Women Out to Win is a six-month advanced campaign training for LGBTQ+ women to address challenges specific to women candidates, such as imposter syndrome, safety concerns, and fundraising.
We are excited to welcome our third class of participants to the program, joining nine successful alumni who have all run for office during or after participation in the Women Out to Win program.
Learn about the 2023 participants:
Toni Diamond (she/her)
Rapid City, South Dakota
Toni Diamond is Marine Veteran who served in the Persian Gulf War, she served on the Black Hill Center for Equality board as Treasure and Vice President, she has worked in the brokerage industry, has done humanitarian work in Africa and the United States, she has served as a director for two organizations, she ran for the South Dakota State House of Representatives in 2020 and she is an avid advocate for equality. She is a proud Transgender Woman who was named as a 2021 Champion of Pride by the Advocate magazine.
Jennifer Esteen, RN (she/her)
San Leandro, California
Jennifer Esteen is a registered nurse, mother, and community leader serving as Vice President of the Alameda Health System Board of Trustees and a member of the Eden Municipal Advisory Council.
She has spent her career delivering care to the most vulnerable, first working as a psychiatric nurse in the San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Room, where she saw firsthand the vicious cycle that people experience from diminished funding for mental health care. After Jennifer successfully led the fight to preserve funding for permanent housing for her clients, she was appointed to the role of Vice President of Organizing for SEIU 1021. Jennifer continues to work with San Francisco residents who have severe mental illness and need supportive housing and help managing activities of daily living. Jennifer is ready to fight for Alameda County community as an Alameda County Supervisor. She is a champion for working families who advocates for policies that ensure our community has access to affordable healthcare.
Ally Layman (She/Her)
Huntington, West Virginia
Ally Layman (she/her) is a lifelong resident of Huntington and a MCTC Alumni with an Allied Health degree. She is a very active community leader, wife, dog mom and lover of Star Wars. Ally is currently serving on the City of Huntington’s City Council. She also serves on Mayor Williams LGBTQ+ and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advisory committees. She is a commissioner on the Huntington Human Relations Commission, as well as a founding member and President of Huntington Pride. In her work with Huntington Pride, and calibration with Branches Domestic Violence Shelter she helped develop a first of its kind, Cabell County LGBTQ+ Health and Safety Resource Guide. She also helped to organize West Virginia’s first LGBTQ+ Youth Health and Safety Resource Fair, and many other events for LGBTQ+ folks in our area. In 2022, The Advocate Magazine named her one of their Champions of Pride.
Krystal Marx (She/They)
Burien, Washington
Krystal Marx (she/they) is a lifelong Washingtonian, out bisexual woman, and proud mother of four children with multiple disabilities. Krystal served on the Burien City Council from 2018 – 2021, where she was also Deputy Mayor for two years (2019 – 2022) and is currently working as the Vice President of Business Operations for the Seattle Seawolves major league rugby team. She has over 10 years of experience in nonprofit management, most recently as the first Executive Director of Seattle Pride (2019 – 2022). When not working, Krystal provides free community-identified training such as Bystander Intervention and Self-Defense to LGBTQIA+ groups. Finally, Krystal is the wife and caregiver to an Army combat veteran, and enjoys cooking, reading (and writing) urban fantasy, chasing her two chihuahua terriers, and watercolor painting.
Ty Miranda (She/Her)
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Ty has experience in political campaigns & strategy, operations development & management, and youth engagement. She began her career in the Peace Corps, specializing in youth development, before pursuing her Master’s in Public Health at George Washington University. After earning her Master’s and working in high education, Ty helped ramp up Democracy for All 2021, a structural democracy campaign working toward implementing reforms to unrig the political system. She also worked with several coalition-based campaigns focused on election protection, D.C. Statehood, senate rules reform, H.R./S.1, voting rights, and more. Ty lives in Santa Fe, NM, with her wife and dog, Pug Pie. On the weekends, she’s camping, finding new restaurants, reading Architectural Digest, and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
