Taryn Millers-Stevens
Growing up amidst her family’s turkey farm-turned-natural pet food business, Taryn Miller-Stevens, a rising star in progressive activism, learned to listen to community needs and translate them into action. Today, she’s Director of Partnerships at Change.org, the online petition platform that empowers the public to start, join, and win campaigns for social change, working with organizations like EMILY’s List, HRC, Planned Parenthood, UN Foundation, Victory Fund and others. On the side, she also curates retreats, uniting do-gooder types across generations to make ideas happen. But even with big-picture goals, Miller-Stevens is still inspired by a tiny number: three. “When I learned that only 3% of all LGBT people give to LGBT causes, after shock I asked, ‘Why? How can we fix this?’ When I next learned that the anti-gay rights movement has 3 times as much money as [we do], I thought, ‘How can we win equality if we don’t have the cash backing?’” she says. “While money isn’t the only factor in securing equal rights, it’s a big one. Collaborating with influencers and seeing real impact through Change.org has been huge. It’s an exciting time for all of us—all 100%–to step up and support organizations that affect our lives. It’s time to make history.”
