Erin Vilardi is the Founder and CEO of Vote Run Lead Action (VRLA), the nonpartisan  nonprofit working to create a reflective democracy where women hold more than 51% of  government office. VRLA has recruited and trained tens of thousands of women and  gender-expansive people run for office as part of its mission to increase their  representation and political power, especially in key state legislatures.

As an expert on women’s leadership, democracy, and social change, Erin has two decades  of experience scaling positive impact for women in the public and private sectors, including  partnering with Fortune 100 companies, global girls’ initiatives, and the U.S. Department of  State. She serves on advisory boards for Future Forward Women, the Brennan Center for  Justice, and RepresentWomen and is a Keseb Democracy Fellow.

Erin has appeared at the Skoll World Forum and Personal Democracy Forum. She has been  interviewed on CNN, NPR, CSPAN, BBC, PBS, and more. Her writing has appeared in Oprah  Magazine, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, New York  Magazine, and more. She is the co-author of the Athena Core10©, an innovative set of  leadership competencies for 21st century women leaders. She is an Executive Producer of  “Ann Richards’ Texas,” a documentary about the pioneering governor.

Erin lives in the historic Harlem neighborhood of New York City with her husband and  children.