| Ladies of Liberty Alliance has come a long way in its first few years under Nena Whitfield’s guidance. What started as a part-time, volunteer group of women seeking to provide education and empowerment to libertarian females, has transformed into the nation’s premiere organization for the development of liberty-minded women leaders.
 On the right are a few of LOLA’s founding members from when the organization had just launched.
I’m excited and honored to become LOLA’s new Executive Director and to work closely with Nena in her new role as President.
Since we encourage LOLA members to introduce themselves by sharing their story of how they found liberty, I thought I’d introduce myself by sharing my own story:
My time living in Greece for college (pictured below) taught me the importance of personal freedom and limited government.  Everyday, I saw how a political and social system that favored burdensome regulations, government unions, and cronyism made life so much harder for citizens. I realized that no matter how hard I worked, this government would block my path to success. It seemed then, as it does now, an atrocious way for a state to treat its people.
Upon my return from Greece, I was lucky enough to start my career on the legal team at the Pacific Legal Foundation. When I spoke about my experience in Greece, my former colleagues (now friends) introduced me to the principles of liberty. The more I read and learned about the benefits of a free society, the more passionate I became about advocating for, and defending, individual liberty through my career.
In the 13 years I have been in this movement, I have found that the fundamental way for us to strengthen and advance our ideas is by connecting with people on a personal level, about what matters most in our lives and how libertarian virtues and philosophy will help us and the world around us prosper.
If you have ever attended one of LOLA’s local chapter events, you have witnessed this phenomenon first-hand. It is hard to explain the energy that surges from a LOLA Social meeting (such as the one pictured below from our Leadership Retreat earlier this month), but for those of you who have not attended one of these events, imagine turning the key on an oil lamp and being delighted by the brightness of a spotlight.
 It starts with astonishment to find women in your community that believe the things you do. The feeling almost immediately turns into joyful relief when you realize she truly understands your intentions. Then comes intrigue–What motivated this woman to become so impassioned by freedom? And as you’re sharing stories, asking questions, and learning from each other a swell of excitement and empowerment erupts, which leads to the most important part of building a free society–action. Ideas about how you can spread liberty are born, and you plan what your individual role can be on this battleground of ideas. How can the love for freedom that drives you be felt, shared, and understood by your neighbor? LOLA exists to help libertarian female leaders answer that question, and we thank you from the depths of our hearts for the generous support that allows us to do this work together.
What we have set out to achieve at LOLA remains firm, and they are goals I am enthusiastically committed to reaching as LOLA’s new Executive Director:
To create an empowered network of libertarian women leaders
actively engaging in public discourse,
showing our empathy to those harmed by government,
and drawing new audiences to the political and societal changes
needed to secure opportunity for every individual and family.
We are here to help extraordinary ladies of liberty advance freedom around the world and I look forward to sharing news of their successes with you.
I invite you to reach out to me anytime and welcome the opportunity to personally thank you for your support. |
