Board Update: Meet our Three Newest Members
We're thrilled to welcome three incredible leaders to our Board of Directors: Leah Herman, Gina Palmisano, and Courtney Yeakel! Keep reading to learn more about their backgrounds and what inspires them to support WOMEN'S WAY.
Leah Herman | FS Investments
Leah Herman (she/her) is deeply committed to empowering and uplifting women. She is currently an Associate on the Sales Strategy & Analytics team at FS Investments, a leading alternative investment firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In her role, she collaborates with multiple teams, including distribution leadership, marketing, and data engineering, to develop analytics and decision support tools that drive sales growth and business performance. Leah also leads onboarding and training programs for new team members and supports the optimization of the firm’s Salesforce platform, helping to improve operational efficiency and sales strategy.
Beyond her professional achievements, Leah is deeply committed to community engagement, particularly in advancing women’s rights and gender equity. She currently serves as the Chair of the Community Engagement Committee for the FS Women’s Network, where she advocates for the empowerment and advancement of women in the workplace. Through this leadership role, she fosters initiatives that promote networking, mentorship, and career development opportunities for women in the finance industry and for women with lived experiences.
Leah is a graduate of Temple University, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems. She has volunteered extensively with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Independence Region and Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia.
As an advocate for gender equality in the workplace, Leah is passionate about using her skills to support and empower others, both professionally and in her personal life.
Gina Palmisano | North Highland
Gina Palmisano (she/her) is a dedicated change leader and workforce strategist who has spent her career building bridges between organizational transformation and social impact. As a Principal at North Highland, she guides organizations through complex transformations keeping human-centered design at the forefront of change initiatives. Her recent research on inclusive leadership, completed through Royal Roads University's Global Leadership program, deepens her focus on placing dignity, meaning, and community as the aim within an organization.
Gina's global perspective was shaped by her experiences leading international teams across Europe and Asia, including her role as CEO of AIESEC Mongolia and her time with DHL Express in Germany and Singapore. Her commitment to equity and inclusion is demonstrated through her leadership of North Highland's Pride Alliance, where she helped the organization achieve recognition in both Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index and the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.
Beyond her professional work, Gina is an active community builder and innovation lab facilitator, bringing together diverse groups to solve complex global challenges. She is also an aerialist, culture nerd, library enthusiast, and aspiring linguist. Gina holds a Master of Arts in Global Leadership from Royal Roads University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from The George Washington University. Her unique combination of strategic thinking, facilitation expertise, and commitment to equity makes her a powerful advocate for organizations seeking to create lasting positive change.
Courtney Yeakel | PNC Bank
Courtney Yeakel (she/her) is the daughter of WOMEN'S WAY co-founder, and women’s rights activist, Lynn Yeakel. She spent her middle school summers drafting fundraising letters and stuffing envelopes at WOMEN'S WAY offices during the organization’s grass roots stage. In recent years, Courtney and her mother collaborated on various projects involving the Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership and fundraising for various Democratic candidates. Courtney is grateful for the opportunity to serve WOMEN'S WAY and wishes to honor her mom’s legacy.
Courtney is Senior Litigation Counsel for PNC Bank. In that role, she manages consumer litigation for 25 states and advises various lines of business. Prior to joining PNC, Courtney was Of Counsel at Ballard Spahr, LLP, where she practiced in the areas of consumer financial services litigation and class action defense. She has proudly participated in the Pro Bono programs both at PNC and Ballard Spahr. Courtney graduated in 1985 from Amherst College (summa cum laude) and in 1993 from Boston University School of Law (magna cum laude), where she was a member of the Law Review. She is a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Courtney is proud of her three adult children: Max, Chloe, and Joaquin. She is an amateur poet and competitive tennis player.
