Girl Develop It’s HQ Team is growing!
Girl Develop It is delighted to announce that we’re growing our national team!
Please help us in welcoming LeeAnn Kinney, Rachel Messeck and Shanise Barona, who join Girl Develop It as Outreach and Special Initiatives Director, Chapter Program Manager, and Administrative Coordinator, respectively.
Welcome LeeAnn Kinney!
LeeAnn took her first class with GDI in January of 2013 and started TAing and teaching classes soon after. After joining the GDI Philly Leadership team as the events team organizer spearheading the Code and Coffees, Rise and Shines and social happy hour events, she was officially leveled up to Chapter Leader in September 2015 and has served in that role until this September. Outside of Girl Develop It, LeeAnn cofounded Ela Conf in 2014, a conference with a mission to create a safe, supportive, inspiring and comfortable community for adult women to gain the confidence to become leaders, speakers, and teachers in the technology industry. For the past few years, LeeAnn has also been the lead organizer for LadyHacks, Philadelphia’s first women-only hackathon geared towards introducing beginners to hackathons, open source and civic hacking in a comfortable, non-competitive environment.
LeeAnn is super excited to join the HQ team to help build out GDI’s growing partnership and special initiative programs. She is endlessly thankful to have the opportunity to work with and support the GDI community that has supported her through her journey
Please say hello to LeeAnn on Twitter: @_leekinney!
Welcome Rachel Messeck!
Rachel is thrilled to join as the Chapter Program Manager for Girl Develop It, and to be on a team that sits at the perfect intersection of her experience in nonprofit, tech, and client services. She has previously written grants and proposals, managed donor and client relations, and most recently, Rachel led partnerships and new business at a web design studio in Philadelphia.
As she joins the GDI team, she is excited to use her expertise to create the ideal conditions and support system for a thriving chapter program, and looks forward to getting to know and serve the GDI Chapter Leaders, while growing and expanding the program across the US. After hours, you can find her gardening, dreaming about her future lake house, and digging through thrift store racks.
Please say hello to Rachel on Twitter: @rachelmesseck
Welcome Shanise Barona!
Shanise is a curious tinkerer with a passion for building inclusive communities. She excitedly joins GDI HQ with a background in psychology and experience in project management and client services. She landed on Girl Develop It in early 2016 when she was learning how to code and has since been a student, volunteer and teaching assistant with GDI Philly. Shanise also joined the organizing team for Ela Conf in March of 2017. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, working on a side project or tending to her houseplant collection.
Please say hello to Shanise on Twitter: @shanisebarona!
About GDI
Girl Develop It (GDI) is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides affordable and judgment-free opportunities for adult women interested in learning web and software development through accessible in-person classes. GDI helps women of diverse backgrounds achieve their technology goals and build confidence in their careers and their everyday lives.
Operating since 2010, Girl Develop It now exists in 57 cities across the U.S. and currently supports 92,000 students with technical skills and community.
For more information, please contact:
Corinne Warnshuis at 646-494-7471,email [email protected] or visit the Girl Develop It website at www.girldevelopit.com.













