Journey To Lead

Jennifer Xia Spradling often reflects on the role of luck in life—especially the divide between the lucky and the unlucky—and how to even the playing field for those with less fortune in their lives. It's a belief that fuels the company she co-founded, FreeWill, which is on a mission to accelerate charitable giving. Nonprofits,the third-largest employer in the U.S., tackle massive challenges such as cancer, climate change, and poverty with limited resources. "The issue," Jenny says, "isn’t a lack of human capital—U.S. nonprofits employ 12 million people—but a lack of funding." Today, FreeWill is the country's largest provider of wills and trusts, enabling clients to integrate charitable donations into their estate planning at six times the national average. Jenny's personal story of luck begins with flats of apples her parents purchased from Costco—a reminder of the stark contrast with their childhoods in China's Cultural Revolution-era countryside, where they were so poor that siblings would share a single apple once or twice a year. In contrast, Jenny grew up north of Seattle in a warm and secure environment, the daughter of well-educated parents, attending a top-rated high school. But summers spent visiting relatives in China – who were still living in poverty—grounded her in the reality of inequality. "I could never understand why I got to live this life, while kind, smart people I met there used holes in the ground as toilets," she recalls. After earning a BA in Applied Mathematics from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford, Jenny honed her strategic skills at Bain and McKinsey before co-founding FreeWill seven years ago. Her aim is to capitalize on the "great wealth transfer"—the largest movement of money in human history—as baby boomers pass down their wealth. Jenny’s goal is to raise at least $1 trillion for high-impact nonprofits. So far, FreeWill’s platform has facilitated over $10 billion in philanthropic commitments. "We’ve successfully encouraged mass affluent boomers to make significant charitable commitments," Jenny notes. "Our next challenge is engaging high-net-worth individuals in estate planning through our new product for financial advisors, Estately. I want to flood nonprofits with the resources they need to make a lasting impact." She adds, "I believe that charitable giving is one of the best ways to redistribute wealth from those who have been lucky to those who have not.” Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at: https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7. Fellow headshot captured by Heather Crowder

"Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not,” is a mantra often repeated by Meta senior director Alex-Handrah Aime. Expanding economic mobility for all is a defining trait of Alex’s super-charged career from Goldman Sachs to private equity in Africa to global head of Meta’s network investments, where she now oversees the launch of the 2Africa subsea cable—the world’s largest—bringing much needed internet infrastructure to billions across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Her work has also supported Meta’s emerging market digital infrastructure and connectivity investment programs, which improved internet access for hundreds of millions. Alex’s journey began in the working-class enclaves of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Brooklyn, NY, a world far removed from the global platforms where she now drives innovation and change. The daughter of immigrants who traded professional aspirations for survival—her accountant father took work as a line cook and taxi driver while her mother toiled in a Long Island factory—Alex's intellect and grit led her to the Bronx High School of Science, an academic powerhouse known for spawning Nobel Prize winners, and a gateway of opportunity for many determined immigrant families. From there, she earned a Harvard BA in biochemistry, followed by a law degree and MBA from Stanford. As she scaled the heights of Wall Street and Silicon Valley, she worked across four continents. Alex’s upbringing has shaped her world outlook—don't be limited by other people’s limited expectations—and her leadership style—focus on inclusion and challenge conventional thinking to drive lasting impact. As a passionate angel investor, she champions underrepresented founders, while her board positions with leading African companies, as a former private equity executive, have solidified her role as a catalyst for continental growth. She is currently a member of the investment committee of one of Africa's largest early-stage venture funds. From her base in Los Angeles, Alex extends her impact as a commissioner on the county's Workforce Development Board, spearheading initiatives for economic equity and digital inclusion. “My life story could not exist anywhere but the U.S.,” she says, and for that reason is deeply committed to contributing via public service. In this AI-driven era, Alex views digital access as the new frontier for equity and unlocking economic opportunity; if we’re intentional, technology can be an enabler for historically marginalized and under-invested communities. Alex isn't just opening doors. She's building new pathways to success, ensuring that talent, regardless of origin, has the power to transform our world. Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at: https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7. Fellow headshot captured by Heather Crowder

