Womenstake.org is the blog of the National Women's Law Center.
Read on for more information about the NWLC staff who contribute to Womenstake.org.
Jessica Agarwal is a Legal Intern working on cross-cutting issues and in-house legal representation. She is a rising 2L at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. Before going to law school, she worked in policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and as a legal assistant at a law firm in Washington, D.C. Originally from New Jersey, she graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Government.
Micole Allekotte is a Health Fellow for Health and Reproductive Rights. She holds a law degree and a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. While in school she interned with Women Organized Against Rape, the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center, and the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project. She spends her free time indulging her fantasies that she is a musical theater critic or travel book writer.
Zoe Bartholomay is an Outreach intern working on Health and Reproductive Rights issues with a focus on health care reform. She is a rising senior majoring in Public Policy and Law at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Before coming to NWLC, she worked as an intern in the House of Representatives and the Senate. She is originally from Saratoga Springs, NY and loves Arnold Palmer and swimming.
Helen Blank is Director of Leadership and Public Policy. She works to expand support for positive child care and early education experiences for children, especially low-income children. Throughout her career, Helen has been a leading advocate on behalf of children and families and has authored numerous major studies, articles, and papers on state pre-k and child care policies. Prior to joining NWLC, Helen served 24 years as the director of the Child Care and Development Division at the Children's Defense Fund, spearheading a variety of efforts for improved early learning and child care legislation. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from Hunter College of the City University of New York. In her spare time, Helen likes to cook, read, hike, and travel.
Gretchen Borchelt is Senior Counsel for Health and Reproductive Rights. She analyzes legislation and court decisions affecting reproductive rights and promotes access to contraception, including fighting against pharmacist refusals. Before joining the Center, Gretchen worked at Physicians for Human Rights and was a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow at the National Partnership for Women and Families. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School and the University of Virginia. When not delving into the intricacies of reproductive rights law, Gretchen obsesses over her Netflix queue (currently at 492 movies), fights seasickness on her parent’s sailboat, and debates the aesthetic merits of celebrity fashion with her art historian husband.
Neena Chaudhry is Senior Counsel for Education and Employment. Her work centers on litigation and advocacy to enforce and protect Title IX, primarily in the areas of athletics and sexual harassment. Prior to joining NWLC in 1997 as a Georgetown Women's Law and Public Policy Fellow, Ms. Chaudhry clerked for the Honorable Michael Daly Hawkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is a graduate of Yale Law School and the University of Maryland at College Park. In her free time, Neena loves to watch basketball, go out to eat (she thinks she missed her calling as a food critic), and fuel her obsession with all things penguin and panda.
Lisa Codispoti is Senior Counsel with the Health and Reproductive Rights Team, where she advocates on behalf of low-income women and families in the fight to achieve comprehensive, affordable health care for all. Before joining the Center, she worked with the Service Employees International Union for nearly 10 years. She earned her law degree from Albany Law School, a Master of Public Administration from SUNY Albany and a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland. She is the proud aunt of seven nieces (no nephews). Together with her husband, she enjoys spending time with their dog, trying their best not to seem so much like a scene straight out of the movie Best in Show (think: the argument in the hotel over the squeak toy).
Brigette Courtot is a Policy Analyst for Health and Reproductive Rights. She spends her days studying how health policies impact American women and advocating for improvements in the health care delivery system. Before joining NWLC, she conducted maternal and child health policy research at the Urban Institute. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and is currently pursuing an M.P.H. at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. When not consumed by the health care crisis, Brigette enjoys visiting new places, spending quality kitchen time with her partner, and curling up with a few good books.
Stephanie Drahan is the Outreach Associate for Health and Reproductive Rights. Prior to joining NWLC, Stephanie worked as the Communications Associate for the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals managing their media and policy work, and committing a significant amount of time to the reproductive health and the environment program area. Stephanie also worked as a Legislative Aide to Massachusetts State Representative Katherine Clark, and has interned and volunteered with a wide range of reproductive rights organizations. Stephanie holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies with a minor in Government from Skidmore College and a Graduate Certificate in Women and Politics and Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Stephanie’s unhealthy obsessions include trashy reality television, sports, all things pop culture, and cheese.
