News & Press

Leadership California Welcomes New Executive Director

Mon, 4 May 2026 20:15:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact

Leadership California Celebrates the Appointment of Karen Zamarripa as Executive Director

Sacramento, CA — May 4, 2026 — Leadership California is thrilled to welcome Karen Zamarripa as its new Executive Director. With deep roots in advancing women’s leadership and educational equity, Karen brings unparalleled expertise in public policy, advocacy, coalition building, and higher education coupled with an unwavering passion for empowering the next generation of leaders.

Karen has devoted over 40 years to community impact through her service in higher education, K-12 schools and in the California Senate.

Before setting out on her own with Karen Zamarripa Consulting, she spent over 25 years of at the California State University (CSU), rising to become Assistant Vice Chancellor, Advocacy & State Relations. There she spearheaded governmental affairs, alumni engagement, and community partnerships across the 23-campus system, establishing herself quickly as a bold and visionary leader.

As CSU’s lead lobbyist and strategic advisor, she led a dedicated advocacy team and managed hundreds of legislative initiatives including new community college transfer pathways, applied doctorates in fields such as education and physical therapy, and an award-winning budget campaign, Stand with CSU, which led to a fully funded budget for the system .

Karen launched her consulting business in 2016, offering political strategy, state budgeting, advocacy campaigns, and strategic communications. Through her firm, she has continued to champion equity and advancement for students statewide. She guided the creation of the Fix Financial Aid (FFA) coalition, uniting 25+ organizations, including student bodies from UC, CSU, and CCC and ultimately driving major reforms to California’s Cal Grant program and played an instrumental role in establishing Calbright College, California’s first statewide online community college, shaping policy and funding to enhance adult learners’ access and success.

Her passion for opportunity and leadership is also clear in her volunteer activities. She has served on the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) board for over 18 years, which is a nonprofit focused on providing parents the information and skills to be effective advocates for their children’s education and schools; served as President, Board Member, and Volunteer with Capitol Network, supporting women in politics since 1995; is a regular mentor at SheShares, advising emerging women leaders in politics and public service since 2016; and joined the California State University, Sacramento Alumni Association board to give back so other students can benefit from the quality education she got from her graduate students at the university.

An early alumna of the Leadership California Issues and Trends program, Karen has served in various capacities as a past Board President, advisory committee member, and most recently as Board Secretary for Leadership California. She has been an active champion of the organization since 1995, leading the way forward with vision and heart.

“We are elated to welcome Karen Zamarripa to the helm of Leadership California,” said Britt Kopping, Board Chair of Leadership California. “Her strategic acumen, legislative prowess, and unwavering commitment to advancing others make her an extraordinary leader and the right choice for advancing our mission statewide.”

Karen shared her excitement, stating, “It is a tremendous honor to lead Leadership California. I am inspired by the network of women shaping California’s future and look forward to elevating our impact, forging powerful partnerships, and nurturing bold, inclusive leadership.”

Leadership California

Leadership California's mission is to catalyze distinguished women leaders across California to scale their impact. More than 1,800 women leaders from around the state have participated in LC programs to increase their knowledge of California issues and trends, broaden their connections, boost their influence, and be inspired to act and make a difference. Leadership California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) foundation with a governing board of directors and dedicated staff. To learn more, go to https://leadershipcalifornia.org/

Darcy Totten - New Appointment at California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 20:28:00 GMT

Congratulations to Darcy Totten, CIT Class of 2022, who, on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, was officially sworn in as Executive Director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls by Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, the first woman to hold that office.

Director Totten is a social and community impact strategist with experience in educational leadership, political campaigns, and gender-focused public policy. She has been with the Commission for over five years and designed community partnerships, and authored and directed original research. Her leadership is an exciting step forward in the Commission's ever-evolving approach to community and collaboration.

Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis and Director Totten also discussed ongoing efforts to support childcare entrepreneurship and expressed excitement over the ability to partner on this issue in the future.

