Heather Wallander (She/Her)
Project Director
Marija Dokic (She/Her)
Advisor - People
Olivia Yin
Advisor – Financial Compliance
Kate Penne (She / Her)
Advisor – Financial Strategy
Maritza Ramirez Mills
Advisor - Fundraising Strategy
Kim Brackett
Advisor - Marketing Strategy
Marie Doce (She/Her)
Advisor – Product Strategy
Disrupting Discrimination is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Transformative Action, an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is legally and financially responsible for all our activities.
Heather Wallander (She/Her)
Heather never planned to become an employee advocate, but after experiencing workplace discrimination herself she realized how easy it is to find yourself in a fight you never wanted, simply because you asked questions when something felt off. She knows what it's like to navigate the system without experience and how critical early guidance and support is once the harm starts. Through her work with others, she has seen how the harmful effects of discrimination, retaliation and gaslighting can be amplified when forced to face this alone. All of this is why she has set out to make the tools, community and guidance she once needed and benefitted from available to others.
Prior to this her career spanned engineering, data analysis, sales and marketing. She was just beginning to climb the leadership ladder when her path shifted, leading her here on a mission to empower employees and disrupt discrimination.
Founder & Owner, JustiProof
Marija Dokic (She/Her)
Marija Dokic is a People and Culture leader dedicated to advancing workplace equity, dignity, and inclusion. Experienced in human resources and labor relations, she has built a career on ensuring fair treatment, empowering diverse voices, and fostering organizational cultures rooted in respect and accountability. Marija believes that every employee deserves not just a seat at the table, but a workplace where they can thrive without fear of bias or discrimination.
Olivia Yin
Olivia is a due diligence pro by day and a multilingual artist by night.
With a background in Accounting and German, she is passionate about governance, operational risk, and employee rights. She has worked at legal aid clinics in both New York and Toronto, helping empower individuals through access to justice.
When she isn't reviewing fund documents, she can be found learning French, arranging ikebana, writing short stories, sketching portraits, or crafting intricate worlds in The Sims.
Kate Penne (She/Her)
Kate is a seasoned technology and finance leader with over 10 years of experience leading global teams at the intersection of engineering, financial operations, and strategy. She is committed to fostering psychologically safe and inclusive workplaces, championing practices that reduce bias and elevate diverse voices. Kate is honored to join Disrupting Discrimination to help ensure every workplace is rooted in equity.
Maritza Ramirez Mills
Maritza is a product strategist and graduate student in philosophy, investigating how emotions enhance creativity and rational intelligence. She serves on the advisory council of Disrupting Discrimination, where her fundraising efforts draw on 12+ years of experience building technology products at Google, Amazon Web Services, and startups. Her role as a peer counselor with Empower Work connects her research interests to real-world workplace challenges. She believes one of the most overlooked barriers to organizational excellence is the persistent dismissal of emotions in professional settings—a gap she is committed to addressing through both theory and action.
Kim Brackett
What I lived through in the workplace wasn’t just “difficult managers” or “challenging environments.” It was harassment, covert abuse, and systemic silence that left me questioning my worth and sanity. Over time, I realized my story wasn’t unique—too many people face the same isolation, gaslighting, and lack of accountability. By speaking out, I hope to name what often hides in the shadows and to create space for others to feel seen, believed, and supported.
My career over the last two decades has spanned marketing, CRM/HubSpot development, and digital strategy for nonprofits, B2B, and SaaS companies. Today, I’m committed to sharing my story, building community, and helping to expose the insidious tactics of workplace abuse so others know they are not alone.
Owner, Huzzah Marketing and CRM Management
Marie Doce (She/Her)
Marie Doce is a product leader with 15+ years of experience building software across AI, health tech, and consumer SaaS. She’s led product teams at Jasper AI, Mindbody, and TripAdvisor, and now advises mission-driven founders through Hyperfocus AI, helping them grow from early ideas to focused MVPs.
After experiencing pregnancy discrimination firsthand, Marie became deeply committed to reshaping how organizations build inclusive systems. She joins Disrupting Discrimination as a product advisor to help ensure that the tools we build work for users from every background.
Co-Founder, Hyperfocus AI
