Board of Directors

Meet the Guttmacher Institute’s Board of Directors. To learn more about each member, please click their name to read their bio.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LILIAN ABRACINSKAS, BSc, is a feminist activist with vast experience in advocacy and research promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights, including safe and legal abortion, in Uruguay and Latin America. She is also the Director of Mujer y Salud en Uruguay (Woman and Health in Uruguay), a feminist organization in defense of sexual and reproductive health and rights. 
She has studied and interned in various places in Latin America, Europe and the United States of America. She was awarded a scholarship by ISIS WICCE International (France, 1983) for training in women's health and did an internship at the "Dispensaire de Femmes" (Switzerland, 1983–1984) on alternative health care for women, with the support of the Swiss Cooperation. She was the Founder and Director of "María Abella,” the first center for women's health care (Canelones, 1985–1989), and the center "Alternatives in Sexual and Reproductive Rights" (Montevideo, 1992–1995). Ms. Abracinskas was also the Founder of the editorial collective “Cotidiano Mujer” (1985–2004) and of the bilingual (English-Spanish) international feminist magazine “Lola Press” (1990–2002). Between 2002 and 2010, she was Executive Coordinator of the National Monitoring Commission, Women for Democracy, Equity and Citizenship—CNSmujeres. 
Since 2004, she has been a member of the National Advisory Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health of the Ministry of Public Health and a member of the National Commission on AIDS (CONASIDA) as a representative of social organizations. Between 2009 and 2012, she was appointed representative of the Participatory Space of Health Users in the National Commission of Bioethics and Quality of Health Care of the MSP. In 2011, she was appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Civil Society Task Force (United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS), representing international women's organizations working on HIV. Currently, Ms. Abracinskas is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Latin American Consortium Against Unsafe Abortion and is the national liaison for the Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network for her long trajectory in the struggle for free, safe and legal abortion in Uruguay and other countries in the region. She is the author of numerous publications and is a member of several research teams on sexual and reproductive policies in Latin America.
 

 

 

 

 

 

PAULA AVILA - GUILLEN, JD, has fourteen years of experience in designing and implementing advocacy and litigation strategies to address a variety of human rights issues. Her keen political judgment and ability to identify opportunities have led her to advance strategies that have created long-lasting social impact.
As Executive Director of WEC, Paula serves as a principal strategist and leads WEC's campaigns and operations. WEC's campaigns include efforts to end the total abortion bans in El Salvador, and the total emergency contraception ban in Honduras, as well as to support the movement to legalize abortion and expand women's rights in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico.
Prior to working with WEC, Paula worked at the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) where she successfully created and implemented advocacy strategies and identified entry points for reproductive rights issues to be addressed in complex political arenas such as the Organization of American States and the United Nations. Working with the communications team, she conceptualized and led CRR's advocacy strategy to hold the Salvadoran government accountable for convicting dozens of women of aggravated murder following miscarriages and stillbirths. This strategy has significantly contributed to the release of thirty-five women so far, and it is now being implemented by a coalition of organizations, including WEC. Paula plans to keep fighting until all the women are released.
Paula has been published on many issues related to health, reproductive rights, and public policy, and has spoken at various conferences and universities, including Harvard and Georgetown University. She has also served as an expert consultant for the World Bank regarding the Zika epidemic and its human rights implications. Through her women's rights advocacy work she has been interviewed, published, and quoted by the New York Times, The Economist, The Miami Herald, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CNN en Español, NTN24, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and others.
Paula received her law degree from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, and she received an LL.M. with a concentration in Human Rights Law from the Washington College of Law at American University. Paula was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2012.
 

 

 

 

 

TRACI BAIRD, MPH, is a seasoned leader in sexual and reproductive health and rights and has served as President and CEO of EngenderHealth since October 2018. She and her organization are significant users of Guttmacher's data, and she has a deep understanding of Guttmacher's critical global role, as well as the evolving role of Global North NGOs within the sector. With 30 years of experience advancing access to high-quality healthcare across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Traci has a strong track record of leading multi-regional teams, securing multimillion-dollar funding, shaping policy in partnership with governments and multilateral agencies, and advocating for the health and rights of women and girls. She is a highly effective fundraiser and fundraising strategist, and she also has a strong network and reach in the global SRHR space. 
Prior to joining EngenderHealth, Traci served as CEO of SHIFT NC, a nonprofit organization focused on adolescent and young adult sexual health across North Carolina. Before that, she spent more than 20 years at Ipas, a global reproductive health organization, where she most recently served as Executive Vice President of Programs.  Traci holds a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology, with a concentration in women's health, from Stanford University. 
 