Darcy Totten - 2022 Globee Awards Gold Winner

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 19:11:00 GMT

Congratulations to Darcy Totten, CIT Class of 2022, who was recently recognized with a Gold Globee in the Female Employee of the Year in Government or Non-Profit category for her work as an Author on multiple CCSWG Reports & the Recovery Response effort. Darcy is the Director of Communications California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

Playmaker Award Winners Celebrated at April 4th NBA Event

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 18:12:00 GMT

On Monday, April 4th, Leadership California and the Sacrament Kings celebrated the success of two amazing women leaders making history in the NBA. Matina Kolokotronis, Chief Operating Officer and Lindsey Harding, Assistant Coach of the Sacramento Kings were both awarded the inaugural Leadership California Playmaker Award.

Leadership California Playmaker Award honors visionary women who are leading teams, creating change, fostering connection, and growing opportunities for women to be successful in male dominated industries.

In addition to celebrating the award recipients, the event was a fun chance for LC Alumnae, CIT Class Members and guests to reconnect in-person and celebrate the strong women leaders of Leadership California. We loved partnering with the Sacramento Kings, who know how to host a great event!

Jenet DeCosta appointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture by Governor Newsom

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 19:46:00 GMT

Congratulations to Leadership California panelist Jenet DeCosta on her appointment to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture by Governor Newsom.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Thu, 1 Oct 2020 21:44:50 GMT

Leadership California mourns the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and sends thoughts and prayers to her family in this difficult time.

We recognize the significant legacy she leaves behind. As the founder and co-director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project, Ginsburg was a trailblazer in advancing the overall fight for the equal rights of women. According to a recent Time magazine tribute, “she … studied the legal canon that kept women down and overturned those that discriminated on the basis of sex in five landmark cases that extended the 14th Amendment’s equal rights clause to women.” She also represented “harmed male plaintiffs when she could find one to show that discrimination hurts everyone.”

From her journey as one of the first female law students at Harvard University to a strong voice for equality on the U.S. Supreme Court, Ginsburg embodied the goal of Leadership California of helping women move from success to significance. Her legacy lives on in every woman who builds on the foundation she established and changes the world for the better.

As the administration considers her replacement, we strongly encourage them to consider replacing her with a woman or a woman of color to continue fighting for the equal rights of every citizen.

Oracle Feature Story

Thu, 1 Oct 2020 14:57:08 GMT

Leadership California and Oracle share similar core values around diversity and inclusion. Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL), a global program that helps develop and empower current and future generations of female leaders at Oracle, enhances leadership skills, provides professional development opportunities and professional networks and fosters an inclusive workplace to female leaders. In the 14 years that OWL has been in effect, they have reached over 14,000 employees in 46 countries through their programs and events, including their “Emerging Leaders’ Summits.” Oracle thrives on diversity and continuously leverages their self-proclaimed “powerful pool of female talent.”

On September 28, 2020, Oracle received Leadership California’s Corporate Leader Award during the annual Legacy of Leadership Awards program. The award is presented to a company that has demonstrated support for the inclusion of women on its board, in its executive suite, has supported Leadership California, and shares our core values around diversity and inclusion. Dorian Daley accepted the award on behalf of Oracle. Learn more about Dorian and watch an exclusive interview between Dorian and Leadership California President, Carol Hunter.

Oracle has been a strong supporter of Leadership California’s own California Issues & Trends program, putting several of their employees through our leadership development training, serving on our Board of Directors and sponsoring various events over the years. We are truly grateful for their partnership.

Legacy Award Honoree, CSU Chancellor Timothy White, Announces Retirement

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 15:06:33 GMT

Dr. Timothy White, Chancellor of the California State University (CSU), today announced his plan to retire in 2020. White has served as CSU Chancellor since 2012 and led the university’s restoration and resurgence from Great Recession-era cuts to achieve unprecedented heights for student enrollment and graduation.

Leadership California recognized Chancellor White with its first “Legacy Champion” Award in May 2019 for his efforts to support and advance women into leadership roles within the CSU system. When he took on the role of Chancellor in 2013, just two CSU presidents were female, while women made up more than 50 percent of the student body. Today, 12 of the 23 presidents are women, and several are minorities as well. See more here.

Leadership California once again salutes Chancellor White on his significant accomplishments for the CSU and making diversity and inclusion a top priority.

