The Ladies of Liberty Alliance was established in 2009 when a group of women led by Nena Whitfield, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has said there is a shortage of women in the liberty movement. The organization became a nonprofit in 2011. ^{1 2}

LOLA is based in Washington, D.C. and has 146 chapters in 50 countries, with 1,959 active members internationally. ³

Background

The Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) was established in 2009 in Washington, D.C. Its founders argued that there was a shortage of women in the liberty movement. The organization became a nonprofit in 2011 under the leadership of Nena Whitfield, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). ¹

LOLA has 146 chapters in 50 countries. It claims 1,959 active members internationally, according to the 2023 annual report. ³ In 2022, LOLA reached more than 4,000 women through more than 130 events. ⁴ Events hosted by LOLA chapters include policy-based discussions, self-defense classes, hosting a speaker or local leader, movie screenings, and potlucks. ⁵

The group contends “empathy and compassion are key to promoting the message of liberty effectively” while libertarian ideals are usually promoted at an academic or economic level. The organization says that research shows libertarian women can present a more empathetic argument than libertarian men to reach new audiences. ⁵

LOLA began its international expansion in 2017. By 2019, LOLAs Director of Operations Holly Jean Soto established LOLA Africa, LOLA Brazil, LOLA Latin America, and LOLA Asia. In 2023, LOLA instituted a regional leader in each of its six regions to provide local support to chapter leaders and members. LOLA established five chapters in Europe that year. ⁵

Programs

The Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) educates and empowers women in the liberty movement primarily through three programs: its social chapter program, its leadership training program, and its speaker bureau. ⁵

The group says its chapters vary from different cities, ages, and life stages, ranging from college students, young professionals, and stay-at-home mothers. In the United States, LOLA has chapters in the District of Columbia, Florida, California, and Texas. In Canada, the group has a Toronto chapter. LOLA also has chapters in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and South Asia. ^{1 6}

The LOLA Leadership Trainings hosts leadership retreats or conferences across regions. In 2022, LOLA hosted three leadership trainings including in Latin America, Brazil, and Africa. ⁴ The training sessions focus on political activism, media training, and chapter engagement with a focus on classical liberal ideology. ⁷ In May 2023, LOLA held its first European Leadership Retreat in Falenty, Poland. In December 2023, LOLA Brazil hosted a Brazil Leadership Retreat. ³ LOLA’s Brazil chapter leader Izabela Patriota said that many throughout Latin America were hopeful after the election of libertarian-leaning Argentine President Javier Milei. ⁸

The LOLA speaker bureau has is a free resource available to media producers, event organizers, and LOLA chapter leaders looking for speakers for their next event. The organization says it has more than 100 experts on a range of topics such as civil liberties, economics, education, foreign policy, philosophy, public policy and law, women’s issues, and feminism. ⁵

In 2024, LOLA launched its first fellowship, the Maria Oropeza Activism Fellowship. ⁵ It is named for María Oropeza, a leader of the LOLA movement in Venezuela who was forcibly detained by police forces loyal to the dictatorial regime of Nicolas Maduro. Oropeza’s whereabouts were unknown. ⁹She broadcast the raid on her home live on Instagram. ¹⁰

The six-month fellowship provides one-on-one mentoring to provide training for activism, social media, media training, public speaking, networking, fundraising, safety, and self-care. The program also provides legal support to ensure fellows are informed to advocate for change safely. The Maria Oropeza Activism Fellowship is exclusively available to LOLA chapter leaders or members. Candidates must have a minimum of one year of activism experience; be from North America, Latin America, or Brazil; speak fluent English; and be willing to commit five to 10 hours per week for six months to develop their skills. ¹¹

Donors

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program contributed $103,000 to the Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) in 2022. ⁴

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund gave $15,700 to LOLA in 2022. ⁴