Joan Entmacher is Vice President for Family Economic Security. She works to increase the economic security of low-income women and their families by promoting fair tax and budget policies, a strong Social Security system, expanded access to high-quality child care, and improvements in child support enforcement and income support programs. Before joining the Center, Joan worked at the National Partnership for Women & Families, headed the Civil Rights Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, litigated cases for the U.S. Department of Labor, and taught political science at Wellesley College. Joan graduated from Wellesley College and Yale Law School. In her spare time, Joan enjoys birding, hiking, gardening — and a good mystery.
Kolbe Franklin is the Program Associate for the Education and Employment team. She received a B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont where she majored in International Studies with a concentration in Sociology/Anthropology and minored in Women’s and Gender Studies. She previously interned with the Feminist Majority Foundation as well as with the women’s rights department of the Argentinean government. When she’s not missing those gorgeous Vermont winters, she enjoys exploring D.C., debating gender theory with her friends, and watching trashy reality television.
Katherine Gallagher Robbins is a Senior Policy Analyst for the Family Economic Security team. She examines how tax and budget policies influence the financial stability and security of low-income women and families. Before joining the Center, Kate worked as an organizer for the California Public Interest Research Group in San Diego. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and graduated from the College of William and Mary. Outside of work Kate enjoys foreign travel, yoga and exploring DC on foot with her husband and dog.
Kelli Garcia is a Fellow with the Health and Reproductive Rights Team. Prior to joining NWLC, Kelli was an Oscar M. Reubhausen Fellow in Law at Yale Law School where she did research on health and employment law. She holds a law degree from Yale Law School and a PhD in psychology from UCLA. In graduate school, her research focused primarily on women’s health issues and, in addition to her degree, Kelli earned a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies. She is happy to be able to use both of her degrees in her current work on women’s health and health care reform. When not at work, she can be found chasing after her two year old daughter and eleven year old dog and plotting her eventual return to her hometown of Pleasanton, Texas, the Birthplace of the Cowboy.
Fatima Goss Graves is Vice President for Education and Employment. She focuses on barriers to the advancement of women and girls at school and in the workplace. Prior to joining NWLC, she worked as an appellate and trial litigator at Mayer Brown LLP. She began her career as a law clerk to Judge Diane P. Wood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She is a graduate of Yale Law School and the University of California at Los Angeles. When not fighting for equal opportunities in education and employment, Fatima is typically reading, jogging, playing tennis or watching reality television (although far less since she had her baby – something had to give!).
Jessica Heaven is a Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow working with the Family Economic Security team. She is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and Vanderbilt University. During law school, she participated in the Domestic Violence Clinic and completed internships with Sanctuary for Families (New York, NY) and the Sexual Assault Legal Institute (Silver Spring, MD). Prior to law school, she worked at Equal Justice Works (Washington, D.C.). Jessica enjoys reading, soccer, theater (watching or performing), playing board games with her husband, and squealing with delight over the recent rapid increase in her niece/nephew population.
Lara Kaufmann is Senior Counsel for Education and Employment. Prior to joining the Center, Lara was a Staff Attorney with the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, and before that, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago. She also was a litigator with the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, and law clerk to then-Chief Judge Marvin Aspen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Lara is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Northwestern University School of Law. When she’s not working, Lara enjoys hiking and all things outdoors, jogging, reading, going to movies, and watching HGTV (gasp!).
Dina Lassow is Senior Counsel for Education and Employment, but she also works on other issues at the Center such as contraceptive coverage and reproductive rights, especially when they involve litigation. She spends a lot of her time working on amicus briefs in the Supreme Court, which is hearing several employment discrimination cases this term. She has two daughters who love sports, and were actually interested in the Title IX work she does when she wears her education hat. Before coming to the Center, Dina worked for a couple of small firms, other non-profits, and was a trial lawyer in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. She went to Harvard/Radcliffe College and Yale Law School. If she’s not in the office, she may be out running — a habit she developed at DOJ, which, unlike the Center, is conveniently located on the Mall.
Grace Lesser is the program assistant for Health and Reproductive Rights. She provides programmatic, administrative, and research support to the Health and Reproductive rights team. Previously, she has worked on issues ranging from child health advocacy, HIV/AIDS and harm reduction programs, and the cross-cultural exchange of medical care. Grace graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Sociology and a focus on women’s health and service learning. In her best moments, she can be found outdoors, near the ocean, or eating fresh raspberries. Preferably all three at once.
