Haley Kilpatrick
After founding Girl Talk, Haley’s dedication to helping young girls inspired her to write the bestselling book, The Drama Years, a guidebook for parents and educators to help girls navigate the transition into adolescence. She is currently leading research and working with thought leaders to help better understand how to address what she’s coined the, “Confidence Crisis” facing women and girls.
What does the Girl Talk tagline, Leadership Defined, mean to you?
Girl Talk is a safe space to not only learn leadership skills, while developing confidence, but to also get to teach and model to your younger peers what a leader looks like. All great leaders are constantly developing and growing- always. You will never know your full leadership potential until you start the journey to defining what that looks like in your own life- and it is never too early to start!
Haley Kilpatrick
Founder
Emily Laney
Emily Laney is a licensed master social worker for the state of Georgia and has over ten years of experience in nonprofit leadership. Much of her experience has been in the refugee and immigrant serving sectors, where she has elevated organizational brands, exceeded fundraising goals, and grown programming to serve more clients. Emily also has worked in disaster response, child welfare, and anti-human trafficking efforts. She holds a Bachelor of Human Services and a Master of Social Work from Kennesaw State University and has been part time faculty at her alma mater for ten years. Emily is passionate about advocacy and leadership and has spent much time over her professional career both receiving and providing mentorship to fellow professionals. She is excited to bring her passions and experience to Girl Talk!
What does the Girl Talk tagline, Leadership Defined, mean to you?
I first began pursuing leadership opportunities when I was a teen, and upon learning about the mission of Girl Talk, I wished I had experienced such an amazing program when I first began to lead. Leadership is more than just skills, it’s about taking care of your whole person so you can lead and serve alongside others- and our programs at Girl Talk do just that! I also think Girl Talk’s mission of inspiring confident leaders is pivotal to supporting this next generation of young women as we work together to create more equity in our society. As we define and refine ourselves as leaders, we can do amazing things together.
Emily Laney
Executive Director
Jennifer Minix
When Jennifer joined Girl Talk in 2021, she brought over 20 years’ experience in the accounting field. She has overseen the finances for private and nonprofit sectors with full charge responsibilities of payroll, cash flow management, financial reporting, tax preparation, and more. She has a passion for helping business owners and nonprofits to grow their financial well-being. She is constantly inspired by the dedication and devotion that nonprofits bring to the table. She is happy to be apart of Girl Talk, where encouragement, peer-to-peer guidance, support, and leadership are priority.
What is one piece of encouragement you would want a young girl to hear from you?
Don’t ever let anyone tell you, you “CAN’T” in this world. You “CAN” and will succeed with the right determination, willpower, and positive mindset. Don’t be hesitant to seek inspiration from others, but mold your own unique path. Be you and be the best you can be at it. That is what makes great leaders that stand out in this world!
Jennifer Smith
Accountant / Operations
Melissa Henriques
Melissa is an alumna of Mercer University and is currently obtaining a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University. Melissa has a passion for bridging opportunity gaps for all girls specifically in education and leadership initiatives.
Melissa Henriques
Programs Manager
Kaela Brown
Kaela is a proud alumna of The Ohio State University, where she studied psychology and women’s studies. Before joining the Girl Talk team, she gained experience in higher education administration, volunteer management, and nonprofit communications. Kaela is passionate about educational equity and mental health awareness and she advocates to remove barriers for women and girls everywhere, so that everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
What is one piece of encouragement you would want a young girl to hear from you?
The world needs exactly who you are, as you are. Be yourself and keep showing up to fight for your dreams because the sky is the limit!
Kaela Brown
Communications and Development Manager
Sabrina Ali
Sabrina is currently obtaining a Master of Public Administration at Georgia State University. Her passion is to uplift and empower women all over the world by promoting their self-worth and their ability to make their own choices.
What is one piece of encouragement you would want a young girl to hear from you?
Happiness and success start when you believe in yourself. So always be positive in everything you do in life. Positive thinking is powerful thinking. You can achieve anything you put your mind to!