Food waste is the No. 1 contributor to climate change, creating even more methane than cows or cars. Christine Moseley, Founder & CEO of Full Harvest, is on a mission to change that, applying her considerable entrepreneurial heft in raising capital and building startups to scale the first business-to-business produce marketplace that helps farms sell their "full harvests." Today, 25% of all edible produce does not leave the farm level, making on-farm food loss the largest portion of the global food waste problem. “At Full Harvest, we are completely disrupting, and bringing online for the first time ever, one of the largest, oldest industries that everyone in the world depends on—the $1 trillion produce industry, while also solving the largest portion of the #1 contributor to climate change,” she says. Christine grew up in Bradenton, Florida (recently hit by Hurricane Helene & Milton) with a mother who is the Founder & CEO of an investment management firm and a father who was President of The Boys and Girls Club and Kiwanis. “The combination of entrepreneurship and impact is in my blood,” she says. At the University of North Carolina, Christine—who played competitive piano from age 5 to 17—was determined to democratize music education and launched a non-profit pairing underserved children with college student music teacher volunteers. Musical Empowerment is still going strong over 20 years later, with eight chapters nationwide. Currently, her company Full Harvest works with some of the largest food & beverage companies, retailers, and farms in the world and now sells all grades of produce, including the world's largest selection of surplus and imperfect produce. The marketplace has helped food businesses save up to 10-30% off on costs and up to 95% of their procurement time, while helping farms to increase profit by up to 12% per acre. To-date, the company has sold over 125M pounds of surplus and imperfect produce, most of which would have otherwise gone to waste, and has plans to become the Amazon of produce for businesses. Christine received an MBA from Wharton Business School, and gained more than 15 years in the logistics and food industries before launching Full Harvest. Christine has appeared on lists like Fortune’s “Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink,” Forbes’ “Woman Crushing Tech” and “Most Innovative Agtech Startups.” She has raised over $40 million and become a leading authority on agriculture’s role in climate change—and what needs to change. “Our vision is a world where there is 0% food waste and 100% 'full harvests,’ where all edible produce grown goes towards consumption,” she says. To learn more, check out www.fullharvest.com or www.christinemoseley.com. Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at: https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7. Fellow headshot captured by Heather Crowder

When Wendy-Kay Logan’s mother, a nurse, made the brave decision to leave Jamaica for better opportunities, she left her two young daughters behind while navigating the US immigration system. While gone, a Category 5 hurricane devastated the family’s hometown of Kingston; friends and family stepped up to keep the girls safe. That combination of a mother’s sacrifice for her children, and a community coming together to support a family’s dreams for a better future, left an indelible mark on Wendy-Kay, her leadership at Google—and her aspirations to become a CEO. Growing up in Texas, the family struggled financially—“layaway” offered its own lessons in the value of saving and sacrifice. As an immigrant, Wendy-Kay climbed an impressively steep higher-ed ladder without the benefit of connections, collecting a BA with honors in computer science from Rice University, and an MS in computer science and MBA from MIT. A career blend of tech prowess and business training led to jobs at Motorola, National Instruments, Raytheon, and McKinsey before she landed at Google. Along the way, Wendy-Kay uplifted other women of color, to “lift as we climb.” Activating technology for good has been a hallmark of Wendy-Kay’s career as a Google executive. She was on the frontlines designing contact tracing systems to slow the spread of COVID-19. She has advanced data privacy protections for billions of G-Mail users, spearheaded initiatives in developing countries to bring more communities online, and oversaw a communications platform enabling consumers to seamlessly chat with millions of businesses.  Little wonder that this proud Jamaican Texan is in demand as an strategic tech advisor to CEOs and C-Suites. “My goal,” she says, “is to raise the ceiling of human ambition, potential, and capability through technology.” Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at: https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7. Fellow headshot captured by Heather Crowder

Talia Goldberg, a General Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, rose to the heights of a mostly-male world without connections, experience, or female mentors. During her 11 years as a venture capitalist with her own impressive track record, she has developed an appreciation for technology’s profound ability to better human lives. "It's small teams of ambitious innovators who can bend and change the world," she says. Talia was born on New Mexico’s Zuni reservation where her doctor parents served the local communities. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, attended the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton, and was on the founding team of a startup before finding her mission at Bessemer. She partners with promising teams whose companies can better the way we live and work, and democratize access to knowledge and well-being. Nearly half of her investments are with female founders. “I work with founders everyday who inspire me,” she says. Talia led investments in and or serves on the boards of Perplexity, Papaya Global, Rupa Health, Supermaven, Syndio, and ServiceTitan, among others. As a venture capitalist in a fast-changing world, Talia’s recipe for success is “how to maximize opportunities – and knowing when to strike. Bold is called for today.” Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at: https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7 Fellow headshot captured by Heather Crowder

