Christine Monska

Christine Monska is Executive Director of the Women’s Fund SouthCoast, where she leads the organization’s work advancing gender, racial, and economic justice through philanthropy, research, advocacy, and leadership development.

Since assuming leadership in 2023, Christine has led a period of significant organizational growth and transformation—nearly tripling the organization’s operating budget, expanding staff capacity, strengthening financial and operational infrastructure, and positioning the organization as a leading regional voice on equity, systems change, and women’s leadership across Massachusetts.

Christine led the launch of the Young Women’s Initiative (YWI), a youth-led leadership, advocacy, and participatory grantmaking initiative for girls and gender-expansive youth of color rooted in both national models and local priorities. She also co-developed a regional data justice partnership with UMass Boston focused on advancing community-driven research and equity-centered policymaking across the SouthCoast, and launched the Bettina Borders Leadership Circle to strengthen intergenerational philanthropy and long-term investment in the organization’s mission and future sustainability.

A first-generation college graduate, Christine’s leadership is grounded in a long-standing commitment to expanding access, opportunity, and civic participation for women, girls, and gender-expansive people. She began organizing around girls’ leadership and advocacy as a teenager and has spent more than 15 years building leadership pathways across philanthropy, government, higher education, international advocacy, and community-based organizations.

Prior to joining the Women’s Fund SouthCoast, Christine designed and led the Young Women’s Initiative in Springfield, part of a national model connected to the Obama Administration’s White House Council on Women and Girls. She previously held leadership roles with the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, The Clubhouse Network in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, Bard College’s Bard Microcollege, and in Massachusetts state government. Her work has included international engagement focused on gender equity, democratic participation, and youth leadership in the Balkans, Latin America, and Europe.

Christine currently serves as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, where she also chaired the statewide Girls Empowerment and Leadership Initiative. She is a 2026 LEADS Fellow, a cross-sector systems leadership fellowship developed in collaboration with leaders from Harvard Business School and designed to strengthen regional leadership and systems change across Massachusetts gateway cities. She also serves on the Smith College Industry Leaders Council, is a member of New Bedford’s Economic Development Council Regeneration Committee, and serves on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council.

A frequent speaker and writer on gender justice, democracy, leadership, and systems change, Christine’s work has been featured through statewide and regional media, public policy convenings, and national leadership forums. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University, and completed executive education in financial accounting, economics, and business analytics through Harvard Business School.