100 Women We Love: Class Of 2018

Each one of these women, in her own unique way, is a role model who exemplifies the best of the LGBTQ community.

Kasia Reterska

Photo by Stanley Desbas

Kasia Reterska came to the United States as a refugee from Poland, a country that was in deep political turmoil and social unrest at the time. She was an undocumented immigrant, and her experience of “living in the shadows” set the tone for her future commitments to social issues. “In one way or another, my work has always involved dealing with challenges of the oppressed or unheard — children, migrants, minorities, victims of violence and conflict, the sick and suffering.” As Managing Partner of McPherson Strategies, Reterska works with corporations and organizations around the world to find creative ways to make change and address today’s challenges. She led a team to help Kate Spade New York build a women-owned, for-profit enterprise in Rwanda; worked with a Hollywood studio to develop social change movements, including around the recent release of RBG; and guided a gender identity organization to promote conversations about gender in corporate boardrooms. “I work at the intersection of social impact and enterprise, where I get to bring together those with needs on one side with those who have both the resources and desire to channel them in effective and impactful ways,” Reterska says. She gives back on an individual basis, as well. Reterska is a mentor for the Cherie Blair Foundation’s Mentoring Women in Business Program, which coaches women entrepreneurs around the globe. “I always wanted to be a storyteller,” Reterska says, “to be able to give voice to the voiceless and to shine a light on those issues that don’t make it into mainstream conversation or collective consciousness.” —SEJ


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