In advance of our Annual Meeting on December 9th, the Nominating Committee of the Alliance prepared the following slate of candidates for Directors (4 positions) for the 2024-2025 term (2 years); see bios below. Any Individual Member or designated representative of Lead Organizations who is in Good Standing according to the Bylaws may be eligible to be nominated as a Director. Nominations may be accepted ‘from the floor’ at the Annual Meeting.
You will find the Elections Process here, and if you need to update your membership status please visit our Membership Renewal or Join Us page. If you are unsure of your status, please contact Leila Tvedt, VP Membership at tvedthyde@aol.com.
Directors Class of 2024-2025 – 4 positions
The Board Development Committee reviewed those Directors whose terms were expiring at the end of 2023 to invite those who could run to run again. Committee proposes the following slate of nominees for election to the Directors Class of 2024-2025. The Directors for the new class are elected at the Annual meeting by a vote of the Membership.
Melinda Lowrance
Melinda Lowrance, President of the Henderson County chapter of NAACP, business owner, and board member of IAM (Interfaith Assistance Ministry) among other titles, has served the Henderdson community faithfully for many years.
Roberta Madden
Roberta Madden has worked for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment for 51 years—ever since it was passed by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. She lobbied for the ERA in Louisiana before moving to North Carolina in 2009.
Robbie founded RATIFY ERA-NC, an organization dedicated to putting the amendment into the U.S. Constitution. She played an active role in having the ERA introduced in both houses of the General Assembly in 2015 and subsequent years. She then helped to found the ERA-NC Alliance and currently serves on its board.
Formerly Robbie worked at the YWCA of Baton Rouge as Director of Racial and Social Justice, where she served for 18 years before moving to Black Mountain in 2009. She is active in the American Association of University Women, the League of Women Voters, and several other organizations, including the NAACP.
NC Women United honored her with the Anne Mackie Award in 2015 for her lifetime advocacy for equality and commitment to improving women’s lives.
Takeshia McIntyre
Takeshia McIntyre is a childcare owner/provider at Kid’s Castle 2, author, photographer, and a life-long resident of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Takeshia is a graduate of Fayetteville State University (‘07) where she studied Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. Takeshia is on the board of the LGBTQ Center Cape Fear Coast and served as Interim Executive Director for the Center in Summer of 2023. She also serves on the board of the Victory Fund, the only national organization devoted to electing pro-choice, pro-equality, LGBTQ+ leaders to public office at every level.
Elaine Okal
Elaine has been working on ratifying the ERA since college. She participated in a march in Chicago in 1975-ish. Elaine was in the gallery at the Indiana capitol when the ERA was ratified. After college, she moved to Virginia where she continued to work to ratify the ERA until career and family got in the way. Elaine joined the League of Women Voters in 2017 and worked with Sherry MacQueen on the LWV Wake ERA committee. She later joined ERA-NC Alliance.
Introducing Cynthia Munoz, recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board!
Cynthia Muñoz was born in California but moved to North Carolina when she was 15 years old. She loves to share her Mexican culture and is proud of her heritage. She has worked for her local hospital providing healthcare for her community members for over 5 years. Her passion for women’s healthcare led her to rally for women’s reproductive rights and fought to stop North Carolina’s SB20 12 week abortion ban. Her love of the arts inspired her to support and sponsor Techmoja, the only black-owned dance and theater production company in North Carolina. Cynthia Munoz stands up and speaks out to injustices wherever and whenever she can.