Event Date
Apr 23, 2024
Event Location
This is a virtual event held on Zoom. Link will be sent upon registration.
Event Details
We kick off the Let’s Talk about Economic Progress Series with a deep dive into the heart of the care economy! Featuring Josephine Kalipeni, Executive Director of Family Values at Work, you are invited to explore the vital role of caregiving and policy initiatives like paid leave and childcare that provide equitable support systems for workers and families.
Josephine Kalipeni is the executive director of Family Values at Work (FV@W) where she pulls from her extensive personal experience and professional expertise in the movement for healthcare justice and equity. Born in Malawi and raised in the midwest by immigrant parents as the oldest of six children, Josie has personally navigated the U.S. Immigration System, a bicultural identity, and racism in Africa and North America, all while providing care for her parents and siblings. Josie initially worked in case management and social work assisting families navigating various public social programs and has studied social justice and community development, global and health policy, political science, and religious studies. Understanding that the issues she was witnessing are systemic, Josie dove into progressive policy research, development, and advocacy for state and federal organizations, particularly on issues of Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, elder care, and caregiving.
As an executive director, Josie invests a significant amount of her time rethinking traditional systems of work, building a foundation for sustainable diversity and inclusion in nonprofit work and leadership, and ensuring that the paid Time to Care that FV@W advocates for protects everyone who may need to give or receive care – particularly Black women, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ workers, people with disabilities, and nontraditional workers. As a speaker, Josie does not shy away from discussing community-first advocacy, moral and religious themes, and the ways anti-Blackness informs our culture and systems.
Josie’s life banners are joy and truth-centered in prayer and fasting. She was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2023, just in time to register and vote on Election Day. She is currently a Board Member at the Main Street Alliance and Board Chair at the National Academy of Social Insurance. She holds a Bachelors in Sociology and Political Science and a Masters in Social Justice and Community Development.