 

 

 

 

GAIL BAITY is an experienced HR professional with a passion for development. She applied this passion to leading global talent and organization development efforts at Corning Incorporated, one of the world’s top innovators in materials science. She led a team of knowledge experts who constructed strategic and tactical development processes for Corning’s global workforce and partnered with business leaders to develop and sustain the company’s leadership talent pipeline. 
Ms. Baity’s professional experience spans multiple focus areas and industries. She has led HR initiatives in employee and labor relations, human resources, diversity/inclusion, and learning and development practice areas for the scientific research, advanced optics, life sciences and consumer products industries. 
Most notably, she was the driving force behind Corning’s global leadership competencies and led the creation of the framework for the company’s first leadership development curriculum. Ms. Baity has served primarily on boards in the educational field from early childhood through higher education, where she served as a community college trustee, and she is a proud founding member of the Fund for Women of the Southern Tier in New York, an organization that supports women and girls in the broader community.
 

 

 

 

 

LUBNA BHAYANI, MPH is a public health practitioner, global development leader and advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). With roots in Pakistan and Kenya and a career spanning Africa, Asia and international institutions, she is committed to advancing equitable access to health services and ensuring that everyone can realise their sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR), make decisions about their own bodies and futures, and access the care they need.
Over more than 20 years, Lubna has worked with the World Bank, UNICEF, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). Her work has focused on designing and directing programmes, strengthening health systems and building partnerships across governments, civil society, philanthropy and the private sector. A longstanding advocate for SRHR, she is particularly committed to access to safe abortion care, contraception and HIV prevention, and to the policies, financing and accountability mechanisms needed to translate rights and commitments into accessible, quality services.
As Principal, Health at Luméa Collaborative, Lubna advises on health systems, financing and accountability. Her experience in renewable energy at GEAPP has broadened her perspective on the connections between health, climate and sustainable development. She is interested in how cross-sector partnerships and innovative financing, including blended finance, can advance social impact and address persistent inequities.
Lubna serves on the Board of the Guttmacher Institute, where she chairs the Development Committee. She previously served on the Board of the Canadian Association for Global Health (CAGH), including representing CAGH in its engagement with the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), a pan-African initiative supporting the next generation of African researchers and academic leaders. These experiences reflect her commitment to African-led research, equitable partnerships and ensuring that evidence informs policy and practice. Lubna holds master's degrees in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Development Management from the London School of Economics, and an undergraduate degree from McGill University. She speaks English, Urdu, Gujarati and French, with additional working proficiency in Italian and Afghan Dari.
 
 

 

 

 

 

WENDY BOSTWICK, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in Population Health Nursing Science, College of Nursing, at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She received her MPH and PhD in community health sciences from UIC and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan. 
Wendy conducts research related to health inequities among sexual and gender minority populations, with a focus on mental health and substance use among bisexual people. Wendy is particularly interested in how stigma, prejudice and discrimination influence health outcomes. Her research incorporates multiple methods including survey research, qualitative interviews and electronic diaries. Wendy has been an invited speaker at the National Institutes of Health; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; the Society for Sex Research and Therapy; and many other organizations. Some of her leadership roles include serving as Associate Department Head in the Department of Population Health Nursing Science at UIC, co-leading the Community Engagement and Dissemination Core of the Center for Health Equity Research Chicago and serving as the Co-Chair for the National Institutes of Health’s first-ever workshop on bisexual health research. 
Wendy’s research has been supported by such organizations as the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the American Institute of Bisexuality, among others. Wendy served on the Board of Directors of the Guttmacher Institute for six years, including as Vice President. She also served on the board of Howard Brown Health, one of the nation's largest FQHCs serving the LGBTQ+ community, including as the inaugural Co-Chair of the board's DEI committee. She is currently an adjunct faculty at the Fenway Institute, in Boston, MA. In her free time, Wendy volunteers at her local animal shelter and enjoys crossword puzzles, dogs and hop-flavored beverages.
 