Official Announcement: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-22/csu-chancellor-timothy-white-retires

Leadership California Announces New Direction for 2020

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 16:55:00 GMT

The Board of Directors of Leadership California today announces it has entered into an agreement with AMPED Association Management, a global association management team, effective Jan. 1, 2020. This move signals Leadership California’s desire to play a greater role in advancing women’s issues across California and the nation at a time of heightened focus on advancing women leaders.

AMPED, a woman-owned firm, brings both strategic and innovative management to Leadership California at a critical time for our network of 1,700 women leaders across California. “This move will help Leadership California expand its support, programming and influence on behalf of our impressive network of women leaders,” said Leadership California President Dr. Margie Wheeler.

“Leadership California appreciates the excellent work of our current Executive Director Jennifer Persike and thanks the management team of Smith Moore and Associates who have worked to improve programming, increase Leadership California’s online presence, and develop new partnerships to advance Leadership California’s mission,” Wheeler said. The current team will continue to serve through the end of the transition.

The mission of Leadership California is to increase the representation and influence of diverse women leaders across the state and inspire them to act on their knowledge of issues and cutting-edge trends facing California.

The new firm will continue to focus on meeting annual goals, while seeking new opportunities for Leadership California’s growth. Leadership California remains a strong and confident organization and will implement this transition seamlessly. “Our hallmark California Issues & Trends Program (CIT) program, LC to DC, Legacy of Leadership Awards, and alumnae programs all will continue to serve and showcase women leaders in California,” said Wheeler.

The AMPED team will be in place to welcome the CIT Class of 2020 and is currently conducting a search for an Account Executive to serve as the new Leadership California Executive Director.

Leadership California’s vision of Moving Women from Success to Significance remains its top priority.

For questions, contact: Dr. Margie Wheeler, President, Leadership California, (213) 308-7579.

Leadership California Trailblazer Awardee Dr. Lucy Jones Making Headlines Again

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

After the recent earthquake in Southern California, Dr. Lucy Jones, Founder and Chief Scientist for the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society and 2019 Leadership California Trailblazer award honoree, is finding herself in the news again. Jones is doing what she does best – talking about how we can better prepare for natural disasters like earthquakes.

Understanding earthquakes and how we can better prepare for them put Dr. Jones in the spotlight as she helped explain the occurrences and preparedness alongside elected officials for LA County and others in recent weeks. It also provided an opportunity for research that only comes when the unpredictable activity of an earthquake occurs. The numerous interviews she conducted with national and international press once again demonstrated her unparalleled expertise in her field and highlighted why she was so deserving of the Trailblazer award from Leadership California.

Dr. Jones spend 33 years with the U.S. geological Survey performing groundbreaking research on earthquakes and developed the first American earthquake drill, the “Great Shake Out.”

Read this article about her involvement in the recent earthquakes in the LA Times here.

bizwoman - Behind the gains for women in corporate leadership

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Rumors of Corporate America’s unbreakable glass ceiling have been greatly exaggerated - sort of.

Over the past five years, women have steadily taken on greater leadership roles and representation in the board room, and the ripple effects have meant bigger paydays and ever more responsibility for female CEOs.

A Business Journals analysis of roughly 1,800 publicly traded companies found women now account for 15 percent of all board seats, up from 11 percent five years prior. In raw numbers those companies today have 2,524 women directors, up 41 percent over five years, while the ranks of male directors increased 2 percent over the same span.

Full article at bizwoman

Washington Post - Motherhood was once a campaign liability. The 2020 female candidates are making it

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Moments after Kirsten Gillibrand announced her candidacy for president, the Democratic senator demonstrated burping a baby doll on national television. Asked by late-night host Stephen Colbert why she was running, she billed herself as a “young mom,” willing to “fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own.”

In her own stump speech, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) talked about potty-training her daughter in five days to meet the requirements of a daycare — with the help of three bags of M&Ms. And in a CNN town hall, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) recounted how she was forced to leave a hospital just 24 hours after giving birth to her daughter, an experience that motivated the now-presidential candidate to advocate for a state law guaranteeing a 48-hour hospital stay for new moms.