Melanie Ross Levin is an Outreach Manager for the National Women’s Law Center. She spends her time working in two departments — Family and Economic Security and Education and Employment. Before joining the Center, Melanie worked in Delaware for Planned Parenthood, the State Senate and Senator Tom Carper’s 2006 reelection campaign. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware’s MPA program, and after 6 years of living in the small state, has a good appreciation for chicken farms, blue hens and everything DuPont. Good thing our office is on DuPont Circle!
Emily Martin is Vice President at the National Women’s Law Center, where she undertakes cross-cutting projects addressing women’s health, economic security, and education and employment opportunities—or anything else that doesn’t fit neatly into any other box. She also provides in-house legal advice and representation to the Center. Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Martin served as Deputy Director of the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. She also clerked for Senior Judge Wilfred Feinberg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge T.S. Ellis, III, of the Eastern District of Virginia and previously worked for the Center as a legal fellow. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Yale Law School. In her spare time, she tries to stop herself from posting too many Facebook status updates describing her two-year-old daughter’s successes on the potty. Her preferred method of aerobic exercise is reading political blogs.
Andrea Maruniak is the Program Assistant for Communications. She provides administrative support to the Communications team, assists with media relations, and helps with the organization's blog. She completed her M.A. in Journalism at the University of Missouri in May 2009 and moved to D.C. shortly thereafter. Andrea dearly misses her family and friends, but she misses little else about the Midwest. Outside of work, Andrea's favorite things are live music, cooking & learning about cuisines, and exploring her new city.
Amy Matsui is Senior Counsel. She focuses on economic security issues, including tax credits that benefit women and families and women’s retirement security. She also works on judicial nominations. Before joining NWLC, Amy had a commercial litigation and appellate practice at Farella Braun & Martel LLP in San Francisco, and clerked for the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. She attended Stanford Law School and the University of California at Berkeley. Amy taught middle-school and high-school French in the Cajun Triangle in southeastern Louisiana and 4th grade ESL in Dallas, Texas, before attending law school, and has a lifelong appreciation for accordion music.
Jill Morrison, Senior Counsel with Health and Reproductive Rights, works on religious restrictions in health care, including hospital mergers, and religiously based refusals to provide health care services. Jill says she loves her job at the Center because “nary a week goes by without me getting to say stuff in meetings that would make my parents blush.” She is delighted to report that they enthusiastically support her work, even though they refuse to talk about it in polite company.
Thao Nguyen is the Outreach Manager for Health and Reproductive Rights. She manages the outreach efforts for the Center’s work on women and health care. Previously, Thao managed the policy and advocacy work at different HIV/AIDS and environmental organizations. Her education has mainly come from her random traveling experiences, which includes sharing a truck with ducks around Vietnam and getting caught playing hide-and-seek in the House of Lords during off hours. She also received a BA in English Literature from the University of California, Irvine and an MA in Human Rights Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Thao spends her free time espousing the marvels of Ebay.
Valerie Norton is a Public Policy Fellow, dividing her time between the Family Economic Security Department and the Education and Employment Department. Originally from the Bay Area, she received her BA in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley, where she completed a senior thesis on the political travails of the 1996 welfare reform legislation. Prior to joining NWLC, Valerie worked on housing policy and legislative affairs for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a DC think tank focused on research and advocacy on behalf of low income families, and interned for Senator Dianne Feinstein on Capitol Hill. An avid West Wing fan, she loves living and working in the political hub that is DC. When not working, she enjoys spending time with friends, exploring the East Coast, reading, cooking, playing sports, and rooting for her Golden Bears.
Reggie Oldak is Senior Counsel for Family Economic Security, with particular focus on taxes and the federal budget. Before joining NWLC, she worked for the IRS and then in private practice on issues affecting the taxation of nonprofit organizations. She is the immediate past president of the Montgomery County (MD) Commission for Women and has worked extensively with local and state government representatives and community leaders in Maryland to advocate for issues central to the concerns of women and families. A graduate of Smith College and the Georgetown University Law Center, Reggie has been active in politics and in 2006 won the endorsement of The Washington Post when she ran for (and almost won!) a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.
Nicole Oxendine, Director of Outreach, joined the Center in July 2007, to direct the Center’s outreach activities. Prior to joining the Center, Nicole ran a strategic planning and outreach consulting firm. For the Smithsonian Museum’s National Museum of the American Indian, she managed strategic planning and creative content for the museum’s Public Programs with museum directors, senior curators, and expert advisors. For nine years, Nicole was a Senior Policy Associate for the Children’s Defense Fund’s Child Care Division, where she conducted research on key early learning issues, organized grassroots constituency advocacy and outreach efforts, and designed the Emerging Leaders Project, a selective fellowship for early education professionals. She has a B.A. from Hunter College in Urban Policy and Planning.
