THE VISIONARIES BEHIND THE MOVEMENT
A DECADE OF DEFYING POLITICAL EXPECTATIONS
Ten years ago, Karen and Catherine decided it was time to ignite change in the way campaigns were traditionally designed. While others focused on safe districts and established candidates, these sisters had a more audacious vision: discovering and empowering progressive Democratic women to transform America's political landscape from the ground up.
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Born and raised in the heart of a ruby-red Midwestern state, Karen and Catherine learned early that political change requires both courage and strategy. Their mother—a fearless activist who never backed down from challenging entrenched power—showed them what determined women could accomplish even in the most hostile political environments.
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BRINGING BATTLE-TESTED EXPERIENCE TO PROGRESSIVE POLITICS
What began as a conversation between two sisters has evolved into a powerful movement with impact. Under their leadership, Welead OC has developed a reputation for identifying extraordinary progressive women before anyone else sees their potential—women who go on to become transformative leaders in their communities.
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Karen and Catherine's work isn't simply about winning elections. It's about fundamentally reshaping American democracy by ensuring that progressive women's voices—particularly those from overlooked communities and challenging districts—are represented at every level of government.
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The result is a growing network of progressive women leaders who support each other, mentor emerging candidates, and create a new model for what political leadership can and should look like in America.​​​​​​​​​​​​
KAREN
FOUNDER & POLITICAL STRATEGIST
Karen founded Welead OC with a clear-eyed recognition of American democracy's fundamental flaw: the systematic exclusion of women Democrats, especially Women of Color and those from marginalized communities, from positions of political power. While others talked about representation, Karen built an organization to transform it.I'm a paragraph.
CATHERINE (KATIE)
CO-FOUNDER & GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER
POLITICAL ACTIVISM IN HER DNA
Catherine—known to friends and colleagues as Katie—brings to Welead OC a lifetime of progressive political engagement that started long before she could vote. Born into a politically active family, Katie's journey as an organizer began at just 13 years old, when she picked up the phone to volunteer for a Democratic congressional candidate in Indiana. This wasn't just childhood volunteering—it was the beginning of a lifelong commitment to progressive change in America's most challenging political environments.