Shakya Cherry-Donaldson
Founder and Executive Director

A community organizer, constituency mobilizer and movement builder, Shakya’s mission and ministry is to build the “beloved community.” She has worked on issue-based and candidate campaigns in 13 states including as Statewide Deputy Field Director for Stacey Abrams 2018 gubernatorial run in Georgia. Since she founded 1000 Women Strong in 2020, Shakya has cultivated the grassroots and political power of Black women and their allies through year-round field and relational organizing across the country, empowering them to have an impact on the issues that affect their lives.

Aja Gaddie
National Organizing and Outreach Director

With more than a decade of political organizing experience, Aja is a dynamic connector of people and experiences. Passionate about community, she leads 1000 Women Strong's organizing and outreach work, finding Black women in their respective spaces and amplifying their collective power. She has organized for the Energy Justice Network, the For our Future Fund, Emanuel Pleitez's Los Angeles mayoral campaign and President Obama's Organizing for America post-election organization. Aja was previously the finance assistant for the Gainey for Mayor campaign in Pittsburgh, director of the Nashville and Pittsburgh field offices for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation's Innovation & Technology Program Manager.

Jennifer Smiley
State Director, Georgia

Jennifer is a native of Stewart County in rural Georgia. She currently serves as 1000 Women Strong’s State Organizing Lead in Georgia, focused on building community in the grassroots. She has been involved in organizing and field work since 2016, with the mission of making a difference in the lives of those in our southern rural communities.