meet our all-female board
Whitney Saxon, Board President and Founder of The Letter Project
Whitney is a 30-something life coach specializing in helping girls & women become more confident in who they are and where they're going in life. She works at Neenah as the Manager of Communications and Engagement. She loves spending time with her husband and son, eating ice cream and being outside. She's a passionate coffee drinker. Whitney is originally from Indiana and currently lives in Charlottesville, VA. She received her bachelor's in Journalism and English from Indiana University. Get to know her a little bit better by reading her blog or following her on Instagram.
Elizabeth Levine,
Board Vice President
EAST COAST
Elizabeth deeply believes in helping woman focused non-profit organizations. She currently lives in NYC and has moved all around the east coast from Hartford, CT to Lighthouse Point, FL. She loves New York City, spending time finding new restaurants and coffee shops, her Aruban rescue pup, traveling and walking aimlessly to explore. She received her bachelor's in Biology and Neuroscience from Trinity College in Hartford, CT and her master's in Public Health - Epidemiology from Columbia University. Currently, she is working as a Director of Advocacy Strategy and Research with Life Sciences clients.
Brea Neri
EAST COAST
Brea believes that small acts of kindness and well-told stories have the power to change the world. Brea has been involved with The Letter Project for several years as a letter writer and City Ambassador and believes strongly in amplifying the Letter Project's core mission of supporting and empowering women. She is creative and community-oriented by nature and currently puts her skills to work as a marketing professional working with UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication and Political Science from Juniata College and spent several years in Washington, DC, before relocating to Pittsburgh with her fiance. You can often find Brea scouring the aisles of a thrift store hunting for gems, snuggling her cat, or nose-deep in a novel.
Kari Johnson
MIDWEST
Kari is a mother, animal lover, gardener, golfer, and more professionally, a project manager & civil engineer at a consulting firm in Sioux Falls, SD. She loves spending time with her husband, kids & family in general. She has a passion for animals, especially dogs, and vacationing with her favorite people whenever possible.
Watching her daughters grow & go through the stages of life has drawn her interest in volunteering & trying to demonstrate for young girls how much happiness helping others can bring to you. She is a mentor for Lutheran Social Services and has found TLP to be a powerful tool to bring up those in need and to show how easy it can be to help girls feel good about themselves.
Jennifer O.
EAST COAST
Jennifer is a seasoned mom with two adult kids, and is currently a host parent for a teenager who is training for the Crossfit Games. She works as an administrative assistant for a public school district and has a passion for giving support and guidance to kids who are underprivileged or disadvantaged in some way.
She loves spending time pursuing fitness, camping with her husband and two rescue pups (who are an even mix of Chihuahua/Pitbull) and serving in her local church.
Jennifer was born in the Northeast, but raised in the Southeast, so calls herself a northern-born Southerner. She currently lives in rural Upstate NY.
SARAH BROWNING
Sarah joined The Letter Project in 2017 and quickly fell in love with the mission of the organization through writing and serving as a city ambassador.
With a bachelor’s degree in public relations and professional writing background, she believes our words can be a powerful catalyst to inspire and change lives.
She works at Net Health as the Director of Corporate Recruiting. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with her family, various hobbies ranging from knitting to pistol matches, and spoiling her dog shamelessly.
LAYCEE KLUIN
MIDWEST
Laycee was born, raised, and educated in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She graduated from the University of Sioux Falls in 2022 with a degree in Media Studies and Communications.
She is a Digital Marketing Strategist at MarketBeat, the largest digital media company in the Dakotas. Laycee is a lifelong learner who is passionate about staying up to date on the ever-changing marketing trends.
Some of her favorite activities include hanging out with her husband and their two dogs, Huey and Hyde, at local breweries and traveling to any and all concerts she can make it to!
As an empathetic person who values deep relationships and building other people up, Laycee found The Letter Project's mission to encourage and empower girls and women around the world to be the perfect organization to get involved with.
ELIZABETH KUMBHARI
FLORIDA
Elizabeth served as the Executive Director of The Letter Project in 2022 and 2023. Elizabeth Kumbhari has more than 14 years of experience in higher education, immigration law, and business development. She is a recognized attorney and nonprofit leader, having served on Forbes Nonprofit Council, Chair of NAFSA’s Embassy Dialogue Committee, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Publication Board, and nominated as a 2020 Superlawyer. She currently works at Amazon.
Elizabeth earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University, J.D. from Northern Kentucky University, and Bachelors of Art from Capital University in International Studies. She resides in Atlantic Beach, Florida with her husband and two young daughters.
Regarding her appointment, Elizabeth said “As the mother of two young girls, I believe there is nothing more important than instilling confidence and providing support to women. The Letter Project is a community that is building futures and changing lives- one letter at a time.”
