NOW Officer Candidates
CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT
Meredith Hartley for WV NOW President
Meredith Hartery has been actively working to advance progressive and feminist causes in WV since relocating to the Mountain State in 2016.
As an active member of the Morgantown NOW Chapter, Meredith has held various leadership roles including Communications, Events Committee Chair, and outgoing President. Leveraging her professional experience in sponsorships and development, as well as communications and relationship building, Meredith led record fundraising efforts for the Morgantown chapter to fight the passage of Amendment 1 through state-wide outreach and education efforts. Meredith is eager to further advance NOW’s mission of equity and inclusion in WV as serving as the next WVNOW President.
CANDIDATE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE VICE-PRESIDENT
Bobbie Godbey for Administrative Vice President:
Bobbie Godbey is a proud fourth generation feminist. Having been raised by powerful and dedicated women committed to advancing equity for all, Bobbie is eager to continue her activism as Administrative-Vice President of WVNOW to improve the lives of women, children, and impacted WV communities.
With professional experience in education, marketing communications, and strategic planning, Bobbie is dedicated to coalition building and expanded and inclusive membership recruitment. Bobbie is outgoing communications director for one of the largest progressive nonpartisan, nonprofits in central WV and through targeted, well-researched, and compelling messaging she was able to grow the organization’s online following by 30% and 600 followers in 12 months. As an active NOW member, Bobbie is committed to broadening the reach and membership of WVNOW and looks forward to partnering with the executive committee and board to articulate and drive a feminist agenda for WV.
CANDIDATE FOR ACTION VICE-PRESIDENT
Martina Angela Caretta for Action Vice President
Martina Angela Caretta is a Swedish-Italian feminist geographer investigating the human dimensions of water. Her research focuses on the social issues revolving around water resources in Appalachia. Martina is on the board of the American Association of Geographers’ Specialty group “Geographical Perspectives on Women GPOW”. Martina has published extensively on the importance of mentorship for women’s career advancement and on the relevancy of engaging local communities in the creation of knowledge and solutions to their own issues. As an example, Martina was integral to the creation of the Women Water Stewards project which led to the creation of the WV Women and Water Network and spearheaded the WVU Library exhibit which imagery explores the women’s experience and relevance of water in WV. Martina is currently leading a report for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, heading a group of 30 international climate scientists focusing on water and climate change adaptation.
She has been a member of Morgantown NOW since it’s re-inception in 2017 and was Vice President in 2019. After having been part of a successful steering committee during a politically tumultuous time for WV women– with an all-time high fundraising record– she’s eager and ready to replicate that effort for the whole state
CANDIDATE FOR SECRETARY
Emily Tanner for WV NOW Secretary
Emily joined Morgantown NOW (MNOW) in 2016 to meet new friends after moving to WV and found an enthusiasm for activism. Even though she found activism accidentally, she has a passion for improving the status of women in the state of West Virginia through increasing voter participation. She believes that when women get involved, everyone benefits.
During her two terms on the MNOW Steering Committee as Communications Officer (2018-2019), Emily streamlined the chapter’s weekly email and built the chapter’s website. Additionally, she was active in planning the MNOW’s campaign against Amendment 1. Currently, Emily is part of WV Women Vote, a local and state-wide coalition to celebrate 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage.
During the day, Emily is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the John Chambers School of Business and Economics at WVU. She conducts research focused on understanding how vulnerable populations access services designed to help them.
CANDIDATE FOR TREASURER
Cheyenne Luzynski for WV NOW Treasurer
I am nominating myself for the WV NOW treasurer position. Please accept this nomination which includes a short biography and explanation of my commitment to the NOW priorities.
Cheyenne’s interest in activism began at a young age inspired by the generations of public servants in her family. Her first career as a head coach and Assistant Athletic Director in a male dominated intercollegiate athletic department unfortunately offered firsthand experience with discrimination and disparity and motivated her to pursue a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Her research centered on the historical analysis of women’s emergence into intercollegiate athletic leadership which further strengthened her understanding of women’s history and particularly the women’s movement that gave rise to NOW.
Since receiving her Ph.D., Cheyenne is a teaching assistant professor at West Virginia University in the Inter and Multidisciplinary Studies Department and Leadership Studies program where she teaches WVU students the complexities of change and the role of leadership in contemporary times. Cheyenne models what she xscdinstructs with her membership with the Morgantown NOW chapter as she has been an active member since January 2018 and served as treasurer in her first year. The campaign to vote NO on Amendment One was a significant focus for the chapter and within the months leading up to the mid-term election, $23,000 was raised. As the treasurer, this level of fundraising required grant writing, organization, detailed record keeping, and relentless effort. In addition to her NOW activism, she has worked tirelessly on women’s issues including a recent project for the US State Department’s Sport Diplomacy Cultural Exchange program in partnership with Mexico to train and deliver women’s empowerment and leadership development using the sport of soccer. This work is her mission.
Having lived in WV for four years, Cheyenne has traveled to nearly every county in the state to get a better understanding of the history, the people, the beauty and challenges faced. Cheyenne is committed to working to advance NOW’s priorities and mission to address Equity, Education, Justice, and Advocacy– particularly in the state of West Virginia.
