More than 30 Years of Empowering Women

In April 1991, United WE, formerly Women’s Foundation, was incorporated as a non-profit organization in Kansas City after two years of research and purposeful analysis of the unmet needs of women and girls by a group of bold, diverse and determined women from all backgrounds. While some things have changed over the past three decades—including our name—our steadfast commitment to empowering all women to reach their full economic potential remains the same. The impact from the past 30 years is astounding:

  • 21 impactful research studies

  • 9 executive orders

  • 13 laws enacted

  • 25 administrative actions

  • 175+ women appointed to civic leadership positions through the Appointments Project®

Thank you to our trailblazing founders and the fearless women and men who said “yes” to making Kansas City a more equitable community through their leadership and support.

 

Hear from Past and Current Board Members About United WE’s History

 

Meet the Founding Steering Committee and First Board of Directors

Before our incorporation in spring of 1991, a group of hard-working women who were members of the Central Exchange and the Metropolitan Women’s Roundtable met for nearly two years to discuss the unmet needs of women and girls in Kansas City and conduct a first of its kind research study which identified the top needs for women included health care, family/child welfare, employment, education and anti-violence. We acknowledge this Founding Steering Committee, their vision to promote the well-being of women and girls to ensure their full participation in society and their persistence to encourage bold philanthropy among women and men to meet these needs. 

“We invite you to join us as we pool our energies, talents, resources and dreams to create an organization that will focus on programs and projects enabling women and girls to achieve their full potential.”
— Karen Herman, founder and first Chairperson, February 18, 1991
 

First Board of Directors

Karen Herman - Chairperson

Marjorie Powell Allen

Marcia Bailey

Janice Benjamin

Bunni Copaken

Janette Draper

Dorrie Scott-Eades

Jinny McCoy Fickle

Patty Garney

Susie Haake

Crystal Hart-Whitmore

Mary Kay Horner

Dorothy Johnson

Janet Brown Moss

Catherine Rocha

Marjorie Sirridge

Beth Smith

Cathy Stackpole

Linda Hood Talbott

Linda Gill Taylor

Dorace Wilson

Founding Steering Committee

Karen Herman - Chairperson

Marjorie Powell Allen

Janice Benjamin

Bunni Copaken

Joan Dillon

Janette Draper

Crystal Hart-Whitmore

Karen Haren

Dorothy Johnson

Janet Brown Moss

Marjorie Sirridge

Beth Smith

Linda Hood Talbott

 

Meet Our President & CEO, Wendy Doyle

Photographer: Justina Kellner, @thewallflowersco

Photographer: Justina Kellner, @thewallflowersco

During her ten-year tenure at United WE, Wendy has led the organization to invest in research, advocacy, and policy solutions to remove economic barriers for women, including conducting 30 meaningful research studies, advocating for issues resulting in 57 policy actions, and supporting more than 200 women in securing civic appointments. Wendy is committed to impacting hundreds of thousands of women and families through transformative research, scaling United WE’s fast-growing Appointments Project®, advocating for reforms that honor the legacies of women, and contributing to policy solutions that advance equal pay, paid family leave, affordable childcare and occupational licensing, among others.

Learn more about Wendy Doyle and her work with United WE.

 
 

A Brief Timeline of Our Work and the Women Behind It