NWLC Staff

Toni Francis-Bowie works to identify, cultivate, and support a diverse group of leaders in the field focused on advancing women and families’ economic security and opportunity; and to facilitate development and advancement of cross-cutting policies and programs reflecting income security and child care/early learning priorities. She focuses specifically on investing and supporting the leadership of women of color and other women facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.

Most recently, Toni was the Strategy Director for two place-based collective impact initiatives called “Opportunity Neighborhoods” in Reston and Herndon (Northern Virginia) focused on improving educational and other outcomes for children, youth and families from identified low-income neighborhoods. Toni is most proud of spearheading and overseeing a multi-year leadership program that engaged community residents from impacted neighborhoods as thought partners and collaborative decision makers on these initiatives, ensuring that activities and outcomes were aligned with community needs throughout.

Before moving to Northern Virginia in 2016, Toni lived in Toronto, Canada and worked as a Programme Officer at the Stephen Lewis Foundation, after several years managing programs in social service organizations in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) serving domestic violence survivors and their children, refugees and other newcomers to Canada.

Toni earned her M.A. in Women Studies and Honours B.A. in Communications and International Development Studies from York University, Toronto. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Toni’s commitment to fighting for gender and racial justice is deeply rooted in her home country’s history of Apartheid and violence against women and girls.