ADVISORY BOARD

Ashley Rector is a former attorney turned social media marketer. Since launching Harness Magazine, Ashley has also gone on to launch her own social media agency, Laura Alexandria Marketing. She is renowned for her expertise in shaping authentic communities and for her ability to help brands organically scale their social media accounts. Through Harness Magazine, Ashley helps women around the world share their stories, and in her free time, prioritizes mentoring new business owners.

From Ashley "Supporting women and helping women’s stories be heard have always been of great importance to me. I believe every woman has the right to be heard. The Collective Rising empowers women to advance their careers, connect authentically, and push boundaries as to who and what should be deemed influential. It is an honor to serve on their Advisory Board."

HERMARKET began in 2012 when Jazlin Pitts and Kia Perry met while working in retail management. The duo, which have extensive experience working in Fashion Merchandising, Luxury Fashion Management and Graphic Design, have used their experience and education to create a brand that not only creates opportunities for women-owned brands to sell their products, but has also cultivated a community for the women who love to shop and support them. Empowering women and increasing the visibility of women-owned brands lays at the foundation of HERMARKET. HERMARKET is also committed to championing inclusion, and is working hard to change the landscape of luxury retail by helping more brands owned by women of color be discovered.

From Kia, "I am grateful for the opportunity to align with The Collective Rising, a company that shares the same values as HERMARKET, and helps increase the visibility of women and women-led businesses. Being a board member grants me another opportunity to impact the lives of women and the vitality of their business."

From Jazlin, "Being a board member of the Collective Rising is such an honor and I cannot wait to make an impact within The Collective Rising and offer any guidance I can to other female founders."

Emily Merrell is the Founder of Six Degrees Society, the Co-Founder of Ready Set Coach Program as well as a Professional Speaker and a Podcast host.

Emily also has an extensive background working in luxury events and high-end fashion.

Emily’s expertise has been applauded and featured by Refinery29, Girlboss, Forbes and Huffington Post. She is currently based in San Francisco, California.

From Emily, “There is nothing more special than bringing women together. I am excited to be on the advisory board, and look forward to using my resources, connections and experiences to help uplift and support members of The Collective Rising.”

Eliza is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Art She Says, the leading media platform empowering women in the art industry. As a New York-based writer, photographer, content creator, digital media strategist, and art dealer, Eliza works to redefine the art world’s connection to media—connecting the realms of art, women’s empowerment, events, and luxury content. Eliza has curated art shows in Tribeca and the Chelsea Gallery District, promoting female artists and empowering women in the art business and beyond.

She is well-regarded for her relationship to high-powered women at art advisory firms, auction houses, museums, and galleries.Eliza received her B.A. in International Relations and Art History from Mount Holyoke College and studied French at Université de Paul Valéry in Montpellier, France.

From Eliza, "I am passionate about empowering women through connection. I look forward to serving on The Board of The Collective Rising and working to elevate the visibility of all women, especially those working in creative fields."

Asha Dahya is a TEDx Speaker, author, and producer with nearly two decades of experience creating content for major broadcast and digital platforms, including FOX, ABC, MSN, and MTV. In 2020 Asha released her first book titled 'Today's Wonder Women: Everyday Superheroes Who Are Changing The World' where she interviewed 50 women and girls from around the world. Asha is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GirlTalkHQ.Com: a daily female empowerment blog promoting women's voices stories. Considered a voice of authority in the feminist media space, Asha is regularly called upon to provide commentary and expert opinions. Her keynote addresses include International Women's Day for Accenture, March for Moms, and UCLA. She has moderated panels for UN Women, Mount Saint Mary's University, and EmpowHer Institute.

Asha is passionate about the intersections of female representation, reproductive justice, and religion. Indian by ethnicity, she was born in the UK, raised in Australia, and has been based in Los Angeles since 2008, where she lives with her husband and two children.

From Asha, "I am thrilled to be on the board of The Collective Rising. Being part of a global community of women who are sharing their expertise, amplifying one another's work and passions, and holding space for each other is a goal that I have worked for my whole life."

Joss Richard is an AAPI Emmy Award-winning Producer born and raised in Toronto before she moved to Los Angeles in her twenties. At the age of 28 Joss has won a Daytime Emmy Award and worked at Netflix, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Walt Disney Company, as well as managed content strategy and content creation for Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is also the host of the podcast ‘Influence.’

Noticing a gap in women’s access to mentorship and that women struggle with asking to be compensated for their time and knowledge, Joss created Margot Community, an inclusive online network that helps women, girls, and gender-marginalized individuals find mentors, and receive virtual 1:1 mentorship..

From Joss, “I am incredibly passionate about solving issues women today face regarding pay. I am committed to normalizing the concept of women being paid for their time and knowledge. To be able to use my skills and connections toward supporting the members of The Collective Rising is a privilege.”

After graduating from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, Janelle went to work at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an instrument operations engineer. During her time as NASA thus far, Janelle has won various team and individual technical awards, and has also been awarded the Bruce Murray Award for “inspiring students to engage in STEM, quenching their thirst for knowledge, and sparking a curiosity greater than the stars in the sky”. Her current projects consist of the Earth-observing Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols, Sentinel-6, and SWOT. She has previously worked on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Cassini mission at Saturn. Additionally, she serves as the President of the Black Excellence Strategic Team, which is one of JPL’s Employee Resource Groups.

