IGNITE's Blog

We are pleased to share that Shania Bennett will be serving as our Philadelphia Fellow! IGNITE spoke with Shania to hear more about her vision for the Fellowship and what she hopes to accomplish. 

With the announcement of Justice Stephen G. Breyer's retirement, President Biden gets the opportunity to reshape the federal judiciary as we know it. While Biden has already nominated dozens of district and appeals court judges, he has made a bold promise for the future of SCOTUS. He has committed to making history by nominating a Black woman - the first Black woman - for confirmation to the Supreme Court.

January 2022 is about the hardest January-ing January I can remember. I don't know about you. Case in point. Like many Americans, I stood in line last week for 45 minutes to get a COVID test. But it was only as I stood there, frustrated, that I realized I was waiting outside the same building where I vote.

Kaya proudly serves as the IGNITE Fellows Program Manager - East. 

IGNITE welcomes Sania Shaffi to the team!

With over a decade of experience in operations and program management, Tanna brings a wealth of programmatic expertise to her role as the Chief Program Officer.

As a 22-year-old woman working in politics, I wish I could tell you that the capitol insurrection a year ago has made me more determined than ever to unleash my political power. But the reality is more complicated.

IGNITE welcomes Isabella Marchese to the team!

Family leave and getting more women into elected office are chicken and egg. We can't have one without the other and yet of course the people voting on these policies are majority men. It's a bipartisan issue. We won't reach gender parity in political leadership unless women win for both sides. That means we need to change the narrative. Ask yourself: What does it mean to be political and powerful? Does your definition include being a young woman? It should.

So much has happened this year that it’s hard to wrap it up in a nice bow. I stepped into the CEO role, got married, and my husband and I have been fostering two brothers. My personal life has gone through immense change, just like IGNITE. Our budget has grown by 60%, and we now have a staff of 40 full and part-time employees located across the country.