The WGS Community Advisory Board (CAB) are ambassadors of feminism and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program in the community. The CAB’s mission is to “endeavor to bridge campus and community, support students and faculty in gaining access to resources, and promote feminism and gender justice at large.”
Current CAB Members:
Djuanna Brockington (she/her)
Djuanna Brockington is a Lowcountry native with more than twenty years of service in social services and nonprofit organizations. She holds a B.A. in Government and International Studies from the University of South Carolina, and an M.A. in Counseling from Webster University. She has effectively served in the areas of: child welfare services, adult protective services, substance abuse, addictions technology transfer, non-profit financial stability, and most recently as Interim Executive Director for People Against Rape. As a Black woman in the South, she also understands and supports the call for racial justice and equity in all things. Djuanna has a keen interest in equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workforce, as diverse teams are more creative, which makes for enhanced problem solving.
Amanda Bunting Comen (she/her)
Amanda Bunting Comen graduated from the College of Charleston in 2001 majoring in Sociology and minoring in Women’s Studies. Through her internship with Women’s Studies she landed her first job at the Center for Women and spent twelve years helping women succeed every day. Currently she is the Marketing Director of her husband’s business (Kyle Comen ’02), South Side Bait and Tackle, and an Account Manager for Fisher Creative. Amanda is still passionate about women’s issues through her work with CAB, the Ellevate Charleston Leadership Team and most importantly raising her 10 year old son to be a feminist.
Toya Hampton (she/her)
Toya Hampton received her bachelor of arts in Communications from the University of Washington and her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law. She is the sole proprietor of Toya Hampton Attorney at Law with offices located in West Ashley. Toya practices in the areas of real estate law and municipal law. Most siginificantly, Toya is a proud feminist and the mother of two fabulous daughters.
Kate Peralta (she/her)
Kate obtained her B.A. with a double major in Women’s and Gender Studies and History in 2018. While at the College, Kate was passionate about political efforts to further women’s rights in the Charleston area and worked with the League of Women Voters, WREN, and other influential women in the area to pass an adoption of the CEDAW resolution in Charleston County. After graduating, Kate moved to Honolulu, HI. While there, she earned a Masters of Public Administration and Policy from American University. She has been cultivating a successful career in grants management and fundraising, most recently at the Girl Scouts of Hawai’i and Nourish International. Since moving back to Charleston with her husband, Kate has joined CAB and works at MUSC.
Margaret Pilarski (she/her)
Margaret Pilarski graduated from College of Charleston in 2007 with a political science degree and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies and has been a member of the Community Advisory Board for over a decade. She worked in editorial publishing for 7 years and now works at a creative firm, driving content and strategy for a variety of projects.
Barbie Schreiner (she/her)
Barbie brings more than 15 years of community outreach experience to the CAB. From her work with large scale nonprofits like United Way and American Red Cross, to regional organizations like Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy and the College of Charleston, her commitment to the greater good is ubiquitous. Also committed to life-long learning, Barbie earned her Masters of Public Administration for Nonprofit Management from the College of Charleston and has taught as an adjunct professor in the program. Currently, Barbie works at Lowcountry Local First as the Director of Development, working to advocate and promote local independent businesses which enhance the culture and character of our community.
Callie Shell (she/her) – Chair
Callie Shell is a photographer for CNN and Time magazine. With President Barack Obama, she produced the New York Times best seller, Obama: Path to the White House. She finished her seventh presidential campaign in 2016. Previously she served eight years as the official photographer for Vice President Al Gore in the White House. Her work has been exhibited through out the world. She lives on Sullivan’s Island with her son and husband.
Leah Suarez (she/her)
Leah Suarez, a loving daughter of Charleston, SC, is a musician, activist, social artspreneur, and Founder/C.E.O. of D E L A L U Z Global. A College of Charleston alumna, she is co-founder of Charleston Jazz and currently represents the WGS program and Ebony City Soccer Club as a Community Advisory Board Member. Coffee? Black. Mezcal? Neat. Photo credit: Alice Keeney
Ali Titus (she/her)
Ali is from W. Columbia, SC and received an B.S. in Psychology from Presbyterian College followed by a M.P.A. from CofC, where she focused on nonprofit management and social justice. She has served in various nonprofit roles, including Director of Development for the ACLU of SC and Program Officer at the Coastal Community Foundation of SC where she facilitated the awarding of more than $1.5M annually across a nine-county service area and developed expertise in organizational equity and inclusion. In her role as Awareness and Advocacy Manager at Center for Women, Ali created and executed the organization’s first advocacy platform and programming targeted at advancing the status of women in SC. She directed a learning incubator for CofC Master of Public Administration students who provide research and capacity to nonprofit organizations and municipalities throughout the Charleston region before returning to the ACLU of SC in 2019 as Policy and Communications Director.