Rachel Peck is a Fellow with the Family Economic Security team and focuses on issues affecting low-income women, such as unemployment insurance. She also works on judicial nominations. She has long been interested in these issues. In law school, she took part in the Public Justice Advocacy Clinic and was a law fellow at the Senate Judiciary Committee. Rachel graduated from The George Washington University Law School and received her BA from Tufts University. Before law school Rachel worked in politics. Her travels across the country to campaign for her candidates included a stint in Iowa for the presidential caucuses. She thanks her mother for inspiring her to care about women’s issues and politics, and thinks that all of the meetings and events her mom dragged her to as a child really paid off. When she is not at work, she enjoys trying new cupcake stores, watching baseball and taking her nephews out for treats.
Rio Romero is the Program Assistant for Family Economic Security. She mainly focuses on providing support for issues related to early care and education and family income and poverty. A graduate of The University of Texas, she earned a B.A. in Sociology, B.S. in Human Development, and interdisciplinary minor in Social Inequality, Health, & Policy. Prior to her role at NWLC, she worked as Research and Policy Coordinator at the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition, a housed-project of Children’s Defense Fund. As an early childhood advocate, she had the opportunity to travel across urban and rural areas of Texas and work with child care providers and low-income families. In addition to her research experience in early education, she also has a passion for minority policy issues. While in Texas, she was involved in immigrant rights organizations, especially relating to young children and students. As a newbie to D.C., Rio enjoys reminiscing about all things Austin, running, staking out Greek and Asian hole-in-the-wall eateries, social documentaries, and cheering on her UT Longhorns.
Karen Schulman is a Senior Policy Analyst in NWLC’s Family Economic Security division. She researches and writes about child care and early education policies. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Williams College and her Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Duke University. Prior to joining NWLC, she worked at the Children’s Defense Fund. She enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews and is glad they will grow up thinking there is nothing unusual about a woman being Speaker of the House or running for President.
Kavitha Sivashanker is a Fellow with the Education and Employment team. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Northwestern University. During law school, she participated in the Mediation Clinic, and was a summer associate in the New York Office of Latham & Watkins LLP. Prior to law school, she did a Fulbright Fellowship in Kyoto, Japan, where she researched women’s employment and gender equality issues. When she’s not working, Kavitha enjoys playing tennis, exploring DC with her friends, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen in an attempt to emulate Top Chef.
Emily Stark is a Health and Reproductive Rights Fellow. She has a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and a B.A. in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought from Amherst College. She is currently trying to decide upon a color scheme for an apartment redecoration project, wants to learn to play the banjo, and looks forward to the Washington Nationals someday having a winning season.
Megan Tackney is the Program Associate for the Outreach team, providing programmatic, technical, and administrative support. She has formerly served as a consultant for the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), in addition to being an advocate in her local women’s crisis center. She touts activism and unbounded passion as essential parts of her life. That and chocolate after every meal. Megan holds a B.A. in International Affairs with a concentration in International Development from George Washington University.
Val Vilott is the Outreach Associate for the Family Economic Security and Education and Employment teams. Prior to joining the Center, Val worked as a National Campus Organizer at the Feminist Majority Foundation and held internships with the Center for Health and Gender Equity and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. She graduated with honors from the George Washington University in 2008, where she studied International Affairs and Women’s Studies. Outside of the office, Val enjoys photography, activism, and sharing factoids about her home state of Oklahoma (birthplace of the shopping cart and parking meter).
Julie Vogtman is Counsel for the Family Economic Security Program at the National Women’s Law Center. She works on a range of issues involving economic support for low-income women and their families, including child support, unemployment benefits, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Before joining NWLC, Julie was an associate with Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Furman University and Georgetown University Law Center. Julie lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and two dogs.
Judy Waxman is Vice President and Director of Health and Reproductive Rights. She pioneers advocacy, policy and educational strategies to promote the quality and availability of health care, including reproductive choice, for American women. Prior to joining NWLC, Judy served for over a decade as Deputy Executive Director at Families USA, where she worked to achieve high quality, affordable health and long-term care for all Americans and was a leader on grassroots and activities on Medicaid, Medicare and other health care access legislative issues. She holds a law degree from American University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami in Florida. Even though Judy never actually burned her lingerie, she was dubbed "Judy Waxperson" by her law school friends and professors in the 1970's anyway.
