Our Mission
Leading Ladies is committed to equal access for all to education, health care, housing, food, jobs, and political representation, whatever their ethnicity, race, religion, or sexual identity. We are also committed to common sense gun laws, humane immigration policies, and the sustainability of our planet.
THIS CONSENSUS IS OUR MANDATE.
We seek to galvanize voters and support legislation and politicians, from any party, that are in line with or fighting for our beliefs.
As the largest voting bloc in the country, women have the power to create the future. If every woman votes her conscience and her beliefs, the country and its people will reap the benefits.
OUR VOTE IS OUR POWER.
We publish a weekly newsletter that tackles social justice issues; sponsor discussions with experts on timely topics; and take action through rallies, marches, and initiatives on the local and national levels. We are invested in bringing attention and support to the activists and organizations that have been pushing in the right direction for years, often without acknowledgment or fanfare.
Our sister organization, We Are America the Beautiful, offers educational events, live and online, to inform the public about crucial social issues facing our country today. Learn about their programs here.
How & Why Your VOTE Counts
Every year elections take place that impact our lives, not only during presidential voting years.
It is vital to participate in state and local elections. These outcomes affect us daily in matters of policing, housing, wages, schools, roads/bridges, gun control, clean air and water, refuse and recycling, and more.
Beyond election years, our representatives at all levels of government are making decisions every day. We can influence our legislators by communicating with them by phone (they actually like hearing from us), email, and in person.
Go to Mass.gov to view lists of pending legislation.
Go to senate.gov and house.gov to find out how to communicate with your senators and representatives and let them know how you feel about issues.
Executive Team
Judith Klein
Judy’s first volunteer experience was working as a teenager for Project Head Start. Since then, she has volunteered for a variety of organizations, including the Berkeley Free Clinic in the ‘70s. In her professional life, Judy has been a counselor for pregnant women; a guidance counselor and school psychologist; a psychotherapist in a community mental health center and in private practice; the editor of a community newspaper; the director of communications and marketing for independent schools; and the curator of outdoor art exhibits. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tufts University. Judy and her husband live in Beverly where they raised their three sons.
Therese Melden
Therese had never been political until the 2016 election changed everything. She co-founded We are America the Beautiful and in 2019 founded Leading Ladies to more actively build a community of like-minded women who believe everyone deserves equity and dignity. She has been an organizer since high school; becoming a mother pushed her to serve on the boards of her children's schools and non-profit community organizations on the North Shore. A graduate of Sargent College at Boston University where she received a BS in Rehabilitation Services, Therese later earned an MBA from Northeastern University. She loves to ballroom dance, paint in pastel, and travel with her family. Her latest goal is to visit all 60 US National Parks in the next 10 years. That will take some creative organizing.
KELLY LITTLETON
Kelly Littleton is a business owner and serial-entrepreneur. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in History with honors. After working at UCLA for several years, she and her husband sold their home, cars, and furniture to travel the world for a year and start over in a new place. They decided to live in Austin, Texas to be near family.
Kelly’s first solo business was an Amazon webstore. Within twelve months she earned over six figures in revenue. She sold her webstore after the pandemic hit and focused her energies on finding her next vocation.
Kelly's passions include travel, history, genealogy, and photography. She has been a member of four different startups and is opening a property management business with her husband this summer.
Contact Us
We would like to hear your views on our newsletter topics as well as your ideas for how we can tackle our target issues of access to health care, the climate crisis, common sense gun laws, educational equity, food insecurity, homelessness, immigration reform, racism, and voter suppression. Please send your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions.