Volunteer leader and ally align their giving interest in gender equity
United WE Change Campaign Cabinet leader and appointee, Mishelle Drake, first became involved by participating in the Appointments Project®. Shortly after she applied, she was appointed by former Mayor Sly James to the Kansas City Land Bank Board. Mishelle now inspires other women, especially Latina women, to bring their voices to the table. “United WE empowered me to be more civically engaged and have a seat at the table driving positive change to our community. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with United WE because it is so important to me that we solve the various economic, social and policy changes women face every day, especially women of color. It matters to me to be a part of that change.”
Mishelle is an assistant general counsel at Kiewit. Beyond encouraging other women to participate in the appointments project, she helped develop Kiewit’s young professional organization and attract and retain up-and-coming women in the company. “I remind the women in my life that they have the power and the right to be exactly who they want to be,” said Mishelle.
Newly married, it is no surprise that Mishelle chose a partner committed to empowering women. Her spouse, Austin Drake, is a gender equity ally who proudly works to educate and empower women of all ages in their financial lives through his role as Senior Wealth Advisor at Sterneck Capital Management, which is also a woman-owned business.
“Together, Austin and I believe that driving legislative changes and collaborating with elected officials on equity in board appointments is what will most transform women’s equity,” remarked Mishelle. Austin added, “What interests us the most about the work of United WE is that it uses research and data to tackle barriers for women and families. United WE empowers women and provides opportunities for women, like Mishelle, to become civically engaged and make a lasting impact in their communities.”
Mishelle and Austin help fuel United WE’s work through personal financial support and by encouraging others in their network to financially support gender equity through Mishelle’s leadership on the United WE Change Campaign Cabinet. As a young couple, Mishelle and Austin appreciate the many ways they can give to United WE that meet their financial needs. “We appreciate that it is an easy process to make a gift of stock to support United WE…it simply required we fill out a form to request a transfer and it only took a few days for United WE to receive the donation,” remarked Austin. “We choose to financially support United WE because we truly believe in its mission to advance all women’s economic and civic leadership. United WE takes meaningful action and is a solutions-focused leader,” said Mishelle.
We invite you to join Mishelle and Austin in fueling our work. Learn more here.