Women's Health Leadership Network

The Women’s Health Leadership Network is a diverse and dynamic group of 15 women from around the country who represent a new generation of leaders in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movements.  Founded in May 2005 by the Center for American Progress, the Network is part of the Center’s efforts to cultivate and promote emerging progressive voices and visions.  The Center relies on the Network members to inform the work of our Women’s Health and Rights Program and to reach new audiences and constituencies.

Kiran Ahuja is the Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF). NAPAWF is a national grassroots organization with a mission to forge a progressive movement for the social and economic justice and political empowerment of APA women and girls. Kiran has been involved in NAPAWF since 1999 as a local and national board member and was involved in starting the DC chapter of NAPAWF. She has practiced as a civil rights lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, where she worked on desegregation, bilingual, race, and national origin discrimination issues in education-related civil rights cases.

Kiran immigrated to the United States with her parents when she was two and grew up in Savannah, Georgia. She attended Spelman College (HBCU) and graduated summa cum laude. Following graduation, she worked in the district office of the first African-American Congresswoman in Georgia since Reconstruction and lived in India for a year. Kiran graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law where she was president of the student-led public interest law organization, organized the first public interest law career fair for 300 students, and received the first Equal Justice Foundation, Shelley D. Knox Equal Justice Award for Outstanding Public Interest Student.

For more information, visit www.napawf.org

Aspen Baker is the Founder and Executive Director of Exhale. Under her leadership, Exhale has grown from a completely volunteer-led, grassroots project to the well-respected, national organization it is today. After her own abortion in 1999, Aspen was unable to find a service to talk about her feelings that didn't have a political or moral agenda. This personal experience inspired her to search out allies and eventually led to the birth of Exhale. Aspen is currently an Advisory Board Member for Our Truths/Nuestras Verdades, a bilingual grassroots 'zine' that provides women who have had abortions with the opportunity to express themselves, and Rights!Camera!Action!, a traveling film festival that celebrates stories of reproductive health and freedom. She was a 2004 fellow with the Women's Policy Institute, and in 2003 she was named one of the nation's "top 30 activists under 30" by Choice USA. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of Exhale, Aspen worked in fundraising and direct services for a variety of nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area in the fields of women's health and human rights. Aspen grew up in San Clemente, California, and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

For more information, visit www.4exhale.org)

Courtney Bell, A.M., L.C.S.W., is the current Executive Director of the Bottomless Closet.  Bottomless Closet is a 15-year-old organization dedicated to supporting women in transition by providing business professional clothing, career skills, and image coaching, empowering women to interview with confidence, gain employment, and achieve economic self-sufficiency. Her other experiences include working as a researcher and service provider in child welfare, working with the homeless regarding access to health care, and serving as an activist on many issues concerning women and children. Currently, she serves on the board of the Chicago Abortion Fund and is Chair of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health. Bell was a founding board member of the Midwest Access Project and the Executive Director of the Chicago Women’s Health Center.  She is a national speaker regarding issues of funding in women’s health care and is an active member of the National Women’s Law Center – Progressive Leadership Advocacy Network.

For more information visit www.bottomlesscloset.org

Silvia Henriquez is the Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH). Silvia is the second Executive Director of NLIRH. She graduated with a bachelor's in international affairs and a master's in women's studies, both from the George Washington University. Since completing her education, Silvia has worked in various reproductive rights organizations. She was the National Campus Coordinator of the Feminist Majority, the Outreach Director at the National Abortion Federation, and a Policy Analyst with the Latino Issues Forum. During her first year as Executive Director, Silvia increased NLIRH's national visibility through the March for Women's Lives and the National Latina Summit, developed a community mobilizing program, launched NLIRH's national policy agenda, and secured a funding base for the organization. Silvia currently sits on the Board of Directors of both the Reproductive Health Technologies Project and the Alan Guttmacher Institute. Her publications include, as co-author, Our Health Our Rights: Reproductive Justice for Latinas in California in 2003, and, as author, Forging New Partnerships, Improving Access to Reproductive Health Care for Latina Immigrants in 2004.

For more information, visit www.latinainstitute.org

Leila Hessini is the Senior Policy Advisor at Ipas. Leila is originally from Algeria and has 15 years of experience living in North Africa and working on women's health and rights issues across that region and in the United States. She has worked as gender advisor to the Ford Foundation's Cairo office on issues related to gender, rights, reproductive health, and governance; served as a consultant to the Population Council and UNIFEM, investigating policy and programmatic responses to violence against women in Algeria and Egypt; and co-founded a consulting firm specializing in women's rights, advocacy, and global equity. She participated actively with regional NGO delegations in the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the World Conference on Women. At Ipas, Leila was instrumental in organizing a regional conference on abortion in Africa and conducted a four-region survey of the implementation of the key recommendations of the ICPD and ICPD +5 conferences. She is currently managing Ipas's international advocacy with UN agencies and has developed an initiative designed to bring international advocacy messages home to a U.S. audience. Leila serves on the board of the Association of Middle Eastern Women's Studies, the advisory committee of the Global Fund for Women, and the management committee of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective. Leila's published works cover such topics as examining abortion from a feminist perspective, researching contemporary veiling practices in Morocco, and investigating the links between women's rights and violence against women in Algeria. She holds two master's degrees: an MPH in public health and a MA in Middle Eastern and North African studies. Leila speaks English, French, and Arabic.