 

 

 

 

MICHELLE BROWN, MD is a practicing OB/Gyn in Chicago and currently serves as Medical Director for the OB Triage Unit at Northwestern Prentice Women's Hospital. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and subspecialty certified in Complex Family Planning. She completed her medical degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her OB/Gyn residency at The University of Chicago. In addition to her role at Prentice Women’s Hospital, she provides full-spectrum OB/Gyn care at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital and works as an abortion provider with Planned Parenthood in Illinois. 
Dr. Brown has served as Legislative Chair for the Illinois Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) since 2022, where she works to advance ACOG's policy goals through legislative and advocacy initiatives across the state. In this role, she has helped develop and pass multiple pieces of legislation expanding access to sexual and reproductive healthcare in Illinois. 
Her teaching and advocacy work has been recognized with the Midwest Access Project's Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Training Award (2024) and ACOG's Junior Fellow Rising Star in Advocacy Award. Dr. Brown previously served on the Board of Directors of Turtle Health, a startup focused on expanding access to at-home fertility assessments, including self-administered home ultrasounds. She also previously served on the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins University, where she was the sole member of her graduating class elected as a Young Trustee after completing her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience.
 

 

 

 

 

SUSAN EKBERG STIRITZ, PhD, is the chair of the Sexual Health and Education Specialization in the Master of Social Work program. Dr. Stiritz has conducted research centered on sex positive, holistic sexuality and taught developmental sexuality for more than twenty years. She also designs and teaches Brown School courses to help students fulfill the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) certification requirements.
Dr. Stiritz has published papers in various peer-reviewed journals, including the American Journal of Sexuality Education. Previously, she founded and ran a Model Cities Day Care Center and worked as Director of Education and Training at the St. Louis Family Planning Council. From 2020-2022, Dr. Stiritz served as president of AASECT and on Planned Parenthood of St. Louis's Board of Directors. She is also a Certified Sexuality Educator and a Certified Sexuality Education Supervisor, and she is a member of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute faculty. In 2002, Dr. Stiritz was named a Washington University Distinguished Alumna. In 2013, she was honored as the AASECT Sexuality Educator of the Year. Dr. Stiritz has served as a member of Washington University's LGBT Advisory Board and was awarded Holobaugh Honors for service to and advocacy for the LGBT community in 2014. In April 2024, The Gephardt Institute awarded Dr Stiritz Washington University's Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award for her engagement with and contributions to the St. Louis Region.
 

 

 

 

 

FAYSAL EL KAK, MD, MS, ARCOG, Clinical Associate of Obstetrics and Gynecology Sexual Health, coordinator of Women Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) Program, Department of Obstetrics Gynecology, AUB Medical Center, senior lecturer of public health and sexuality at Faculty of Health Sciences- AUB. He is a member of Strategic Technical Advisory Group of Experts (STAGE)- WHO and sits on the Reproductive Health Working Group at the AUB. He is the President of the East Mediterranean Federation of Sexual Health (EMFeSH)- World Association for Sexual Health, member of the global committee of the International Society for Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH). Past Vice President of FIGO and past President of the Federation of Arab Gynecology and Obstetrics Societies (FAGOS). 
Throughout his career, Faysal has worked locally and internationally to advance health equality and gender equity promoting SRHR across life course. He has consulted a number of UN organizations on reproductive sexual health issues and led several initiatives on SRH in Lebanon and globally with FIGO. Faysal has published extensively on sexual reproductive health issues, especially related to youth, refugees, LGBT groups and maternal mortality. He has a strong presence on both traditional and social media platforms and is regularly invited to speak in conferences and meetings. He regularly appears on media channels (Newspapers & TV) addressing contemporary reproductive and sexual health issues and promoting gender equity and inclusivity in healthcare.
 

