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President- Kate Stoker
President Elect- Lynley Prather
Immediate Past President- Bronwyn Blake
VP of Alumnae Relations- Bethany Thomason
VP of Community Service- Bonnie O'Neil
VP of Finance- Lindsey Callegari
Co-VPs of Marketing-
Courtney Bunte & Sarah Zomper
VP of Membership- Sally Pretorius
Co-VPs of Operations-
Andra Seely & Vanessa Fuentes
VP of Programs and Events- Ellie France
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President- Kate Stoker
Senior Vice President- Sandra Rivera
Immediate Past President- Bronwyn Blake
VP: Austin Under 40 Awards-Crystal Pharr
VP of Foundation Development- Kristen Reynolds
VP of Finance- Lindsey Callegari
VP of Foundation Giving- Paige Deegan
Co-VPs of Marketing-
Courtney Bunte & Sarah Zomper
Co-VPs of Operations-
Andra Seely & Vanessa Fuentes
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Kate Stoker, President

Kate Stoker is serving on the 2010-2011 Board of Directors as President Young Women’s Alliance and Foundation. Previously she has served two terms as the Vice President of Alumnae as well as Senior Vice President of the YWA Foundation. She also serves as a mentor for Explore Austin via the YWA Mentor Program.
Kate is the Global Product Launch Campaign Senior Manager for the Small & Medium Business segment of , Inc. She coordinates launch activities in a variety of vehicles across Dell’s global regions and works closely with external agencies to develop campaign strategy and creative. Previously at Dell, Kate served as the US SMB Microsoft Brand Manager and received the Marketing MVP of the Quarter Award for her leadership and success in launching Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Kate is an alumna of the Leadership Austin Emerge Program and currently serves on the Emerge Program Committee. She is also a member of Austin Women in Communications and the Austin Chapter of the American Marketing Association. She enjoys yoga, live music, hiking, anything outdoors and traveling.
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Bronwyn Blake, Immediate Past President

Bronwyn Blake, University of Texas (UT) School of Law ’05, is the founder and Senior Attorney for the Texas Advocacy Project’s Teen Justice Initiative, a program that advocates for teen victims of dating violence. Bronwyn was awarded the first UT Faculty Fellowship in Public Interest Law from the William Wayne Justice Center to start this valuable work. In 2006, Greenlights for Nonprofit Success selected Bronwyn’s program for a Nonny Award, “Best Way to Get the Message Across Without Saying a Word” for her idea to have teens compete to design awareness posters. She has spoken at countless conferences, including the Texas Conference for Women, and has been featured on America’s Most Wanted and Court TV as an expert on this issue. Before joining the Texas Advocacy Project, Bronwyn clerked at the Family Justice Division of the Travis County DA’s Office and at Break the Cycle in Washington, DC.
Bronwyn joined YWA in 2006 and has previously served as VP of Community Service, Co-Vice President of Operations, Austin Under 40 Awards Silent Auction Co-Chair, and Fashion Show Committee Member. When she is not working, Bronwyn likes to take up and quit new hobbies at a record pace.
Contact Bronwyn Blake
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Lynley Prather, President Elect
Lynley Prather currently serves as President-Elect for the Young Women’s Alliance and YWA Foundation. She joined YWA in November 2008 and has served as Public
Relations Chair and VP of Marketing for the Marketing Committee. She was recognized as YWA ‘Member of the Year’ in 2010. Lynley is an Event Logistics Manager for George P. Johnson, a worldwide experience marketing agency, where she represents IBM.
After graduating in 2005 from the University of Texas at Austin, with a B.S. in Communication Studies, Lynley spent the next year working and traveling around the world. She spent six months in London, England as a Marketing Assistant for a Strategy Consultant Comp
any, and soon after moved to Melbourne, Australia where she spent her time working in Sales and traveling around the country.
Lynley involves herself in Austin Friends Dining Association, a dining group she created in September 2007. In relation to her love of food, Lynley writes as a food blogger in town, and enjoys discovering new and old culinary gems. Besides her dog Winston, she enjoys anything outdoors in Austin and continuing her traveling adventures.
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Sandra Rivera, Senior Vice President of Foundation
Sandra Rivera is serving on the 2011-2012 Board of Directors as the Senior Vice President of the Foundation. Previously, Sandra served as the Vice President of Community Service and had an integral part in the establishment of one of YWA’s newest programs—the Mentor Program. Since joining YWA in 2008, Sandra has taken an active role within the organization, was recognized as the ‘New Member of the Year’ in 2009 and was the recipient of the YWA ‘Community Service Award’ in 2010.
