Meet the Board
Jess Tess-Navarro
Director of Learning Programs
Serving as our Director of Learning, Jess brings over a decade of experience in instructional design and career development to the Board of Directors. As a Certification Program Lead at Dematic, she spearheads technical training projects, leveraging AI tools and project management methodologies to deliver high-quality content to a remote, geographically dispersed team. Her experience serving as a learning professional in higher education, finance, technology, and manufacturing gives her a wide array of experience.
In addition to her learning expertise, Jess is a passionate activist and women's rights advocate, deeply committed to empowering women through education, professional development, and intersectionality.
Rachele Wright
Director of Marketing
Serving as our Director of Marketing, Rachele is a dynamic force with a proven track record of driving growth and building community. As Senior Manager of Marketing at Regrid, she leads strategic demand generation initiatives, leveraging her expertise in digital marketing to connect with key audiences. Prior to her current role, Rachele served as Director of Marketing at the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce, where she not only expanded membership but also strengthened community ties.
As a seasoned entrepreneur, running Wright Outcomes for over a decade, Rachele developed a deep and rich experience working with both for-profit and non-profit entities at various scale, Rachele's multifaceted experience, coupled with her background as a music educator and her development work at Detroit Opera, showcases her ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
Anna Luedecking
Director of Leadership Programs
Serving as our Director of Leadership Programs, Anna is an ICF Professional Certified Coach dedicated to helping leaders and executives reach their full potential. Anna serves her clients through personalized coaching, peer coaching, executive onboarding, and team development which guides leaders towards measurable growth.
Anna's past clients include leaders and executives from startups to Fortune 500 organizations in finance, banking, higher education, healthcare, technology, food production, and manufacturing.
Her vast experience with leaders in different sectors couple with her background in organizational development and passion for developing strong female leaders, allows her to truly shape our leadership offerings for women.
Brigitte Gillis
Director of Product
Serving as our Director of Product, Brigitte is a customer-centric product leader with a passion for empowering women, especially in the tech space. With extensive experience in SaaS, marketing tech, and fintech, she excels at managing the entire product lifecycle, from ideation to launch.
At AcquireUp, she leads the development of a digital marketing platform, focused on lead conversion and customer retention. Her expertise spans strategic roadmapping, data-driven decision-making, and fostering collaboration across cross-functional teams.
She is passionate about creating accessible, high-impact solutions that make a meaningful difference for many people. Brigitte's blend of technical acumen, creative thinking, and dedication to user experience is incredibly impactful in creating solutions for our communities.
Kayla Lopez
President
Serving as our President, Kayla is a people-loving People person and an experienced executive leader. As a Head of People with over ten years of experience leading human resources, marketing, technology, operations and innovation teams, she manages large-scale projects to facilitate complete company transformations. Her expertise spans launching core values for startups, leading cultural shifts in organizations, activating talent to achieve high performance, conducting extensive mentoring for leaders at all levels, and building the People function from the ground up. As a Latina women in business, Kayla is particularly passionate about creating equitable opportunities and empowering other women to thrive in their careers. She is committed to fostering inclusive environments where diverse voices are valued and celebrated, ensuring that all individuals have the chance to reach their full potential.
We are always looking for future board members!
As an organization that focuses on career development, accessibility, and inclusivity, we want to ensure that all voices are represented, especially at the board level. If you are interested in a board position, please reach out to hello@womenwithpotential.org to get the conversation started.