February 11, 2021

It’s time to meet the faces behind SHE Counts! ? Over the next few months, we will be showcasing our board members so you all can learn a little bit about the wonderful women who make SHE Counts what it is!
• Name: Alicia Blankenfeld
• Tell us a little about YOU!:
My family moved to Grinnell at the start of my 3rd-grade year, so I think that counts as growing up here. I never saw myself settling down in Grinnell after college and had high hopes to move to D.C. As the same with my fellow board member Jane, LOVE brought me back home.
I met my husband in high school, and when we got married, his only stipulation was to move back to Grinnell to raise our family. I can honestly say his idea was the best thing for us. We married in May 2003 and opened up our store Total Choice Shipping and Printing in November 2004, when our daughter Olivia was 1 month old. We purchased Grinnell Graphix in 2007 (merging it with our business) when I was 3 months pregnant with our son Owen. (Are you seeing the hormonal trend)?
We are avid Grinnell Tiger fans, supporting our children Olivia (16), Owen (12), and our nieces/nephews in their activities. I am a total history buff! I love antiquing, visiting historical sites, reading history books, and watching history shows. Just ask my family – they have perfected the eye roll with my historical facts. I am also an avid talker – I was in Kindergarten when I got my name on the board for the first time, and I believe I achieved that at least once a year until graduation.

• Why did you want to be a part of SHE Counts?

I became a partner with SHE Counts before I was a board member. SHE Counts Founder, Delphina Baumann, enlisted my help in developing marketing collateral for International Women’s Day. I immediately fell in love with this event and signed up to be an IWD sponsor.
When I was asked to join the board, I was given the opportunity to help develop a new initiative called Power Up. This initiative was developed to help connect women to women in positions to help with financial, legal, business, savings/budgeting advice.

• What excites you most about SHE Counts?

My favorite part about SHE Counts is that no matter the initiative, we are always helping someone. We are a very active board! I love seeing new ideas come to fruition and fellow members taking charge to make them happen. Women need to show support for women, and that is what we are about!