About Us
Meet the women fighting for progress in Massachusetts.
Patty Eppinger, Senior Advisor
Patty Eppinger is a community volunteer and philanthropist, dedicating her time to organizations that focus on education, youth, and equity. She is a former Member of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, where she co-chaired the Council on Academic Affairs and Student Success. She co-chaired the committee tasked with developing the Commonwealth’s Strategic Plan for Racial Equity in Higher Education. Eppinger was a founder of the Worcester Education Collaborative, whose mission is to ensure excellence and equity in public education. She was a Co-Chair of One City One Library, a public-private initiative to expand library services into Worcester’s public elementary schools and its neighborhoods. She has been and is currently a trustee of several local civic and cultural organizations, including the EcoTarium science museum and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. Ms. Eppinger received her undergraduate degree in Economics and Government from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, and her MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Ms. Eppinger was an adjunct professor of Management Communication at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She is a former consultant with McKinsey & Company.
Cara lisa Berg Powers, Chairwoman
Cara has been working for over 15 years in education, arts and culture to help people reimagine and reshape the world, most recently as Executive Director of Transformative Culture Project, where she served for 12 years. She is currently a Visiting Lecturer in the Education department at her alma mater, Clark University. Cara has provided training for non-profit leaders like Oxfam America and Facing History and Ourselves. Her work has been published by Harvard University in partnership with Lady Gaga’s Born this Way Foundation, as well as through several feminist publications. Cara serves the community through several Boards and Committees, including the NARAL Political Committee, and recently ran for School Committee in her hometown. She is the Vice President of Education at Beth Tikvah Synagogue, coaches basketball at St. Peter’s Church, where she grew up. She spent eight years on the Human Rights Commission in her hometown of Worcester, MA where she resides with her husband and daughter and plays Roller Derby as Professor Killjoy.
Melanie Bonsu, Treasurer
Melanie Bonsu is an experienced relationship builder with a history of establishing partnerships that result into impactful change. She currently manages community relations for one of the largest and oldest corporations in Worcester and works to invest in the community to build a better tomorrow. Prior to this, Melanie had more than a decade-long career in non-profit development and marketing with a focus on youth development. She has a BA in English from Worcester State University and is a lifelong Worcester resident. Her community involvement includes being a Trustee for Mechanics Hall, a Corporator for Webster Five, and is on the Planning Committee for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference. Melanie was named to Worcester Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2015, Worcester Magazine’s 2016 Leading Ladies in Worcester, Pulse Magazine’s People to Watch in 2017, and a 2020 Worcester Historical Museum Harvey Ball Honoree.
Katie Chappell, Communications Director
Katie Chappell has more than 20 years of recreation and youth development program experience. She is currently serving as the Director of Education & Exhibits for the EcoTarium. She previously held project and program management roles for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western MA. Katie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Connecticut State University in Recreation & Leisure Studies. She has graduate studies in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy from Bay Path College. Katie is also recognized as an American Graduate Champion Awardee by WGBY and joined the 2016 Class of BusinessWest’s Forty under 40. Katie is a past participant with the Women's Fund of Western MA Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact. Katie currently resides in Worcester with her 25-pound cockapoo pup Greyson.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
-Alice Walker