Woodford Foundation donated $5,000 to LOLA in 2022. ⁴

Leadership

Nena Whitfield is the president and founder of the Ladies for Liberty Alliance (LOLA). ¹² Whitfield previously worked at the Cato Institute. She was an assistant campaign manager for Rand Paul’s 2010 U.S. Senate campaign. After Paul was elected, she was a legislative aide for his Senate office in Washington on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. In 2013, Whitfield left Capitol Hill to be the first full-time executive director of LOLA, which she had co-founded in 2009. She is a founding member and former treasurer of the DC Liberty Toastmasters. She was the chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of DC and the former vice president and treasurer of the Norwich Alumni DC Chapter. ²

Jess Gill is the communications and social media manager for LOLA. A British libertarian, she is the host of the Miss Libertarian podcast. Gill is also a fellow and social media content creator for the Foundation for Economic Education and an apprentice for the Mises Institute. ¹³ Gill is a co-leader of LOLA England. ²

Holly Jean Soto is the director of operations for LOLA. She previously worked for the Mercatus Center and the Institute for Humane Studies. ²

Zabela Patriota is the director of development for LOLA. She is a member of the leadership team of LOLA Brazil. She is a Frederic Bastiat Fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She was also formerly the policy director for a liberty-minded Brazilian non-profit. ²

Anne Dias is the chapter program lead for LOLA. A lawyer, she is also the president of LOLA Brazil. She was previously a political advisor in the Parana state parliament. In 2022, she ran for the state parliament of Parana. ²

Maria Alejandra Moreno Giraldo is the chapter operations coordinator for LOLA. She is an engineer. She previously worked in the public relations industry. ²

Estela Martinez is a project manager for the LOLA Maria Oropeza Activism Fellowship. She has more than seven years of experience in international organizations. She founded and served as the president of both LOLA Guatemala and Oleada Feminista. ¹⁴

Nathaly Merida is the project coordinator for the Maria Oropeza Activism Fellowship. She established the first LOLA chapter in Guatemala. ¹⁴

Stephanie Lips is a board member of LOLA. ¹⁵

Cecilia Lopes is a board member of LOLA. ¹⁵

The board of advisors is made up of Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, Argentine author and speaker Antonella Marty, Cato Institute economist Deirdre Mccloskey, Guatemalan commentator Gloria Alvarez, Senegalese entrepreneur Magatte Wade; and former Reason editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie. ³

1. “LOLA Social Chapters.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/lola-social-chapters/
2. “Meet the Team.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/meet-the-team/
3. “The Official 2023 LOLA Annual Report.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Official-2023-LOLA-ANNUAL-REPORT-1.pdf
4. “Ladies of Liberty Alliance.” Cause IQ. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/ladies-of-liberty-alliance,271047673/
5. “About Us.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/about-us/
6. “Welcome to the Ladies of Liberty Alliance – Toronto Chapter.” Disrupt Magazine. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://disruptmagazine.com/welcome-to-the-ladies-of-liberty-alliance-toronto-chapter/
7. LOLA Leadership Retreats.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/lola-leadership-retreats/
8. Monson, Kim. “Ladies of Liberty Alliance Empowers Women on An International Scale.” Kim Monson Show. January 31, 2024. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://kimmonson.com/kim_monson_show/ladies-for-liberty-alliance-empowers-women-on-an-international-scale/
9. Golan, Ian. “Libertarian Leader from Ladies of Liberty Alliance Detained by Maduro’s Regime in Venezuela.” We Speak Freely. August 8, 2024. Accessed December 6, 2024.https://www.wespeakfreely.org/2024/08/08/libertarian-leader-from-ladies-of-liberty-alliance-detained-by-maduros-regime-in-venezuela/
10. Sequera, Vivian. “Venezuela opposition beset by mounting legal challenges after disputed election.” Reuters. August 7, 2024. Accessed December 7, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-opposition-candidate-rejects-supreme-court-summons-2024-08-07/
11. “LOLA Activism Fellowship.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/lola-activism-fellowship/
12. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/faqs/
13. “Welcome to Miss Libertarian.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024.https://ladiesofliberty.org/miss-libertarian/
14. “LOLA Activism Fellowship.” Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://ladiesofliberty.org/lola-activism-fellowship/
15. “Ladies of Liberty Alliance.” ProPublica. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271047673