Shamaya Gilo, Founder

Shamaya Gilo, founder, is a noted philanthropist, who has distinguished herself as a woman who dares to go beyond prescribed paths.

She is a "hands on" philanthropist, directly involved in the evaluation and review of grant applications and personally conducts site visits and evaluations with potential grantees.

Often described as "personally inspiring", Shamaya brings passion, a deep sense of commitment and a larger vision to every undertaking.

Her talent for "creating communities" is one she honed early in life. Born in the United States, she was raised on a kibbutz in Israel. Subsequent to her army service she served underprivelged and immigrant families and worked to promote peace and bilateral collaborations as a political activist.

Shamaya spent several years living in Asia and South America traveling extensively and gaining insight into other cultures and women's roles in society. This interest has grown to include an exploration of inner growth and leadership potential.

In 1998, Shamaya created the Winds of Change Foundation to realize new visions for leadership. The Foundation has examined leadership as a social issue and how leaders can succeed as agents of change within public and private institutions looking to women leaders as the primary catalysts for necessary social change.

Shamaya has served on multiple boards, both national and international.She currently chairs the board of the Women’s Edge Coalition in D.C., is co-founder and current Director of The Pluralism Fund and serves as a Director of Count Me In for Womens Financial Independence.  She also serves as President of the board of her condo. 

Shamaya currently lives in New York City and has 3 wonderful children.

Lauri J. Slavitt, Esq., Board Trustee

A 1983 honors graduate in political science from the University of Michigan Honors Department--where she examined gender differences in the perception of news--Slavitt first took her 1989 Emory University law degree to a Manhattan corporate firm, Jones Hirsch Connors & Bull.

At night she worked at a Manhattan battered women's shelter exploring legal options for underprivileged women. This experience led Slavitt to integrate her lifelong passion for women's rights with her ability to employ the law as an effective tool on women's behalf.

Slavitt accepted an offer at a midsize New Jersey firm, Nagel, Rice & Dreifuss, as a matrimonial attorney. For eleven years she specialized in creating strategic family settlements and innovative custody arrangements. She was appointed by her county's matrimonial judges to train attorneys in custody options and donated her time to the New Jersey CJW to inform women of their legal rights.