 

 

 

 

ALEX EZEH, PhD, is Dornsife Professor of Global Health in the Department of Community Health and Prevention at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University. He brings decades of experience in research, research capacity strengthening and policy advocacy on a range of global health and development issues. 
Dr. Ezeh served as the founding Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), and over a period of 17 years, he guided APHRC to become Africa’s foremost regional research center addressing population, health, education and development issues.  He initiated and directed the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), an initiative to strengthen doctoral training and the retention of academics at African universities. Dr. Ezeh’s work focuses on addressing the challenges that come with the growth of slums around the world and the continuing rapid population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). He has served on several Lancet Commissions, including the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health and the Lancet Commission on the Future of Health in Africa, and he co-chaired the Guttmacher–Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. 
Dr. Ezeh is currently co-chairing a new Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Dr. Ezeh is a seasoned, visionary leader in the global SRHR community and a thought leader in the movement to decolonize global health and global development. He worked with the Guttmacher Institute as their 2020–2021 Bixby Fellow to help reshape their approach to partnership, with an eye toward equitable, sustainable and responsive collaborations. This perspective will be valuable as the world and our field continue to evolve rapidly toward more of a Global South-led agenda. He serves on the boards of several organizations, and he is the recipient of The World Academy of Sciences 2018 Prize for the Social Sciences.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAROLYN FLOREY, MA, is a Digital Development Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, headquartered in Manila, Philippines. In this role, she is responsible for promoting digital transformation in Asia and the Pacific region. She works to formulate and implement digital technology strategies tailored to specific needs and priorities of each region. 
Prior to this, Carolyn was the Senior Director, Technology for Development at Mercy Corps where she was responsible for guiding organizational and programmatic vision and strategy on the application of digital and data services. Prior to Mercy Corps, she was the Technology for Development Lead at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, where she led the Digital Tools and Big Data Research Unit and worked to leverage digital technologies for agricultural research for development. Carolyn has previously worked at the World Bank, United Nations Foundation, USAID, the Inter-American Development Bank, a women's health NGO in Delhi, India (Breakthrough) and as a Fulbright grantee in Jeonju, South Korea. She holds an MA in International Development and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in International Relations and Spanish from Tufts University.
 

 

 

 

 

BETH FREDRICK is a leader, advocate, and authority in population, human rights, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive rights and health (SRRH). As an executive and spokesperson for high-profile, nonprofit organizations and initiatives she has led multi-million-dollar U.S. and global research, policy analysis, advocacy, and communication programs and partnerships. For 14 years she led the Advance Family Planning (AFP) initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute on Population and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH). AFP pioneered a results-based advocacy approach that stimulated 3,454 policy improvements and mobilized $185.7 million from low- and middle-income governments and corporations. She served as Deputy Director of the Gates Institute and co-founded the BSPH Center for Public Health Advocacy. She holds a faculty appointment in the BSPH Population, Family and Reproductive Health Department, developing and teaching an online course that enables students to apply the SMART Advocacy approach pioneered by AFP. Beth is also Senior Advocacy Advisor for the William H. Gates Institute.
Before joining BSPH in 2009, Beth was Executive Vice President of the International Women's Health Coalition and Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for Programs of the Guttmacher Institute. In both positions she guided strategic planning and was a lead architect of and fundraiser for major research, policy, and communication initiatives.
Beth served as Board Chair of Ibis Reproductive Health, Scenarios USA, and the AIDS and Adolescents Network of New York, and helped to launch the Baltimore Abortion Fund. 
She is currently a member of the Asia Research Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) U.S. board and Global Treasurer of EMpower, a grantmaking organization in emerging markets. She was a Bell Fellow with Harvard University, an adjunct faculty with New York University's Wagner School for Public Service and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
Beth lives in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and has co-created and supported local and global initiatives with researchers, advocates, policymakers, and donors throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
 

 

 

 