Failure was not an option in Arna Ionescu Stoll’s family. Her parents were political refugees from Romania who settled in the Bay Area with a few suitcases, little money, and a small child. Young Arna, who spoke no English, had to navigate the culture gap between her Romanian home and her American schools and friends. “I was the weird kid,” she says. Her parents were determined to succeed on the wings of an intense work ethic and academic drive.     That same willpower propelled Arna’s own success at a competitive college prep school (where she aced more AP exams than any classmate), followed by a computer science degree from Princeton—with a minor in modern dance—and a master’s degree from Stanford. Applying Design Thinking to innovation—which favors a human-centric vs. solution-centric approach—she spent 20 years building digital health companies. Her superpower is seeing clear throughlines in the fog of ambiguity.   Arna’s latest venture, Wavely Diagnostics, Inc., is a spin-out from the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital that broadens access to medical care for sick children by combining telemed visits with that ubiquitous device—the mobile phone. The company’s first mobile app diagnoses ear infections. “Kids aren’t very good at verbalizing their symptoms, making pediatrics highly reliant on in person visits,” she notes. “Wavely changes that.” Adds Arna: “I want to make technology accessible to all, and to make pathways to leadership easier for other women.” Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7. Headshot captured by Heather Crowder

Melissa Danielsen’s brother Josh wasn’t supposed to make it past childhood, born with developmental disabilities, epilepsy and later diagnosed with brain cancer; he passed away suddenly at age 29. Growing up on a small rural farm, Melissa’s family – like the one in five families across the country with disabilities – especially struggled to find quality care and support.  When Josh passed away 15 years ago, Melissa and her sister left their careers and built a successful Medicaid company providing disability services in rural communities. After being acquired in 2019, they built Joshin—a groundbreaking tech solution revolutionizing support for disability and neurodivergence by taking fragmented services into a single connected platform. JOURNEY Champion and CEO Corie Barry’s company, Best Buy, was the first enterprise company to offer Joshin as an employee benefit – and other major brands have followed.  The need is huge: 30% of adults are neurodivergent (ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia) and 20% are disabled, yet only 3% of employees are comfortable self-disclosing to their employers. Melissa is on a mission to remove the stigma and empower human potential. Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7. Headshot captured by Heather Crowder

If you blink, you might miss Kerman, a three-square-mile town in California’s Central Valley where poverty rates are high and college degrees rare. This is where Ana Olson grew up, working summers in the grape fields alongside her Mexican immigrant father – a top student with big dreams that didn’t fit with her family’s patriarchal culture. Her ambition took her to San Diego State University and a stellar career at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she rose to become a principal/director in the contractor’s defense business. Leading complex tech projects for the Navy to protect America’s sailors and our nation is a personal mission growing out of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when Ana witnessed the aftermath of the Pentagon attack while crossing Washington D.C.’s Key Bridge. This month, Ana announced the exciting news that she has joined Accenture Federal Services as a Managing Director, continuing to drive innovation and human ingenuity in the defense and intelligence sectors.  Ana’s youth as an immigrant’s daughter surrounded by low-income manual workers also shaped her into a “fighter for those who don't have a voice.” She helps immigrants become citizens as chair of the Pathways to Citizenship board, and works with one nonprofit empowering Latina girls and women, and another that serves people living on San Diego’s streets. Even bigger impact is on Ana's mind: “I’m looking to drive innovation to underserved communities.” Do you know a mission-driven woman on the cusp of top leadership who could scale her impact via Journey To Lead? Nominate her or tell her to apply at https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7 Headshot captured by Heather Crowder

Applications and nominations for the next annual class of JOURNEY Fellows are OPEN! Please nominate an exceptional emerging woman leader in the U.S. or Canada who is tackling the world’s most pressing challenges and shows the grit and resilience to reach the top of her field. JOURNEY changes the lives of women who are changing the world. https://lnkd.in/eGQTeuk7

The Fortune Global 500 list is out, and the news is mixed: Only 28 companies are led by women. Just 28?! However, there’s a silver lining: 15 of these women lead U.S.-based companies! A big shoutout to Mary Barra and our incredible JOURNEY Champions for their dedication to elevating women to leadership positions. Together, we’re making progress. https://lnkd.in/esVMW5jz