The Values of ExEx are Curiosity, Integrity, Equity and Community. This shows up for us in the following ways:

Curiosity. We are open to new ideas, information, and experiences that lead to learning and growth.

Integrity. We embrace accountable reliability and create a space for mutual trust and respect.

Equity. We make the organization accessible and inclusive, work to remove barriers and cultivate emerging leaders.

Community. We share and mobilize ideas and resources, collaborating and being intentionally welcoming and inclusive.

• Monthly meetups on the 2^nd Thursday of each month from 9-10:30am at the Child Development Council (609 W. Clinton St.)
• Opportunities to share resources, expertise, encouragement and support
• Occasional impromptu gatherings for socializing, support, and fun!
•  An annual retreat on a topic that group members indicate resonates with their needs
• All Tompkins County Executive Directors and CEOs are welcome regardless of the organization’s ability to pay dues.
• Meetup Dates:
  • January 9, 2025
  • February 13, 2025
  • March 13, 2025
  • March 19, 2025 – 4-6 pm at Liquid State – ExEx Social
  • April 10, 2025
  • May 8, 2025
  • June 12, 2025
  • September 11, 2025
  • October 9, 2025
  • November 13, 2025
  • December 11, 2025

Join us for a day-long, interactive retreat focused on advocacy & public policy for leaders of mission-driven organizations!

Advocacy in Action

Thursday, May 8, 2025
LA TOURELLE HOTEL & SPA
1150 Danby Road, Ithaca
8:30am – 4:00pm

• 8:30am – 9:00am: Networking Breakfast
• 9:00am – 3:00pm: Retreat (Lunch included – see menu options below)
• 3:00pm – 4:00pm: Happy Hour (One drink included)

$30 – Register by May 1st

Professor Alexandra Dufresne, Director of the State Policy Advocacy Clinic at the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University, is a lawyer who works at the intersection of law and public policy.  Before joining the Brooks School, she directed a human rights clinic in Switzerland and taught law and policy courses at Yale College and at various Swiss universities. Working closely with community partners in the U.S. and Europe, she has led several successful advocacy campaigns at the state level and before various U.N. Committees and has served on numerous government commissions and boards of nonprofits in the U.S. and Europe. In addition to leading the clinic, Prof. Dufresne teaches courses in international human rights, immigration law and policy, and child law and policy at the Brooks School.  Prof. Dufresne began her career by clerking for the Hon. Martha Craig Daughtrey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, litigating commercial cases at large international law firms, and representing detained immigrants and children in the child welfare system at various legal services nonprofits. She is a legal fellow at Cornell Law School, where she co-directs the Migration and Human Rights Program.

Hattie Seten, Policy and Advocacy Fellow at the State Policy Advocacy Clinic at the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University, has a background in public policy, rural equity, and human rights advocacy. Before joining the Brooks School, Seten most recently worked at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Switzerland, where she advocated for displacement-affected communities and coordinated international initiatives supporting refugee children. Previously, she interned in the visa unit at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, completed U.S. Department of State-sponsored Arabic fellowship programs in the Middle East and North Africa, and analyzed the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant communities as a Princeton University Public Policy and International Affairs Program Fellow. Seten’s experience also includes serving on several nonprofit boards, leading successful state and local advocacy campaigns, and volunteering with rural community-based organizations in South Dakota. A Rhodes Scholar, Seten is a dedicated public servant committed to advancing equitable and impactful social policy.

Erin Boell is an undergraduate public policy student in the State Policy Advocacy Clinic at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University. Boell serves on the State Policy Advocacy Clinic’s criminal justice team where she advocates for the New York State Legislature to pass the CARE Act to protect the healthcare of incarcerated mothers and their infants. Boell also works at Cornell University as a Student Athlete Support Services Tutor and as a Literary Research Assistant. Her prior experience includes interning as a consumer affairs intern at the Delaware County, Pennsylvania Government Administration.

Yewon Kee is an undergraduate policy analysis and management student in the State Policy Advocacy Clinic at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University. Kee also serves on the State Policy Advocacy Clinic’s criminal justice team where she advocates for the New York State Legislature to pass the CARE Act to protect the healthcare of incarcerated mothers and their infants. Kee is interested in the intersection of health policy, hospitality and design. She also serves as a Research Fellow at Cornell’s Health Design Innovations Lab. She also serves as a Community Coordinator at Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell where she communicates with local high schools to create student mentorship opportunities. Her prior experience includes interning at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Elina Natarajan is an undergraduate policy analysis and management student in the State Policy Advocacy Clinic at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University. Natarajan serves on the State Policy Advocacy Clinic’s children’s rights team where she advocates for New York State to improve children’s access to healthcare. Natarajan is passionate about leveraging public policy to advance equity and justice and will be applying to law school in the fall. Outside of the classroom, Elina serves as a Literary Research Assistant at Cornell, she is a Legal Volunteer with the Cornell University Parole Initiative, and she is a dedicated student-athlete on Cornell’s Varsity Swim and Dive Team.

Suggested membership donation for one year (January 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025) is $100. 
Please include the Executive Exchange Dues Invoice with your payment.