Full article on Washington Post

LA Times - California Republican Party elects Jessica Patterson, a Latina, as first female leader

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMT

California Republicans named a new chair Sunday, electing Jessica Patterson, a Latina, the first woman to lead the state party after it suffered historic losses in the November midterm elections.

Patterson defeated former Huntington Beach Assemblyman Travis Allen and longtime GOP activist Steve Frank for the post, winning 55% of the vote after a contentious campaignthat exposed deep rifts in the party’s base.

Full article at LA Times

Forbes - 5 Predictions For What Women Will Experience In The Workplace In 2019

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 21:51:57 GMT

As we settle into 2019, I have been thinking about how the workplace will evolve in terms of gender equality this year.

The rearview mirror of 2018 provides important context to understand where we’ve just come from. Each year, Fairygodboss publishes an annual report summarizing our anonymous female employee job reviews, community discussions and proprietary research. Though 2018 was billed “The Year of the Woman”, our recently published annual report showed that progress was uneven. In fact, only 57% of women in the Fairygodboss community thought that gender equality had improved in 2018. At some companies (particularly some of the best user-rated companies), however, women reported that things had taken a turn for the better.

Full Article at Forbes

University of California - Female presidents are held to higher standards than males

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Kirsten Gillibrand, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar — the list of women who have thrown their hats into the ring for the 2020 U.S. presidential election continues to grow.

But as they build their campaigns, these women and others who follow in their footsteps might want to heed the results of a new study published by a trio of political scientists from the University of California, Riverside; Georgia State University; and the University of Mississippi.

Full article at University of California

Politico - The new era of women ag leaders

Tue, 5 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMT

A record 13 women have been elected or appointed to lead state agriculture departments, a reflection of the industry’s growing gender diversity. And that number could rise, with five states’ top ag jobs still open.

What’s the real aim of U.S.-EU trade talks? Seemingly intractable demands on both sides, including differences over agriculture, threaten efforts to reach a comprehensive deal even before formal negotiations begin. There’s a growing sense that Europe is more interested in keeping President Donald Trump from imposing new tariffs on auto imports.

Full article at Politico

Forbes - Why Women Need To Network

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMT

A silent career setback women face in their thirties is their unintentional drop off in networking. The twenties, broadly speaking, is a decade dedicated to proving you can do the job. The thirties, by comparison, is a time to start building out your network. The thirties for women also coincides with a new focus on family. And networking is usually the victim of that time crunch.

The issue though is the impact of that networking drop off isn’t immediately apparent. Networking is a long-term game. The rewards of building a strong network are usually not realized immediately but unexpectedly or under a longer timeframe.

Full article at Forbes

U.S. News - To Succeed, Women Must Learn to Fail Forward

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Despite the widely touted need for more women in leadership roles and the growing number of programs aimed at getting them to step up, fear of failure often remains an obstacle impeding their ascent. It shouldn't, insist those working to change the narrative.

"You don't get to the top without significant failures," says Susannah Wellford, founder of Running Start which has trained more than 15,000 young women to lead. She tells them "to get used to the fact that everybody makes mistakes and own up to it right away and take responsibility. Anytime you fail, it's a check on the way you do things."

Full article at U.S News

CalMatters - Progressive leader? When it comes to female lawmakers, California ties Georgia for 20th

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMT

With the 2018 election hailed as the Year of the Woman, how far has California—a state that prides itself on being on the progressive vanguard—actually come?

As CALmatters’ latest “Legislators: Just Like You?” interactive demonstrates, only three out every ten lawmakers are now women. That means not only is California far behind neighboring Nevada, which became the first state with a majority of female legislators. It lags 19 states, including its other regional neighbors Arizona, Oregon and Washington, not to mention New York and Colorado, according to the latest count by the National Conference of State Legislatures. This is true despite the fact that California reached a high-water mark in the last election for the largest number of women elected to state and federal office this century.

Full article at CalMatters

Entrepreneur - 11 Incredible Women Who Broke New Ground and Achieved Firsts in Business

Sat, 30 Jun 2018 05:00:00 GMT

In 2017, only 6.4 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs were women and 17 percent of startups were led by female founders. There is still a long way to go, but strides are always being made. Here are 11 pioneering powerhouse businesswomen who have changed the game.

Full article on Entrepreneur