, responsible for implementing our state policy work and collaborating with our eight partner organizations. Having worked in the Reproductive Justice movement, public health, and social justice sectors with New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Bebashi-Transition to Hope, Grassroots Campaigns Philadelphia, and the Penn Women’s Center, Lexi brings professional experience in policy, advocacy, movement building and program management. She also previously served as a Mayoral Appointee on the Philadelphia Commission for Women and is a recipient of the Voices of Change award. Lexi holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from Temple University, and a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Giovanteey is also a program manager for In Our Own Voice’s Next Generation Leadership Institute. She is responsible for managing our leadership development program designed for HBCU students who are invested in Reproductive Justice. Giovanteey is a multifaceted advocate for women’s rights and has been passionate about Reproductive Justice for several years. Prior to joining In Our Own Voice, she was a transfer recruiter at Trinity Washington University. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Eastern Michigan University and is an MSA of Health Advocacy candidate at Trinity Washington University.