Josephine Kalipeni
Keynote Speaker
Advocate for justice & liberation. National leader. Social worker. Organizer.
As the Executive Director of Family Values at Work (FV@W), Josephine Kalipeni is striving to expand the network of grassroots coalitions that are building the power to win paid leave at the state level – with a commitment to win at the federal level by 2030.
Since taking the helm of FV@W in 2019 – with the belief that caregiving is the silent driver of poverty for workers – she has worked to center those who are most impacted. She is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, a power building southern based civic engagement organization that played an instrumental role in the 2017 Alabama U.S. Senate race.
Josie has nearly 20 years of experience in policy, organizing, campaign development, and strategic planning. As an ordained minister and former social worker, Josie has directly supported families working to overcome systemic barriers in order to thrive. Josie’s life banners are joy and truth centered in prayer and fasting. Born in Malawi, she was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2023 just in time to register and vote on Election Day. Josie holds a Bachelors in Sociology and Political Science and a Masters in Social Justice and Community Development.
SUMMIT SPEAKERS |
SUMMIT SPEAKERS |
Hamda Ahmed
Community Care Navigator, Office of Population Health Equity
Hamda has lived in Lewiston since 2013. She graduated from the University of Southern Maine in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Hamda interned with Maine People’s Alliance, (MPA), the largest Action group in Maine, where she participated in campaigns including Minimum Wage Medicaid Expansion, Paid Sick Leave, MaineCare for All, and Paid Family Medical Leave. When COVID-19 started, her passion for public health stemmed from her interest in advancing the health of low-wage, BIPOC, immigrant communities like those she lives in. She worked for a grassroots organization named New Mainer’s Public Health Initiative as a Target Case Manager for children under 21 with developmental disabilities and worked as a program manager to oversee other public health programs. Working with her community to advance their health and addressing disparities, social justice, and maternal child health motivated her to expand her work/education experience by starting to work at the Office of Population Health Equity at Maine CDC and enrolling at the University of New England to pursue her graduate degree in Public Health.
Cate Blackford
Director of Public Policy, Maine People’s Alliance
Cate leads the development of Maine People’s Alliance’s policy agenda and legislative strategy, in close collaboration with members and allies, to advance MPA’s mission and meet the moment.
Cate has spent her career working to connect the people most excluded from state and local decision making to the process and supporting them in shaping solutions. She has worked on housing, hunger, consumer protections, fiscal policy, establishing universal benefits like retirement and paid leave, and many other issues. She holds a BA from UMaine and Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, which she's using to ensure other people don't need advanced degrees to feel like they belong in developing public policy.
Leah McAlpine
Direct Support Professional, OHI
Leah McAlpine has worked for OHI for almost 30 years. She is a Direct Support Professional and proudly spends her days providing direct supports to adults with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes around the Bangor Brewer area. She often mentors and trains staff and advocates strongly for DSP workforce issues and the overall impact of this crisis on the people she supports. Leah won the Maine DSP of the Year award in 2022.
Jennifer Vachon
Owner of Parkside Children’s Learning Center
Jennifer Vachon is the owner of Parkside Children’s Learning Center in Bangor for the past 5 years. During the past 5 years, especially during the pandemic, her desire to advocate and share the work happening in childcare helped to connect her to advocacy. Her role in advocacy began when she was accepted to be a part of the LEaP program through MaineAEYC in 2021. In addition to participating in LeAP, Jennifer’s participation in advocacy included speaking on a panel to represent the importance of having quality early childcare, giving written testimony and speaking on MPBR to support LD1726. Jennifer is also a member of a local advocacy group in Bangor called Faith in Action that focuses on advocating for child care locally and in Maine.