In episode 24 of The Charity Charge Show, Stephen Garten chats with Andra Liemandt, the founder and CEO of The Kindness Campaign.
Andra Liemandt is the founder and CEO of The Kindness Campaign, a national nonprofit devoted to research-based emotional intelligence and anti-bullying. Launched in 2015, TKC designs interactive SEL (social emotional learning) curriculum and programming for schools and workplaces, with a focus on developing kind leaders and emotionally aware schools and companies. Under Andra’s leadership, TKC’s reach grew from five schools to 82 in two years, and today, serves over 40,000 students. Over the past two years, the organization has partnered with Bumble, KIND Bars, Dell Inc., Nordstrom, and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to bring TKC’s on-site programming to children and adults nationwide.
After a career in large corporate account management and pharmaceutical sales at Dell Inc. and Abbott Laboratories, Andra pivoted to philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. Now a national speaker on kindness and bullying, Andra has given keynote addresses for AT&T and IBM conferences, Paul Mitchell Schools nationwide, and the National Charity League. She is a recipient of Austin Woman’s Way Business Award for Social Impact (2018), and was a finalist for the Phyllis Richards Austin Icon for Children Award (2018). An active philanthropist, Andra currently serves on the Girl Scouts of Central Texas 2019 Women of Distinction Committee, and is on the advisory board of Baylor Scott & White Health. In 2015, Andra was named Cover Woman for Austin Woman Magazine’s September Edition, and in 2018, she joined the board of the GRAMMY Museum.
Andra is also the founder and drummer for The Mrs, a pop-rock band that has appeared on “Good Morning America,” “The Queen Latifah Show,” BuzzFeed, People Magazine, and Billboard. Their first music video, released in 2014 and featuring their signature “Magic Mirror,” currently has 5.4 million views on YouTube. Since then, The Mrs has shared the stage with Maroon 5 and Jon Bon Jovi, and has enjoyed musical collaborations with Paul Oakenfold and more.