Helping Today. Changing Lives Tomorrow.
Kimberly Harris is a thought leader and change-maker. Throughout her career, she champions innovation and helps stakeholders in the government, private, and nonprofit sectors develop and implement necessary reforms so that women and children can thrive and interrupt poverty, violence, and intergenerational trauma.
Ms. Harris’ experience with nonprofit operations, management, and oversight spans more than twenty years in Washington, D. C. She is an active member of the Client Leadership Council for the Feeding America/Capital Area Food Bank partnership and currently serves as Co-Chair for the D. C. Department of Human Services’ Family Rehousing & Stabilization (FRSP) Task Force. Ms. Harris previously served as a Director for Dress for Success DC Professional Women’s Group. Ms. Harris previously served as an Ambassador for The United States of Women and remains active with the organization.
In 2000, Ms. Harris sounded the alarm about environmental justice. As a guest speaker during a White House News Briefing in December 2000, she spoke forcefully about how Improving Air Quality impacts children in low-poverty communities in America, along with then Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Carol Browner, and President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff, John Podesta.
In 2021, Ms. Harris addressed a press conference at the invitation of US House Representative and Chairman of the US House Rules Committee, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). Ms. Harris spoke alongside McGovern, Senator Cory Booker, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, food activist Tom Colicchio in support of the bicameral legislation they introduced to President Joe Biden to convene a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health for only the second time in US history.
In 2022, Ms. Harris attended The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health at the invitation of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, in which she advocated for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors in need of greater access to expanded emergency federal resources once experiencing hunger and homelessness due to fleeing their abusers.
Her approach also recognizes the need for a whole-of-society reckoning with immigration practices that continue to allow harm. She has traveled to El Paso Texas to help serve in the community of Hispanic and Latino immigrants and has studied the impacts immigration has on Hispanic women and children.
Ms. Harris vows to continue her work in helping other women bridge their “From Trauma to Triumph” at Women’s HQ where a culturally-specific and holistic approach is combined with evidence-based modalities. Through the programming, primarily Black and Brown women in Washington, D. C. will participate in survivor-centered wellness, career enhancement, and financial literacy programming.
Women's HQ Advisory Board Members
International Expert on Violence Against Women and Sr. Advisor to the NFL
Rita Smith’s professional working career began as a crisis line advocate in a shelter for battered women and their children in Colorado in 1981. She has held numerous positions in Colorado and Florida since, including several local domestic violence and sexual assault programs and state coalitions, as Program Supervisor and Director. She was the Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence for nearly 22 years.
Rita has served on two local Board of Directors, as well as Ex-officio board member as Executive Director of a national non-profit. She has been interviewed by hundreds of newspaper reporters, appeared on many local and national radio and television news shows, including the Washington Post, USA Today, People Magazine, NPR, The Today Show, Good Morning America and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Rita has also co-authored several articles and chapters for books including a manual for attorneys working with domestic violence victims in Colorado, and an article on child custody and domestic violence published in the fall of 1997 in The Judges Journal (an American Bar Association publication).
Rita currently is a Senior Adviser for the National Football League on their efforts to end violence against women and serves as Vice President of External Relations for DomesticShelters.org and Executive Director of Victim Services for eBodyGuard. She believes that advocacy and social change are intricately connected and cannot be done separately.
Ms. Smith received her Associate of Arts degree in Psychology from Polk State College and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Michigan State University.
Amanda Hooper, Founder of Front Porch Collaborative
Amanda Hooper is the founder of Front Porch Collaborative, a Washington, DC-based consulting practice that helps organizations build advocacy, community engagement, and movement communications rooted in the leadership of people most impacted.
A community organizer by training, Amanda has spent nearly two decades advancing gender equity through advocacy, coalition building, and community organizing. She has worked across Capitol Hill, national campaigns, higher education, and national advocacy organizations including the National Women's Law Center, City Year, and Feeding America — taking on issues from reproductive rights and economic justice to gender-based violence, food security, and early childhood education.
Amanda holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, a Master's degree from the University of Oxford, and an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Jim Alvey, Former Good360 Vice President, Disaster Response, Recovery and Resilience
Jim Alvey brings a rich blend of executive leadership, strategic cross-sector partnership building, and dedicated community advocacy to the Advisory Board of Women’s HQ. A seasoned leader with decades of experience spanning media, quality assurance, project management, and communications, Jim previously served as Vice President of Disaster Response, Recovery, and Resilience at Good360. Throughout his career—which includes foundational roles at Arbitron/Nielsen, The Baltimore Sun, and WDVM-TV in Washington, DC—Jim has built a reputation for bridging public, private, and nonprofit sectors to forge impactful, sustainable partnerships.
His extensive network and hands-on expertise in disaster response and building community resilience align seamlessly with Women's HQ's mission to support and empower women through holistic, trauma-informed care and advocacy.
Deeply committed to equity, mental wellness, and community support, Jim actively serves on the Advisory Boards of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM) and the Hummingly Foundation, where he supports emotional care and mental health training for disaster-impacted communities. He also steps up locally as a DC Captain for the Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction.
Beyond his professional and advisory work, Jim is an avid writer and musician who operates his own music publishing company, Them Apples Music LLC. He finds his greatest inspiration in family, travel, hiking, and creative expression, and resides in Columbia, Maryland, with his wife, Cindi.
Cynthia Alvey, Former Howard County Public School System Administrator, Special Needs Students
Cynthia (Cindi) Royston Alvey is a dedicated professional, advocate, and community leader based in Columbia, Maryland. Over the course of her diverse career, Cindi has brought creative vision, operational precision, and empathy to a variety of impactful roles. Her professional background spans dynamic contributions to the Creative Services Department at Giant Food, key support roles within the American Bankers Association, and hands-on service within the Howard County Public School System, where she worked closely with special needs students.
Guided by a passion for service, Cindi actively channels her energy into vital local and national causes, volunteering with Moms Demand Action to end gun violence, bringing joy to local residents through Pets on Wheels, assisting seniors with transport through NeighborRide, and engaging in racial healing work as a member of Coming to the Table. She successfully steered legislation to restrict and ban the sale of dangerous opioids in Maryland.
As a survivor of domestic violence, Cindi is a fierce champion for raising awareness, supporting survivors, and driving systemic change to address domestic abuse at its roots. Her advocacy is driven by a deep commitment to creating safer, more equitable communities for everyone.
Outside of her professional and philanthropic endeavors, Cindi maintains a vibrant, active personal life centered around health and fitness. An avid gardener, traveler, and sports enthusiast, she can often be found on the tennis and pickleball courts. Cindi lives in Columbia with her husband, Jim, where they share their home with their two cats and a dog.