For more information, visit www.ipas.org

Sujatha Jesudason is the Director of the Program on Gender, Justice & Human Genetics at the Center for Genetics and Society. Sujatha has been active as an organizer, advocate, and researcher in communities of color and on women's liberation issues for more than 15 years. She currently directs the program on Gender, Justice and Human Genetics at the Center for Genetics and Society where she is highlighting the feminist, eugenic, and social justice concerns with the new reproductive and genetic technologies. Her recent projects include developing a national collaborative campaign against sex selection, making the connections between past, present, and future eugenic technologies, and framing genetic justice as a human right. She is on the Board of Directors of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum and on the Management Circle of SisterSong. She comes to this work with a background in immigration issues, community organizing, domestic violence prevention, particularly in the South Asian community, and reproductive rights in communities of color. In addition, she is working on her Ph.D. dissertation at the University of California at Berkeley in sociology, where she is studying marital arts as an embodied practice of freedom from violence against women.

For more information, visit www.genetics-and-society.org

Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of Choice USA, comes from a background organizing around racial justice, students’ rights, and access to education. She began organizing around choice issues at the University of Colorado in 1999. Johnson is a Choice USA success story: her journey with Choice USA started with a National Gloria Steinem Leadership Institute in Washington D.C., after which she became Choice USA's 1999-2000 Maxine Waters Reproductive Freedom Fellow. Once immersed in the movement as a fellow, she knew that this would be her life's work. Johnson was Choice USA's Field Director for three years, during which time she served as the co-chair of the Campus Coordinating Committee of the Campaign for Access and Reproductive Equity and received a 2002 Young Women of Achievement Award from the Women's Information Network. Johnson most recently served as a member of the Board of Medical Students for Choice from 2003-2006.

For more information, visit www.choiceusa.org

Rev. Eily Marlow is the Lilly Associate at Macalester College where she works with college students on vocational discernment and ethical leadership.  She is the former Executive Director of the Minnesota Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and is a member of the Clergy Leadership Institute for Reproductive Choice. She graduated from McCormick Theological Seminary in 2002 and was ordained a Presbyterian (U.S.A) minister in 2005.  She has spent years working both personally and professionally as a caregiver for people living with AIDS as well as in the movement for LGBT equality.

For more information, visit www.macalester.edu/

Diana Philip, Interim Executive Director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers and the Abortion Conversation Project, has been working in public interest law for over 18 years in gender violence, reproductive justice, and civil liberties. Philip recently finished launching a three-year pilot program for the Texas statewide nonprofit the Women's Advocacy Project, serving as a consultant to legal advocates in domestic violence work who seek to expand legal services for rural battered women and youth.  Remaining active in reproductive justice, she has served as a patient advocate for the abortion clinic Whole Woman’s Health in Austin, Texas; as a consultant for the Abortion Conversation Project, the 501 (c) 3 sister nonprofit of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers; and on the advisory board for the abortion fund organization, Lilith: A Fund for Reproductive Equity. Philip was recently named Interim Executive Director for the NCAP and ACP and will be leading both organizations as they embark on a national search for its next long-term director through the summer of 2008. Philip has presented at professional conferences sponsored by the National Abortion Federation, National Network of Abortion Funds, Medical Students for Choice, state chapters of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, the Texas Council on Family Violence, and various law schools in Texas as well as Yale Law School.  She has also received awards in advocacy from the Dallas and San Antonio affiliates of Planned Parenthood as well as the Texas-based Lilith Fund.

For more information visit, www.ncap.com or www.abortionconversation.com

Giovanna Rossi, Women’s Health Policy Advisor for the State of New Mexico, is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, but also grew up in Oxford, England and spent summers in Mexico City visiting family.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico and her Master’s degree in Public Policy from the London School of Economics. Rossi began her career working on campaign finance issues and moved on to raise money for democratic women to run for office in New Mexico.  Rossi was the Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico for over five years, in which time the staff grew from one to five and the state moved from a B- to a B+ grade for reproductive health.  She was appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson (D) to his transition team for the Department of Health in 2003, and served as Vice-Chair of the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women from 2005 to 2006.  Rossi was a columnist for the alternative newspaper, the Weekly Alibi, in 2005 and currently volunteers for Women’s Focus on the local NPR station, KUNM 89.9 FM.  Rossi is the Co-Chair of the board of Emerge New Mexico, an organization dedicated to training women to run for office.  In July 2006, Gov. Richardson appointed Rossi to be the first ever Women’s Health Policy Advisor, charged with establishing the Governor’s Women’s Health Advisory Council and developing and promoting women’s health policy for the state of New Mexico.

