Heartland District
Gordy Gustafson
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a multiple convicted felon back in the White House, the ERA not being recognized as a fully ratified amendment to the U.S. Constitution, trans youth being denied medical care, ICE committing human rights violations in my home state of Minnesota and throughout this country, and women being threatened with the loss of the right to vote, I want to serve, again, on the National Board to focus NOW’s attention on mobilizing the grassroots feminists within NOW to meet all the challenges we face.
I have been a feminist activist since my days as an undergraduate at Penn State University. For my activism and scholarship, I received the Outstanding Undergraduate Award in Women’s Studies.
I started volunteering with NOW as a law school student at Hamline University in Minnesota. I have served on the Minnesota NOW Program Committee when we started the Birth Control NOW campaign. I served as the Minnesota NOW PAC chair for 8 years. Minnesota NOW honored me with the Charlotte Striebel Long Distance Runner Award in 2013 for my determined commitment to Minnesota NOW, and I was the2016 Feminist of the Year in Minnesota for my feminist activism. In 2009, I was a legal intern at the National Action Center. I was on the National Board from 2011 until 2016. I was the last Prairie State’s Regional Director before the organization transitioned from Regions to Districts for electing National Board Members. While on the Board, I served on the Budget Committee, and I helped update our mission statement through the 2015 Bylaws Convention in New Orleans. After my time on the National Board, I served on the National Elections Committee from 2016 through 2022 for the National Board and Officer elections.
In Minnesota, I have been a part of an amazing group of dedicated activists that helped defeat Voter ID in Minnesota, secure Marriage Equality at the State Capitol before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, passing the strongest protections for abortion care of any state, guarantee free school lunches for public school children, protecting transgendered access to healthcare, and passing paid family leave. And currently, Minnesota is rising-up against the brutality of ICE and the Trump Administration’s authoritarian regime!
In my professional career, I am a public defender. I defend those that are living on the margins of society because of their income level. I have defended women that were charge with domestic assault because they were in abusive relationships and the system is being used against them. I have defended immigrants that are persecuted by a system that unfairly targets people based on race and ethnicity. I have defended poor children in the juvenile justice system where young children of color are hauled into the justice system, while their white counterparts that commit school rule infractions are dealt with internally in the schools.
My life’s work has been dedicated to the cause of justice, and I would like to continue that work, again, on the NOW National Board.
Sharon Lockhart
My first business experience was operating a deli for over 12 years while attending night classes. Major: Business Management, Minor: Finance & Economics. Joining male dominated brokerage industry in 1980, I met with my first experience with sexism. But, thought if patient, I would be accepted into the ‘good old boys club’. Eleven years later, Anita Hill Hearings awakened me to reality. Immediately joined NOW and reading Audre Lourde. I radicalized overnight.
Supporting NOW’s Mission and attending NOW Conferences regularly & meeting like-minded women inspired and motivated me. Zoom made it possible to attend regular board meetings since 2020. I was elected to NOW board in 2024 in Heartland District. As Treasurer and Finance Chair for 100,000 Watt non-profit radio station, I gained knowledge of non-profit accounting principles and best practices. Additionally, served on boards of Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus, American Friends Service Committee, Greater Kansas City Civil Rights Consortium and worked with many other Social Justice non-profits locally, regionally and nationally. In 2018, self-employed, I sold my practice after 38 years in financial services industry [28 of those] a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional. Initially, I joined Missouri NOW and served as Assistant Coordinator, President of KC Metro NOW. Transferred to Kansas NOW, elected President of JO/WY Counties NOW and Kansas NOW President. Currently Treasurer of KS NOW. As a current board member, I am serving on Finance & Budget, Structure & Process, Economic Justice & Membership/Chapters Committees.
Diagnosed with AMD in 2010, have the necessary technology to allow me to lead a somewhat normal life.
If re-elected, I will work collaboratively with all board members to develop and implement sound practices and solutions in the best interest of NOW states, chapters, and members. Rebuilding NOW’s Membership , is vital to our continued legacy is a priority.
Ensuring the future of NOW & maintaining NOW’s reputation as the leading feminist grassroots organization is imperative for all women.
Irene Strohbeen
Irene Strohbeen brings more than 28 years of corporate leadership experience to NOW, having served primarily as Director of Product & Technology Development at a Fortune 200 company. Throughout her career in male-dominated industries, she experienced discrimination firsthand, though the lack of women of color in similar roles often made it difficult to recognize at the time.
Following a corporate restructuring, Irene launched her independent consulting business specializing in innovation for small- and mid-sized businesses and independent inventors. She also began teaching as an adjunct faculty member in product development and entrepreneurship, work that led to her role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at her alma mater, Lawrence University in Appleton, WI.
Her consulting and teaching careers provided the flexibility to engage deeply with nonprofit organizations focused on advancing women. She has served on the boards of the local Women’s Fund, League of Women Voters, and Business and Professional Women chapter renamed Mid-Day Women’s Alliance (MDWA) where she held board roles as President, VP of Programs, Director of Mentoring, and most importantly, Director of Legislation for over eight years. These experiences strengthened her commitment to working on policy change that enables women to achieve their full potential and true equality.
In early 2024, Irene left MDWA to establish the Appleton Area NOW chapter, determined to take a more activist and advocacy-driven approach. While other organizations she worked with concentrated on education, she recognized the urgent need for direct action to address the systemic issues women face.
A proud daughter of Chinese Filipino immigrants, Irene grew up in the 1960s and 70s in Illinois, where her father earned his PhD and then was a professor at the University of Illinois. She holds a BA in Chemistry and Mathematics from Lawrence University and an MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois. She and her husband live in Appleton, Wisconsin, and have two adult sons living in Madison and Boston. Outside of activism, Irene enjoys the company of her elderly cat and an ever-growing collection of houseplants.