CAROLINE D. GREENE, MBA, has several decades of experience in senior executive roles at health systems and other important organizations (including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU), with her most recent work focused on the development and implementation of programs to improve access to and enhance the quality of health care services, and to sustain and strengthen the Medicaid and Medicare programs.
Caroline worked most recently as Chief Administrative Officer at VillageCare of New York, a $2B not-for-profit organization serving people with chronic care needs through community-based managed long-term care plans and an assisted living program. At VCNY, Caroline led reorganization of the data, analytics, and reporting team; oversaw the human resources function; managed a major acquisition; and served as integration lead for a proposed merger. Before joining VCNY, Caroline worked for eight years at Maimonides Health, where she served as SVP/CFO for Population Health, providing financial management and support to entities serving more than 600,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in Brooklyn. While at Maimonides, Caroline established and served as Executive Director of Community Care of Brooklyn IPA, Inc., a non-profit Accountable Care Organization that sustains work begun during the NYS Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, with a network of six hospitals, 5 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and community-based physician practices providing health and social services to individuals with Medicaid and/or Medicare. Before Maimonides, Caroline was the Chief Financial Officer at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children, and before that served as CFO at the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU Foundation. She served as CFO of Planned Parenthood of New York City, Inc. for five years prior to joining ACLU, and as president of Progressive Management Consultants of New York, LLC, an organization she co-founded to provide strategic planning, financial management, and executive level advisory services to hospitals, integrated delivery networks, and managed care organizations. Caroline’s prior roles included VP for Network Management at Group Health Incorporated (now Emblem Health), a New York non-profit health plan with 3 million members; SVP for Physician Integration and Managed Care Services at Saint Barnabas Health Care System (now RWJ Barnabas Health), New Jersey’s largest integrated delivery system; and as VP for Planning at Lenox Hill Hospital and Cabrini Medical Center, both based in NYC.
Caroline rejoined the Guttmacher Board in the fall of 2022, having previously completed two terms and participated as a member of the board’s executive, finance, investment, and nominating committees. She is a past president of the NY Society for Health Planning, contributed to the work of the NYC AIDS Task Force as a member of its needs and cost assessment workgroups, and served on the faculty at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, where she taught a graduate course in Health Care Financial Management. Caroline is a long-time volunteer at the Advent Community Lunch, a program providing hot meals and groceries to hungry New Yorkers in need and advocating for sustainable food access.
Caroline has an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at NYU and a BA in Economics from Wellesley College.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRACIE GREGORY GOFFE, MBA, has over 25 years of experience in the financial service industry, Tracie joined Midwest Trust in 2021 with experience as a tax accountant at Big Six accounting firms Coopers & Lybrand and Arthur Andersen, financial advisor at American Express Financial Advisors, director of client services at Buford, Dickson Harper & Sparrow, and account manager in the trust department at The Northern Trust Company. Tracie has a Master of Business Administration from Webster University and a Master of Accounting/Taxation from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
 

 

 

MARGARET HEMPEL, MPA is a distinguished leader in global philanthropy and social justice, with more than three decades of experience in strategic grantmaking, donor collaboration, and movement building. Most recently, she served for seven years as the founding Executive Director of the Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity (CGRE) and the Gender Equity Action Fund, where she led a landmark donor collaborative advancing intersectional gender and reproductive justice.
Earlier in her career, Margaret played a formative role in philanthropy as a key architect of the Ford Foundation's Reproductive Health program, serving for nine years as Director of Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice. She has also held senior leadership roles as Vice President for Programs at American Jewish World Service and at the Ms. Foundation for Women. Building on this legacy of strategic innovation, Margaret's tenure at CGRE further solidified her influence in the field. She brings deep financial acumen, strong strategic leadership, and an extensive network of philanthropic donors and advocacy partners. She successfully mobilized a powerful coalition of institutional funders and high-net-worth individuals to pool resources across both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) initiatives, strengthening the domestic sexual and reproductive health and rights ecosystem.
 

 

 

 

 

ANGELA HOOTON, JD, is a seasoned legal and policy leader with a distinguished career spanning high-level philanthropy and national advocacy. Most recently, she spent several years as a Program Officer at the Wyss Foundation, where she managed the organization's U.S. portfolio, overseeing strategic investments in social justice and democratic health.
As a policy attorney, Angela brings a rigorous legal lens to movement building. Her extensive leadership history includes running policy departments for some of the most influential organizations in the reproductive rights sector.  
Angela's expertise is uniquely comprehensive, bridging global and U.S. work with a deep understanding of how research and policy intersect to create structural change. Beyond her executive roles, she is a former board member of Ibis Reproductive Health, further grounding her perspective in governance and organizational strategy.
 

 

 

 

 

TAMARA KREININ, MHSA, serves as an advisor to both individual and foundation donors on a variety of global and US issues impacting women and young people. Of particular note is her focus on women's equity, reproductive health (RH), rights and justice, the intersection of RH and democracy and deep knowledge of the American South.
For the past eleven years, Kreinin served as the Director of the Reproductive Health Program at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation supporting work globally and throughout the US. Prior to joining the Foundation, Kreinin served as the Executive Director of Women and Population at the United Nations Foundation where she designed and implemented initiatives to improve life for women and girls globally. Kreinin began her career working at health centers that provided abortions and contraception and helped start Planned Parenthood in New Orleans.
Kreinin's experience in health and human services spans more than 25 years. She has traveled the globe as an advocate, and public policy advisor, on women's issues, often with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Throughout her career, Kreinin has been a passionate voice for social justice and social change. She has consulted in the areas of advocacy, philanthropy, fundraising, public relations, and numerous issues related to social change domestically and internationally. Kreinin is the author of "Girls Night Out" (Random House).
She holds a Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA) from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where she has also been recognized for her contributions to the field of public health administration. 
 