Sandra Rivera is a Bilingual Counselor at Lifeworks, where she assists individuals, youth, and families in dealing with the stress of day-to-day living. Originally from Houston, Sandra earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts, majoring in Psychology from the University of Texas, and a Master’s in Education in Counseling from the University of Houston. In her spare time, Sandra enjoys running, spending time with friends, eating at new restaurants, traveling, and just simply relaxing!
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Andra Seely, Co-Vice President of Operations
Andra Seely is Co-Vice President of Operations for the Young Women's Alliance and YWA Foundation. She has been involved with YWA since August 2009. During her time in YWA, she has been a part of the Marketing and Operations committee. In 2010 - 2011, she held the Website Chair position on the Operations Committee. She was also recognized as YWA Member of the Month in 2010 for her work on the website.
Andra is a Product Manager at BuildASign.com. She manages the lifecycle of products from 5 major brands and micro-sites and develops plans for new product launches. Launch activities she oversees include developing brand identities, website features and functions and integrating with in-house or out-sourced production. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Photocommunications from St. Edward’s University.
Vanessa Fuentes, Co-Vice President of Operations
Vanessa Fuentes is Co-Vice President of Operations for the Young Women’s Alliance and YWA Foundation. She has been a member of YWA since November 2009 and was most recently the Austin Under 40 Awards Nominations Chair and Fundraising Events Chair. Vanessa was recognized with the YWA ‘Member of the Year’ Award in 2011.
Vanessa currently works as a Local Government Relations Liaison at Prevailing Trends, Inc., a local public affairs firm. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations with a minor in Business Foundations from the University of Texas at Austin.
Vanessa is a huge movie fanatic and loves classic films. She enjoys spending time with friends, going to festivals of all varieties, and trying new restaurants.
Contact Vanessa Fuentes
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Bethany Thomason, Vice President of Alumnae Relations
Bethany Thomason is currently serving as the VP of Alumnae Relations. She joined YWA in the summer of 2010 and previously served as the Events Chair on the planning committee for the 12th Annual Austin Under 40's Awards.
Bethany works at the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin as a Marketing Coordinator for the MBA Admissions team. She previously worked in Public Relations with Neiman Marcus Austin. Bethany earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Studies from UT Austin in 2004, and hopes to earn her Master's degree in Educational Psychology.
In her spare time, Bethany enjoys spending time with her husband, shopping, travelling, singing and playing guitar, being outside, and eating at all the great Austin restaurants.
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Crystal Pharr, Vice President: Austin Under 40 Awards
Crystal Pharr is serving on the 2011-2012 Board of Directors as Vice President of Austin Under 40 for the Young Women’s Alliance Foundation. She has been involved with YWA since July of 2009. Prior to serving on the Board, Crystal served as the Sponsorship Chair for the 2011 Austin Under 40 Awards which raised $66,885 for the Young Women’s Alliance Foundation and the Austin Sunshine Camps. Additionally, she held the Marketing and PR Chair position for the 2010 Austin Under 40 Awards.
In addition to being active in YWA, she serves on the Young Agents Advisory Council for the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. She is also involved in the Austin Art Alliance, serving on the Art Night Austin EAST and Art Night Austin WEST planning committees.
Crystal is a native Austinite, and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English and now works as a Commercial Lines Producer for Anderson Insurance Partners. When she’s not working she enjoys running the hike and bike trail and spending time with friends and family.
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Bonnie O'Neil, Vice President of Community Service
Contact Bonnie O'Neil
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Sally Pretorius, Vice President of Membership
Sally Pretorius is Vice President of Membership. After moving here a year ago, she thrust herself into the professional scene here in Austin by being a member of YWA since October 2010 and currently serving on the board of Austin Young Lawyers Association. She volunteers with the Volunteer Legal Services on a regular basis by providing legal services to walk-in Austin residents.
Sally is currently an Associate with Cordell & Cordell, PC here in Austin. She with graduated cum laude from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio with a B.A in Political Science and the moved to Dallas, Texas where received her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University. Sally loves living in downtown Austin with her miniature dachshund, Roxy and enjoys reading, running, and yoga.
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Lindsey Callegari, Vice President of Finance
Lindsey Callegari is serving on the 2011-2012 board of directors as the Vice President of Finance after serving on the 2010-2011 board as the Vice President of Foundation Giving. As the VP Foundation Giving she distributed over $25,000 in grants and scholarships to deserving girls and women in Central Texas. She also recently created YWA Mom’s Group. In 2010, Lindsey was recognized with the YWA Values Award.
Lindsey got her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies (Political Communications) from the University of Texas at Austin, and her law degree at South Texas College of Law. After spending several years in complex commercial litigation, Lindsey is presently self-employed and enjoying figuring out where she can put her skills to good use.
Besides being involved with YWA, Lindsey is a member of the Junior League of Austin where she will be serving a placement with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas. In November she will be participate again in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure, a 60-mile walk to fund breast cancer research and programs supporting education, screening and treatment.
