GLMPI Welcomes Venita Griffin to Board of Directors

Girls Like Me Project welcomes Venita Griffin to serve as our newest board member. Venita has a long history with GLMPI first serving as a volunteer, inaugural member of Chicago Day of the Girl host committee, and champion.

Why Venita said yes to GLMPI?
"I’m constantly looking for ways to give back in a hands on way, and I always try to center any volunteer or civic work on the needs of Black girls and women. Working with the Board would align with my interest and provide me with a personal sense of fulfillment.
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Additionally I’ve done extensive legislative advocacy and digital organizing works, skills that I’d be happy to share with program participants."

Venita's background:
Venita possesses 15+ years of experience leading successful advocacy, digital, and multicultural marketing campaigns. She currently serves as digital strategist and campaigner for a national nonprofit that amplifies the political leadership of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC).

In addition to the duties of her full-time role, Venita worked to organize millions of women of color voters during the 2020 election cycle, mobilized low-income workers to call for passage of the HEROES Act, provided digital support in an attempt to defeat the passage of Amendment One in her home state of Louisiana, and served as the lead digital consultant on a national COVID relief project which, among other victories, worked to win a mask mandate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

She is a 2021-2022 Stanford University Center for Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity practitioner fellow and serves as the founding social media manager of the newly launched Blue Tent, a media outlet that reports on the progressive movement.

Venita’s career experience also includes leading the digital strategy for Legalize Illinois, providing strategic counsel and digital strategy oversight for a national campaign focused on raising awareness around metastatic breast cancer, and working on the team that secured a raise for direct support professionals in a year when similar services were being cut from the Illinois budget.

Her work has been honored with awards from the Association of National Advertisers (Multicultural Excellence Awards), the Association of Women in Communications, the Communicator Awards, and the Publicity Club of Chicago.

Venita is a member of the Chicago Foundation for Women’s South Side Giving Circle and is a co-chair of the foundation's Women of Color United Giving Council.

GLMPI is proud to have Venita serve our mission.
Visit our website for a full list of GLMPI board members.