Amanda Matos is the co-founder of The WomanHOOD Project, and also helped create the New York City Council’s Young Women’s Initiative in partnership with Girls for Gender Equity. She has devoted her career to racial and gender justice through capacity building, political education, and civic engagement.  Amanda is a “public affairs generalist” and community organizer who has managed multi-million dollar projects with local government, foundations, and non-profit organizations.  Over the course of her career, she has designed and implemented effective organizing models to shift power to constituencies, and to foster community-centered change through elections and legislative advocacy. Her approach to addressing social issues centers the voices of those most marginalized, and ensures that they are heard at the decision-making table. For example, in the movement for reproductive freedom, Amanda has managed three national advocacy programs centering Black and Latinx communities and young people in state-based organizing and elections. 

Amanda earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnicity and Race Studies from Columbia University, and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School as a Sheila C. Johnson Fellow. 

Moniek Silas-Lee is an experienced, results-driven educator with an unwavering desire to motivate students to reach for — and attain — their goals. She has been an outstanding school leader in urban, suburban, and charter school settings. Before becoming a principal, she served as a classroom teacher, math coach, mentor, educational consultant, and dean of students at a college preparatory school for young women.

Moniek has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science from SUNY College at Brockport, a Master of Science degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University, and she holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from SUNY College at Brockport.

Zuri Gordon is passionate about supporting Black women and girls, and ensuring that their access to knowledge and opportunities is always free of charge. She has provided service to The WomanHOOD Project, first as a grant writer, and later as the Executive Director of Operations. As an undergraduate, Zuri worked in the Women's Studies Resource Center at Brandeis University, and served as president of their Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA). She has also worked with high school students as a college counselor. Currently, Zuri is a co-leader for the first Radical Monarchs troop in Bronx, New York. This national organization creates opportunities for racialized girls and gender expansive youth between the ages of 8 and 11 to form lasting friendships, celebrate their identities, and contribute to social action initiatives in their communities.

Zuri has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Creative Writing, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University, and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs at the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.