Manon DeFelice

Manon DeFelice is the founder and CEO of Inkwell, a startup that matches accomplished professionals with companies that need top talent on a flexible basis. Through Inkwell, women get the opportunity to build their professional portfolios while also getting the flexibility to devote time to their families, and businesses get professional, expert work at a fraction of the cost.Prior to founding the company, DeFelice spent five years as executive director and general counsel of the AHA Foundation, the first organization focused on ending honor violence, forced marriage, child marriage, and female genital mutilation (FGM) in the United States. While there, she organized the first national conference on forced marriage and honor violence in the U.S. (its now an annual event); commissioned and designed data collection on forced marriage, honor violence, and FGM with John Jay College of Criminal Justice; drafted and lobbied for state and federal legislation; and worked with Rep. Crowley (D-NY) to pass the Transport for Female Genital mutilation Act. The AHA Foundation partnered with Do Something and Crisis Text Line to pilot the first textline focused on helping victims of forced marriage, honor violence, and FGM in the country.DeFelice served as assistant counsel in Mayor Michael Bloombergs Office of Criminal Justice where she coordinated an interagency, multidisciplinary collaborative to address the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children in New York City. She also managed a $500,000 grant from the Department of Justice to create a residential facility and provide services for underage girls who were commercially sexually exploited. Her office developed anti-human trafficking policy and created the first Human Trafficking Services Resource Directory for the city.DeFelice graduated from Brooklyn Law School and received her BA in economics and political science from Barnard College. In 2011, she was recognized by the U.S. State Department for assisting victims of forced marriage. She is a mother of three and currently lives in Old Greenwich, CT.