 

 

 

 

MUGDHA MOKASHI, MD MPH, is an obstetrics and gynecology resident at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago. Previously, she received her medical doctorate from Harvard Medical School and a master’s in public health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a proud Alabamian and her current research interests involve understanding mifepristone access in her home state. She is the former President of the Board of Directors of Medical Students for Choice and is presently on the board of URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity and Provide. She is passionate about providing compassionate, queer-inclusive reproductive health care, including abortion services.
 

 

 

 

 

KELLI A. MURRAY, JD, MBA, is a Systems and Strategic Specialist with a flair for people development and relationships. Hailing from Miami, Florida, as the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Ms. Murray has been directed by a relentless drive from an early age to both learn and serve with humility. 
Her professional career began as an attorney at a prestigious law firm and eventually evolved from direct legal practice to higher education, providing support to students and leading nonacademic financial, people and facility strategic operations in a way that felt both organic and impactful. Ms. Murray has two bachelor's degrees and an MBA from the University of Florida, and a law degree from Florida State University College of Law. She is licensed to practice law and holds a SHRM-SCP certification. Ms. Murray is keenly aware that her success is due to sacrifice and great opportunities and, as a result, she believes strongly in providing those opportunities to others.
 
 

 

 

 

 

JESSICA PINCKNEY GIL is the Executive Director at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE, an organization devoted to removing barriers to sexual and reproductive health care by providing information and practical support on all aspects of reproductive justice. She believes in a holistic approach to reproductive justice advocacy and movement building. 
Ms. Gil previously dedicated her skills and time to building relationships with congressional offices, activating communities and her own individual networks, and applying thoughtful, thorough analysis to policies and legislation through her work as Vice President of Government Affairs at In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda. Prior to that, she served as Government Relations Manager for YWCA USA, where she formed relationships with legislators and staff as principal contact to Capitol Hill to further federal priorities on racial and gender equity. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for URGE (Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity), California Abortion Alliance and SPARK! Reproductive Justice Now. Ms. Gil previously served as Co-Director of the Washington, DC, chapter of the New Leaders Council and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC, Inc.
 

 

 

 

 

FAJER SAEED EBRAHIM, JD, MSW is the Senior Policy Manager at National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF). She is a skilled legal advocate with substantial experience in organizing, policy, and legislative advocacy focused on reproductive rights and justice. Previously, as Senior Advisor at the Coalition to Expand Contraceptive Access, she cultivated impactful partnerships and led initiatives to enhance contraceptive access.
Her consultancy with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders included developing strategic recommendations to improve community services. She has collaborated closely with state advocates to champion proactive measures and combat restrictive legislation, notably on issues like abortion rights, immigrant healthcare, and campus sexual assault.
Fajer draws from her experience as a former board member of Surge Reproductive Justice, a prominent nonprofit in Washington State dedicated to advancing reproductive and racial justice. Fajer is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned a J.D. from the School of Law and a master’s in social work from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. She earned her bachelor’s degree in religion and creative Writing from Oberlin College. Fajer was born and raised in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
 
 

 

 

 

 

PAMELA SCHNEIDER is the former Executive Vice President, Operations Chief of Staff, and member of the Management Committee at Corning Incorporated. Prior to her 25-year career with Corning, Pamela was an auditor at the Raleigh, NC office of Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. from 1981 to 1986. Pamela has over 30 years' experience with accounting, financial planning and management, human resource management, and strategic leadership. 
Pamela served on not-for-profit boards in the Corning, NY area, including Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, The Alternative School for Math and Science, The Rockwell Museum of Art, and The Corning Childrens Center. In Central Florida Pamela serves as a volunteer tax preparer for the AARP Tax Aide Program. Pamela received her MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her CPA license (currently inactive) from North Carolina, a Master of Arts in Counseling from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College. Pamela retired from Corning Incorporated in 2011 and is now focused on equestrian pursuits in Central Florida.
 

