Josephine Kalipeni (she/her/Mayi)

Born in Malawi, Josephine Kalipeni has seen equity, infrastructure, and failure of government in one of the poorest countries in the world and in one of the richest. Josie’s inspiration to advocate for a robust care economy is her mother, who worked as a nurse and raised six children in a new country. As an ordained minister and former social worker, Josie has supported families working to overcome systemic barriers in order to thrive.

Josie is currently the Executive Director of Family Values at Work (FV@W) – a movement network of grassroots organizers and coalitions in more than two dozen states that is winning paid family leave and paid sick and safe days at the state level, with a commitment to winning equitable paid leave at the federal level. Josie believes the key to achieving FV@W’s mission is undoing racist and toxic cultural norms and narratives of individualism, scarcity, and “the deserving,” while building representative power to win policy that changes lives. Since taking the helm in 2021, she has worked to center those who are most impacted and who understand how we get to an economy that works for all of us. Josie has nearly two decades of experience in policy, organizing, campaign development, and strategic development.

Josie’s life banners are joy and truth centered in prayer and fasting. She was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2023 just in time to register and vote on Election Day. She is currently a Board Member at the Main Street Alliance and Board Vice Chair at the National Academy of Social Insurance. She holds a Bachelors in Sociology and Political Science and a Masters in Social Justice and Community Development.