Janelle also serves on the subsidiary board and as a STEM advisor to the YWCA Glendale and Pasadena, where she leads fundraising activities and helps support programming for girls in elementary through high school. Janelle feels passionate about providing mentorship and inspiration to women that working in traditionally male-dominated industries.

From Janelle, "I first joined The Collective Rising as a member during the platform’s beta debut. The Collective Rising’s mission strongly resonated with me then, and it has been wonderful to watch the platform evolve and the community grow. I feel so grateful to now be on the advisory board and to be able to play a larger role in this community, by helping share my experiences, and provide guidance and support to other members of the community."

Prior to starting the luxury wellness brand The Qi, Lisa worked in Design and Marketing in the fashion industry for 10+ years. After experiencing burn-out, Lisa went on a transformational trip to Shangri-la and was transported back to a time and place where taking care of one’s wellbeing was simple and beautiful. Wanting to share that sensory experience back with women everywhere, Lisa quit her job and made it her mission to empower others to feel more joy, beauty, and nourishment on a daily basis through The Qi’s offerings. Lisa believes that women are limitless and powerful beings. Supporting women and helping them cultivate their divine feminine energy is very important to Lisa and The Qi.

From Lisa, "I love the mission and name of The Collective Rising I am a true believer that a rising tide lifts all boats and I am proud to serve on The Collective Rising’s Advisory Board."

Pegah Kargar is the founder and CEO of Repaint History, a company dedicated to addressing the gender gap in the art world and uplifting and supporting contemporary women artists.. With Repaint History, Pegah works directly with museums and galleries to create equity and raise awareness, as currently, women artists represent just 2% of the art market. Through exhibitions, events, strategic partnerships and a fashion line, Pegah and her team at Repaint History are determined to change these stats globally.

From Pegah, "Women’s empowerment is one of the main drivers of a better economy, positive change and a thriving planet. By creating opportunities for empowering women, we are directly paving the path for a better future for all. I am proud to be on the board of The Collective Rising, a community that is actively helping women become more visible, advance in their careers and succeed in their endeavors."

Christina Richter is a best-selling Author, Personal Branding Strategist and Digital Consultant based in Berlin.

After spending ten years working in executive roles in the fields of PR, corporate communications and social media, Christina branched out as a freelance consultant in 2015 and has since been advising companies and entrepreneurs from all over the world ever since.

Christina also has deep insights into China's digital economy. On this topic, she has written the non-fiction books "Digital China: Basic Knowledge and Inspiration for Your Business Success in the Far East" and “E-Commerce Trends in China - Social Commerce, Live Streaming or New Retail” She is also co-author of the German bestseller "Zukunftsrepuplik” which translates into the Future Republic and is an outlook into the year 2030.

With Gal Talks Tech, Christina works pro-bono to make women working in tech more visible by sharing their stories on her popular blog,

Christina Richter holds a master's degree in international information management with a focus on intercultural communication.

From Christina, "I am honored to be a part of The Collective Rising’s advisory board, as I think it is essential to help women connect beyond borders and industry. As women, I think that we have a lot to learn from one another, especially those who live in other parts of the world, and work in different industries."

Victoria J. Fry is a New York-based painter, educator, and founder of Visionary Art Collective. She was born in England and lived in Singapore as a child before moving to the United States.

Victoria received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2012 with a concentration in painting. After graduation, she was selected to be part of the Guggenheim Museum's Learning Through Art program, where she taught students within the museum as well as at PS.9 in Brooklyn, NY. This experience ultimately led Victoria to pursue a career in art education. In 2014, Victoria received her Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from Maine College of Art. She then moved to California for five years to continue her career as a painter and educator.

After returning to the East Coast in 2020, Victoria launched Visionary Art Collective in order to provide artists and educators with opportunities and resources centered around contemporary art. Through exclusive interviews, online exhibits, social media posts and weekly highlights, Victoria and her team promote the work of contemporary artists and art educators around the globe.

From Victoria, “I am thrilled to be a board member of The Collective Rising, as I strongly believe in their mission to support and empower all women, across industries and levels of experience. I look forward to working alongside Kitty and The Collective Rising’s team to shine a spotlight on women artists, educators, and entrepreneurs and ultimately create more opportunities for women in the arts.”

Amber Tidmore is a Los Angeles-based creative strategist that began her career working in the startup space. Joining The Collective Rising in the platform’s early days, Amber helped pivot the company from an 'opt-in' editorial platform, to a dynamic and collaborative platform and community that provides its’ members not just with content and resources, but with opportunities for increased visibility and professional advancement.

Being a former first-generation and transfer student played a major role in her professional trajectory. Amber currently holds degrees in English from Santa Monica College (SMC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She also holds a master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations from the University of Southern California (USC).

Amber’s work represents her passion for storytelling and does not shy away from paying homage to her culture, upbringing, and her interests in the entertainment industry ranging from fandom to community building.

From Amber, "As a founding team member of The Collective Rising, I am excited to serve as a Creative Strategic Consultant to the platform and be a member of the Advisory Board as the company continues to expand and create opportunities to propel more women forward. The Collective Rising operates from a place of authenticity and truth. I look forward to continuing to help more women come-into-their-own and better establish their personal brand through The Collective Rising’s offerings, the advice shared in the editorials section of the site, and through the company’s strategic partnerships."