Board of Directors
Karen B. Francis
Karen B. Francis is a retired public school educator having been a classroom teacher, counselor, and high school administrator with a specialist degree in educational leadership and administration from SIUE. Karen is currently the Advocacy Director for Women’s Voices. She is also the state president of American Association of University Women Missouri (AAUW) Karen has served AAUW in various local and state offices, as branch president for Ballwin Chesterfield Branch and as chair of the National Public Policy Committee. Locally, Karen has been on the board of Safe Connections, and National Women’s Political Caucus at the St. Louis Metro and state levels. Karen also serves on two committees with A Red Circle. She is passionate about issues facing women and families, equity in education, racial and social justice and voting rights. To quote Michelle Obama, “Find people who make you better.” That truly is at the heart of the mission of Women’s Voices.
Jean Calandrino, PhD
Washington University, St. Louis, MO May, 2000 – PhD Clinical Psychology University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, May, 1977 – BS Biology Co-Facilitator, Why Powered Health Coaching; St. Louis, MO — 2021-Present - Began as a client … Read More
Karen Coulson
Karen received her Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Virginia Tech and is a former executive for pharmaceutical research and development. She continues to guest lecture at Washington University for senior biomedical engineers and to partner with job seekers coming out of prison for Transformative Workforce Academy’s jobs fairs. Karen participates in Moms Demand Action and serves on the Criminal Legal System Reform Task Force and the Attainable Housing Task Forces for Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice. She loves to read, hike in National Parks, and travel to visit family and friends.
Margery Doss
Margery Doss, a national board-certified teacher and exceptional needs specialist, has had a remarkable career. She started as a teacher aide in a faith-based therapeutic day school in Chicago, and her dedication and hard work led her to earn a master’s degree in education and human services administration. She then managed a multi-campus therapeutic day school and vocational training programs and was later appointed training director for one of Chicago’s largest child welfare consortiums. A native of St. Louis, Margery returned to her hometown to teach middle school in Florissant, MO, for the Special School District of St Louis County. Now retired, she continues to make a difference by advocating for literacy and justice for all.
Barbara Harris
Barbara spent her professional life in fundraising beginning at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, where she worked for 27 years, the last 15 years as development director. After retirement from The Rep, Barbara spent time at Parents as Teachers National Center; then for Cultural Leadership, which offers a year-long program where high school students learn how to stand up and speak out against prejudice; and then for HomeWorks, which encourages and helps parents become more involved in their children’s education. Barbara has served in various capacities with several organizations including Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, the League of Women Voters and Eliot Unitarian Chapel, and is always impressed by the integral role volunteers play in helping these organizations fulfill their missions in the community. She has great respect for the contribution of time, talent and dedication that all volunteers make.
Anne Litwin, PhD
Anne Litwin has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, a Masters in Community Psychology from Marist College, and a Masters and PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University. She is a member of The NTL Institute of Applied Behavioral Science, the International Coaching Federation and of the Organization Development Network. She is the co-editor of the book, Managing in the Age of Change, along with numerous articles on international consulting and women’s leadership. Anne has written a book on women’s relationships in the workplace entitled, New Rules for Women: Revolutionizing the Way Women Work Together (2014) based on her research. Dr. Litwin is an ICF-certified coach who provides executive coaching to help leaders, managers, and other professionals enhance leadership capacity by strengthening their interpersonal and strategic skills. She specialized in helping organizations develop leaders and leverage diversity to optimize organizational effectiveness.
Nancy (Nix-Rice) Litz
Nancy (Nix-Rice) Litz has been a programming chair and co-chair of the Racial Justice Committee of Women’s Voices. She served on the racial justice committees of the Jewish Council for Racial Equity and chaired the education committee of the Racial Justice Initiative at Congregation Temple Israel. She is just wrapping up her term as president of the National Council of Jewish Women – St. Louis, having previously served as VP Advocacy and VP Leadership.
Michele Steinberg
Michele Steinberg is a St. Louis-based creative and storyteller, specializing in video editing, design, and photography. She is passionate about her St. Louis community and gravitates toward projects that further the conversation in areas such as social justice and tikkun olam (repairing the world). Michele has served on the Women’s Voices Raised advocacy committee since 2017 and is beginning her second year as membership chair. Michele also serves as liaison to the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition.
Liz Sondhaus, PhD
Liz returned to St. Louis in 2017 after twenty years in San Diego. While there, she held positions in both corporate and nonprofit settings including director of Corporate Learning and Performance at San Diego State University, training director at California Training Cooperative, VP of Talent Acquisition and Development at VeriCare and adjunct professor at University of California San Diego. Liz received a Masters in Organizational Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. Liz retired in 2021 and decided to study history. She completed a Masters of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, field: History from Harvard in May, 2023. Liz has been active in WV since 2018, serving as board secretary and president as well as co-chair of the Racial Justice Committee (current) and Attainable Housing Task Force (previously).