Around the world, women leaders face horrific levels of gendered disinformation and online abuse, with dramatic consequences on their freedom of expression, as well as women’s rights and democracy more broadly. Yet, their perspectives are often missing from key conversations around democracy and technology.

With a combination of over twenty years of experience each in democracy and women’s rights, Lucina and Kristina created #ShePersisted to leverage the voices of women leaders globally and make sure that they are part of crucial conversations on digital platform reform. 

Kristina Wilfore
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​​Kristina Wilfore is a seasoned international development and elections specialist who has been on the ground in over 25 countries working to create more inclusive and responsive democratic movements. From Eastern Europe to the Middle East and the Americas, she advises governments, philanthropies and civil society on how to create an enabling environment to address political violence and online extremism against women leaders.  As the Director of Innovation and Global Projects at Reset Tech Kristina spearheads initiatives in fragile environments around the globe to restore the promise of technology that works for people and protects free expression. Kristina is originally from the rural state of Montana where she began her journey in addressing political violence when at the age of 17 she organized a letter to the editor campaign to build community support for an abortion clinic that was firebombed by violent extremists.

Lucina Di Meco
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Lucina Di Meco is a women’s rights advocate and gender equality expert, recognized by Apolitical as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy. Lucina is the author of multiple studies focusing on the impact of digital harms on democracy, women’s political participation and election integrity, including “Monetizing Misogyny: Gendered Disinformation and the Undermining of Women’s Rights and Democracy Globally”. Her work has been featured on some of the world’s most authoritative outlets, including The Guardian, The New York Times, the BBC, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, El Pais, Folha de Sao Paulo, Politico, Brookings, and The Council of Foreign Relations, among others. Throughout her 20+ years career in international development, Lucina has worked for a wide range of international organizations and nonprofits, including UNDP, UN Women, Vital Voices, The Wilson Center, International IDEA, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Room to Read, where she currently serves as Vice President for Gender Equality.