In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys pilates and reading, as well as going out to eat with her husband, Rob, and son, Drew.
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Ellie France, Vice President of Programs and Events
Ellie France is currently serving as the Vice President of Programs and Event. She has been a member of YWA since 2009 and was most recently the VP of Alumnae Relations from 2010-2011 and was the Special Events Chair for the Alumnae Committee from 2009-2010.
Through her leadership position, she met a lot of amazingly talented and very well connected YWA Alumnae. Ellie was recognized as YWA ‘Rising Star’ and YWA ‘Newbie of the Year’ in 2010.
Professionally, she is an E-Business Senior Advisor for Dell – in charge of the Inspiron laptops on Dell.com including pathing, offer assortment, merchandising, and product launch. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in the spring of 2008 with a double major in Marketing and Management and a minor in Public Relations.
Ellie moved to Austin in the fall of 2008 with two of her childhood best friends (they have known each other since they were 4 years old). She loves to read, play soccer and tennis, and hang out with friends. She also wildly enjoys eating any type of Mexican food, her favorite being breakfast tacos.
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Courtney Bunte, Vice President of Marketing
Courtney Bunte currently serves as the Co-Vice President of Marketing for the Young Women’s Alliance and the YWA Foundation. She joined YWA in August of 2009 and has served as the Social Networking Chair for the Marketing Committee. She was recognized as YWA Member of the Month in December 2010.
After graduating in 2003 from Texas Lutheran University, with a BA in Communications, Courtney spent the next five years living and working in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry. She spent two years in the promotions department of Clear Channel Radio, and also produced one of the city’s morning radio shows. Later on, she worked for three years for NBC Universal at Universal Studios Hollywood as the Promotions Coordinator for the theme park. Currently, Courtney is the Promotions Manager for the Hill Country Galleria, where she is charged with the marketing, advertising, PR, and special events for the lifestyle center.
In her spare time, Courtney enjoys picking up new hobbies, working on projects around the house, going out to dinner, shopping, and mostly, spending time with her college sorority sisters, friends, and family.
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Sarah Zomper, Vice President of Marketing 
Sarah Zomper is an Account Executive at Pierpont Communications, where she is recognized by both her peers and clients for her creativity, event planning and ability to secure media coverage in local, regional and national publications. She earned both a Master’s of Business Administration and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing from Texas State University-San Marcos.
Sarah is actively involved in the community, currently serving on the Board of Directors for YWA and BvB Austin. She has been a member of YWA since April 2010 and was previously the Marketing Committee’s Public Relations Chair for 2010-2011. She is an alumna of the Leadership Austin Emerge Program and currently serves on the Emerge Program Committee.
In her spare time, Sarah can be found in the kitchen brewing beer or cooking meals for her friends and family.
Contact Sarah Zomper
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Paige Deegan, Vice President of Foundation Giving
Paige Fillipp Deegan joined YWA in the summer of 2009 and currently serves as the VP of Foundation Giving. She is the Grant Writer for the Paramount Theatre, a historic venue that has provided Central Texas with live entertainment since 1915. Paige has held fundraising positions with Austin Partners in Education and Aurora Theatre Company (Berkeley, CA). Prior to her fundraising career, she worked in textbook publishing and SAT tutoring. Paige was recognized with the YWA ‘Vision Award’ in 2010 and served as the VP of Membership in 2010-2011.
In addition to being active in YWA, she has been involved in the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, serving on the Philanthropy Day and Programs Committees. She is passionate about arts education in Austin, and is also a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and More.
Paige grew up in Lubbock, TX and graduated from Trinity University in 2005, where she earned a B.A. in English with a minor in Drama. On the weekends, you might find her thrift shopping, wine tasting, or picking up some veggies at the farmer's market.
Contact Paige Deegan
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Kristen Reynolds, Vice President of Foundation Development
Kristen Reynolds serves as the VP of Foundation Development for YWA. In her professional life, she works as a Program Manager at the Texas Education Agency, where she manages grant programs related to college and career readiness. As State Project Director for Texas GEAR UP, Kristen works closely with schools, organizations, and other state agencies to provide college awareness resources and opportunities to historically underserved students and their parents.
Kristen has been a member of YWA since 2006 and served on the Marketing Committee. In addition to her involvement with YWA, Kristen serves on the board of the Great Society Fund, a foundation she co-created to provide seed funding to social entrepreneurship endeavors.
Originally from Amarillo, Kristen completed Bachelor’s degrees in Advertising and Political Science at Texas Tech and her Master’s in Public Affairs at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas where she became completely smitten with Austin. In her spare time, Kristen enjoys crafty hobbies, farmer’s markets, wine tours, and a wide array of Austin activities.
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