Spend some time with Womentum’s inaugural “March Onward: A Celebration of Women,” an event celebrating local women who discovered their purpose in Jackson, but took their passions to national and international stages. Situated a day before International Women’s Day and during Women’s History Month, “March Onward” features a fun and fast-paced conversation sure to leave attendees inspired by the work of their local sisters.
You may have met our speakers, Crista Valentino, Kate Schelbe, and Nona Yehia, before; you may even know about their amazing projects — but do you know their personal stories? Hear their experiences as changemakers and leaders in our community and around the world, and be inspired to make your own mark on the world. Each presenter will speak and then participate in a panel discussion and Q&A, facilitated by Ingrid Daffner Krasnow, focused on what it takes to pursue a passion and how personal experiences drive purpose.
Meet the Presenters
Crista Valentino discovered the importance of community building when, at 26, she founded CoalitionWILD, a youth-led environmental NGO that has worked in over 125 countries to equip and mentor thousands of young people to develop conservation solutions in their communities. After completing her Master of Arts in Global Leadership in 2022, she now works to support socio-economic progress through community-led development in areas committed to preserving their natural and cultural heritage. This passion has most recently taken the form of relocating to Saudi Arabia in 2021 to facilitate the development of five nature reserves in the culturally rich region of AlUla and supporting Native entrepreneurship on the Wind River Reservation through co-creating a business incubator program. After five and a half years on the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board, Crista was appointed as the Board’s Interim Executive Director. If she’s not answering your messages, you can probably find her in the shadow of mountain peaks with her phone on airplane mode reconnecting with the spaces that fuel her.
Kate Schelbe is the Executive Director of Girls Education International, a small nonprofit that expands educational opportunities for girls and young women in remote and developing regions around the world by partnering with community-led organizations to scale impact. Girls Ed collaborates with local organizations to address challenges to education by providing funding, investing in capacity building, and mobilizing allies to accelerate change. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kate moved to the valley in 2006. She is the Backbone Leader of the Teton Behavioral Health Alliance, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, that works to improve the local behavioral health care system. Prior to joining the Community Foundation, Kate’s career focused on education. She has served as a classroom teacher and school administrator both locally and abroad. Kate holds a B.A. from Emory University and a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University.
An accomplished architect by training, Nona Yehia built Vertical Harvest from the ground up as North America’s first vertical hydroponic greenhouse. She also pioneered the company to focus on inclusive, customized employment for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities alongside her co-founder Caroline Croft-Estay. She conceived the company based on her experiences growing up with a brother with developmental disabilities, love of fresh and local food, obsession with great design and long-standing community involvement. And her organic connection to all aspects of the enterprise continues to fuel Nona’s insight into the business and her dynamic leadership style has led to her recognition as a CNN Champion of Change and Vertical Harvest’s inclusion on Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas List and as a finalist for their Best Places to Work for Innovators – Diverse Innovators Award.
Meet the Facilitator
Ingrid Daffner Krasnow is a Womentoring alumna, communications strategist, and mother of two awesome kids. She has led communications and change management initiatives at several local non-profit organizations, including Teton Science Schools, One22, and the Jackson Hole Children’s Museum. Ingrid has also facilitated trainings for and consulted with the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Community Safety Network, and the Astoria Park Conservancy. She especially enjoys her annual goal-setting training with each incoming Womentoring cohort. When not teaching about communications, Ingrid enjoys storytelling through the Cabin Fever Story Slam and collaborating with Riot Act, Inc.