For more information, visit www.health.state.nm.us/OPMH/OPMHW.htm

Malika Saada Saar is the founder and executive director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, a national legal and policy organization that advocates for justice, dignity, and reform for vulnerable families. The Ford Foundation recently honored The Rebecca Project for Human Rights’ achievements with the Leadership for Changing World award. Saada Saar and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights were also selected by Redbook magazine for the Mothers and Shakers 2005 Award. Saada Saar is the founder of Crossing the River, a written and spoken word workshop for mothers in recovery from substance abuse. She is also the founder and former executive director of Family Rights and Dignity, a civil rights project for low-income and homeless families in California. Saada Saar and The Rebecca Project have been featured in Essence Magazine, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, "Good Morning America," USA Today, "The Tavis Smiley Show," and Redbook Magazine.

For more information, visit www.rebeccaproject.org

Eveline Shen is the Executive Director for Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice where she works with staff and members to develop an innovative social change model integrating community organizing, popular education, participatory action research, and community building. Prior to coming to ACRJ in 1997, she received her MPH in community health education at UC Berkeley. She has had over 17 years of experience organizing in grassroots communities of color for reproductive and social justice. She is the principle investigator of a four-year NIOSH grant on environmental justice and reproductive rights.

For more information, visit www.apirh.org

Lisa M. Stone is the Executive Director of the Northwest Women's Law Center, a nonprofit public interest law organization dedicated to advancing legal rights for women through public impact litigation, legislative advocacy, legal rights education, and the provision of legal information and referral services. Ms. Stone has been Executive Director since 1995 and has been affiliated with the Law Center as a volunteer attorney since 1988. As a volunteer, she represented reproductive health clinics, doctors, patients and women's groups against Operation Rescue, obtaining the first statewide injunction against clinic blockaders in the nation. As Executive Director of the Law Center, she founded the Northwest Reproductive Freedom Network, which links and supports pro-choice organizations, individuals, and allies in the rural and geographically isolated parts of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Ms. Stone has been the Chair of Pro Choice Washington, Washington's statewide pro-choice coalition, and served on the Steering Committee of No!200 (opposing the anti-affirmative action initiative) and the Executive Committee of No on 694 (the abortion ban). She also served on the Emergency Contraceptive Project Advisory Committee of PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) and on the Public Relations and Marketing Committee of A Territory Resource, a progressive foundation. Ms. Stone's professional experience includes serving as an Assistant Regional Counsel in the Seattle office of the Environmental Protection Agency, as an attorney in private practice, and as an environmental manager and planner for a national oil spill cleanup company.

For more information, visit www.nwwlc.org

Aimée R. Thorne-Thomsen currently serves as Executive Director of the Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young women about reproductive freedom, thereby developing a new generation of leaders. Prior to joining PEP, she was the Director of Development for The Friends of the Family Academy, Inc. (FFA), an educational nonprofit organization based in Harlem, NY. In addition, she has more than 10 years' experience working with Latino fraternities and sororities. As Chair of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO), Ms. Thorne-Thomsen led the organization through its initial development to become the national governing body for more than two dozen Latino fraternities and sororities. She also co-founded and served on the Board of Directors for Alpha Rho Lambda Sorority, Inc., a Latina sorority established at Yale University. Before shifting her focus to the nonprofit sector, Ms. Thorne-Thomsen was Account Manager at Prime Access, Inc., a full-service advertising agency focused on the African-American, Latino, and gay and lesbian markets. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Adelante Educational Foundation and on the Advisory Board of Our Truths/Nuestras Verdades, an informal magazine dedicated to de-stigmatizing abortion. Ms. Thorne-Thomsen earned her B.A. from Yale University and her M.P.A. from the City University of New York.

For more information, visit www.protectchoice.org

Rhonda Waller, Ph.D. is the former Executive Director of Healthy Babies Project, Inc., a Washington-based agency dedicated to decreasing infant mortality in the District of Columbia and empowering parents and parents-to-be through health education, parenting education, home visitation, and supportive services. In 2006, Waller ended her tenure as Executive Director of Healthy Babies Project, Inc. and founded ADURA, LLC, an organization that provides services such as grant writing, organizational development, leadership development, program planning and evaluation, and advocacy to and on behalf of organizations nationally. Waller's passion for reproductive health rights, maternal and child health, and early child development, coupled with her ability to reach out to her clients, staff and colleagues with genuine compassion and the desire to serve, contributes to her history of success with nonprofit community-based organizations.