 

 

 

 

NOZER SHERIAR, MD, DNB, FRCOG, FICOG, FCPS, DGO, is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist with a long-standing commitment to the advocacy and promotion of women's rights and access to safe abortion. In clinical practice for over 30 years, he practices at the Breach Candy, PD Hinduja and Holy Family hospitals in Mumbai, where he is a postgraduate teacher. Dr. Sheriar is a member of the governing boards of the Guttmacher Institute, the Centre for Catalyzing Change and the Family Planning Association of India and is a member of the Technical Advisory Group on Maternal and Child Health of the Southeast Asia Region of the WHO. He has served as a member of the governing board of Ipas and as member of the Regional Council, South Asia region, and the governing council of IPPF. 
He is Co-Chair of the Medical Advisory Panel, FPA India. He was a gold medalist at every postgraduate examination and a Young Gynecologist Awardee of Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He has been awarded the FRCOG Honoris Causa by the Royal College in acknowledgement of his support of women’s health. He has edited 15 books and is Series Editor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Perspective, a series of 10 monograms, and has contributed 75 chapters to books and 40 papers in scientific journals. He served as a member of the Scientific Committee of FIGO from 2013– 2021 and was the Scientific Chair of the XXII FIGO World Congress at Rio de Janeiro. He served as the Secretary General of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India and President of the Mumbai Obstetric and Gynecological Society. As past Chairperson of the MTP Committee, FOGSI and member of the Technical Advisory Panel, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, he participated in the amendment of the MTP Act and the development of the national comprehensive abortion care guidelines. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Dr. Ganatra Community Service Award, the Dr. Desai Excellence Award, and the Mr. and Mrs. Pandit Women's Empowerment Award. His research contributions include the Collaborative Eclampsia Trial; the Western India Trial of the Hay’s obstetric forceps; the MVA Pilot Project of the GOI, WHO and FOGSI; the FOGSI Ipas Multicentric Trial of MVA; and the CELECT study of FOGSI and MSD on contraceptive choice; and he assisted the Guttmacher Institute in the landmark prevalence study of abortion in India.
 

 

 

 

 

ALLANA WELCH, MBA, MPP, brings over a decade of experience in international development, technology, communications, and international emergency recovery/response. She most recently led the implementation of USAID's Digital Strategy, and the development of USAID's ten-year Digital Policy, which will guide how the Agency leverages technologies in their programmatic work and in support of governments and societies around the world. 
Ms. Welch was formerly the Global Director for the Principles for Digital Development, an internationally recognized set of best practices for the use of technology in development and humanitarian work. Prior to that, Ms. Welch worked on USAID’s Ebola Task Force, leveraging the use of technologies in the response and recovery efforts of the 2015–2017 West Africa Ebola outbreak. 
Through her years of experience working across the development ecosystem, Ms. Welch brings extensive relationships with major donor organizations in the development and humanitarian communities to her Board membership with Guttmacher. Ms. Welch has also published several articles and hosted her own podcast (Pulse on the Principles). She holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She previously served on the Board of Directors for Girls Health Ed, a nonprofit that invests in holistic health education for girls in the United States, Canada and Kenya.
 

 

 

 

 

CHARLES F. WESTHOFF (Emeritus), PhD, is an emeritus Professor of Demographic Studies and Sociology, Office of Population Research, Princeton University. Charles also acts as a technical advisor to the Demographic Health Surveys. He has served on the boards of the Guttmacher Institute, Population Reference Bureau, Population Communications International and the Population Resource Center. He spent a month as a scholar-in-residence at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Study and Conference Center, where he worked on projects about birth intervals in Africa and abortion in Central Asia. He also participated in an international symposium on unmet need in Kenya and presented the findings of research on abortion and contraception in the former Soviet Union in briefings at the US House of Representatives and the Senate. 
Charles is the author of numerous papers and articles, which have appeared in such journals as International Family Planning Perspectives, Demography and Sciences. His research interests include population policy, comparative fertility, family planning in developing countries and fertility surveys. Charles has long served on the Guttmacher Board, including a term as its Chair, and is a lifetime emeritus member.