Our Story

After 9/11, Kathy Gallowitz served as a military public affairs officer with the Ohio National Guard, where 80% of the force served part time while holding civilian jobs or attending college. As the Guard and Reserve mobilized at an unprecedented pace, she designed and led a first-of-its-kind statewide outreach program that mobilized employers, lawyers, healthcare providers, diversity and inclusion leaders, educators, clergy, and neighbors to champion service members and their families.

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That work revealed a gap that still exists: the country has no coordinated post-military transition policy, and no single agency helps civilians understand military culture or bring those who serve, and their families, all the way home.

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Kathy later became a John Maxwell Team leadership coach and moved to Arizona. In 2021, she partnered with U.S. Air Force veteran Susan Swafford and Civilian Veteran Champion Wendy Shackley to found Women Who Lead: Connecting Veteran and Non-Veteran Women. The organization extends the mission of Kathy’s company, Vanguard Veteran.

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Building Leaders

Women Who Lead is a cascading mentorship program: every woman who grows as a leader helps lift the next. Each month, co-hosts coach a member to give a leadership presentation. The program added “2nd Hour” to foster mutual support in 2025, launched quarterly Boots and Blazers networking events in 2026, and became a nonprofit on October 7, 2026.

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The Summit

Thanks to the vision of Onjalai Brown of The Onjalai Effect, Women Who Lead hosted its inaugural Summit in 2024. Each year, the Summit explores a new leadership theme through speakers and interactive activities. It also honors Civilian Veteran Champions who help veterans thrive, primarily in the civilian workforce. Women Who Lead thanks Achieve, Summit presenting sponsor for two consecutive years, for helping Women Who Lead's mission take root.

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Former and Current Co-Hosts

Veterans: Katrina Bailey, Kathy Gallowitz, Yolanda Pinera-Arquette, Gina Smith, Susan Swafford, and Amanda Tallman

Civilian Veteran Champions: Onjalai Brown, Agnes Chau, Wendy Shackley, and Leann Thrapp

 

Why It Matters

When the experience of service meets civilian leadership, companies and communities grow stronger. Women Who Lead is a movement to elevate every woman’s potential and welcome those who serve all the way home. Because when veterans thrive, America prospers.

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