Our Team

Ready to Launch was founded by Charlotte White Canter and Erica Liepmann, two friends who met working in politics and civic engagement in Los Angeles. They decided to turn their passion for helping more women get started in government and politics into their full-time mission, and they created Ready to Launch to provide support and resources for emerging women leaders.

Founders

Charlotte White Canter

Co-Founder and Board Member

Charlotte’s background is in finance and operations, having managed multi-million dollar political campaigns, PACs, and nonprofit initiatives. Charlotte previously managed economic development programs at Accelerator for America. She began her career at Goldman Sachs after graduating from USC. Charlotte has served on the boards of numerous organizations including The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, the California Democratic Party’s Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, and the Asian Democrats of Los Angeles County.

Erica Liepmann

Co-Founder and Board Member

Erica’s career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors – with experience in public policy, program development, and communications. Erica led digital communications in the Office of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. Erica has also worked on several political campaigns in staff and volunteer capacities. Erica is the past President of LA County Young Democrats. She currently serves on the Regional Advisory Council for LAist. Erica holds a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College and a master’s degree in public policy from USC.

Board members

Chamarra McCrorey

Board Member

Chamarra has a passion for reaching and uplifting diverse, underrepresented communities through her work as a communications strategist and digital content creator. She currently serves as Vice President at Actum, an international bipartisan consultancy firm. Prior to Actum, Chamarra served in Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti’s Office of Communications as Digital Director where she led digital strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic and supported crisis communications efforts. A Philadelphia native, Chamarra previously served as the lead speechwriter and constituent services representative for Mayor James F. Kenney. Chamarra has a B.S. in Secondary English Education from Temple University.

Xochitl Medrano

Board Member

Xochitl (pronounced as "SOH-chee") is a Senior Project Coordinator at Arellano Associates. She has served in the public and private sector within politics and government as well as community outreach and engagement. As former President of the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats, Xochitl led coalition building efforts with community organizations as a committment to invest back into the community. She has worked on various political campaigns across Southern California and remains active through civic engagement. She holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from CSU Northridge. Xochitl is most proud to have been paired with RTL alum, Emely Pineda-Rivas, from in the inaugural cohort class to serve as her mentor.

Jackie Molina

Board Member

Jackie has spent the majority of her career in international logistics, with a passion for optimization and efficiency. Currently, she is a Sr. Customer Success Manager at Project44, a software company with a mission to optimize the movements of products globally through technology. Jackie has a Bachelors of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering and a Masters in Supply Chain Management from USC. She also has a long history of volunteer service in the LA area as a part of the National Charity League, including with LA County/USC Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.

Amaka Obidegwu

Board Member

Amaka is an Operational Program Manager at Blue Shield of California, where she manages Medi-Cal strategy and governance for the Clinical Quality Improvement Team. Amaka has her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Davidson College and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California.

Marissa Roy

Board Member

Marissa is an attorney who represents local governments in high-impact litigation. During the Trump Administration, Marissa worked on prominent lawsuits challenging the Administration's anti-immigrant agenda. Marissa also serves as the Endorsements Chair for California Women's List, a PAC that supports women running for office in California. Marissa believes that political change grows from state and local government, and supports expanding access for more women to build a career in politics.