Former Womenstake Contributors:
Adrienne Ammerman was the Communications Manager for Health and Reproductive Rights issues. Prior to joining NWLC, Adrienne was responsible for marketing and communications at Bread for the City, a DC-based direct service non-profit; was a fellow at a women’s health non-profit in New Delhi, India; and was an advocate for domestic violence survivors at the Brooklyn Criminal Court. Adrienne graduated with a BA in gender & sexuality from the New School in New York City, and is currently an MA candidate at Johns Hopkins University. Among other things, Adrienne appreciates large mugs, baking muffins, recreational bicycling, pick-your-own farms, and all things vintage.
Arlene Brens was a Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow. She worked in NWLC's Family Economic Security section focusing on issues relating to child care and tax and budget policies. Arlene also worked on judicial nominations. Prior to joining NWLC, Arlene clerked for Chief Judge Fernando J. Gaitan Jr. in the United States District Court, Western District of Missouri. Arlene is a graduate of Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington and Syracuse University. She enjoys reading non-fiction books, traveling to different countries, cooking, and watching plays.
Cristina Begoña Martin Firvida was Director of Government Affairs and Senior Counsel at NWLC. Prior to joining NWLC in 1997, Cristina clerked for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and was a Georgetown Law School Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow. She is a graduate of Cornell Law School and Yale University. When not watching C-SPAN, Cristina watches college basketball. Cristina is a proud but disenfrachised resident of Washington D.C., where she lives with her husband and young son.
Katie Carroll was a Communications Intern. She recently graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA, with a BA in journalism and a minor in public relations. Although she has always wanted to pursue a career where she could follow her dream to be a pop culture writer, she is currently exploring opportunities to get involved in social justice and environmental improvement efforts. While in school she worked as an apprentice for the Innocence Institute of Point Park University, an organization that uses investigative journalism to highlight injustices in the criminal justice system in Pittsburgh. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her sister and friends. Preferably outside near a body of water.
Debra Eichenbaum was a Legal Intern for Education and Employment. She is a law student at Boston College Law School. Prior to attending law school Debra worked at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism where she specialized in First Amendment church-state separation policy, education, and international religious freedom. She holds a BA in International and Global Studies and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. In her free time Debra enjoys sampling frozen yogurt and experimenting with the various toppings that have proliferated as of late.
Kinara Flagg was a legal intern in Family and Economic Security. She is a student at Columbia Law School. Before entering law school, Kinara worked at Homes for the Homeless, New York City’s largest family shelter provider, where she procured funding for educational programs for homeless women and children. If she’s not at work or at school, Kinara is probably saluting the sun or at home with her two French cats named Anouk and Guillaume.
Kristina Gupta was a Policy Fellow, and divided her time between the Family Economic Security Department and the Education and Employment Department. Originally from Los Angeles, she received her BA from Georgetown University and her MA in Women’s and Gender Studies from Rutgers University. Kristina and her husband spend their free time planning their next trip and blogging about Indian restaurants. Kristina is grateful to Imus for raising the profile of Rutgers, an excellent and affordable state university. Go Scarlet Knights!
Paige Herwig was a Liman Fellow on the Health and Reproductive Rights team. She did legal research and advocacy on pharmacy refusals, insurance coverage for contraception, and other issues affecting women’s reproductive rights. She is a graduate of Yale Law School and Yale College. She likes living in Washington but misses her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, very much.
Lauren Hunter was an Outreach Intern. She will graduate from Yale College with a BA in Political Science and from the Yale School of Public Health with an MPH in Health Policy. Her favorite things include Omaha, her friends and family, the sun, intelligent public policy, and Harry Potter.
Andrea Irwin was a Law Fellow for Health and Reproductive Rights. She advocated for improved access to health care for low-income women and conducts research on a vast array of reproductive health issues. During law school, Andrea was a student attorney in the Women and the Law Clinic and worked at the Alliance for Justice and NARAL Pro-Choice America on federal judicial nominations. She graduated from the American University Washington College of Law and Bates College. She devotes her spare time to reading for her feminist book club and attending country music concerts, but admits that it takes two very different sets of friends to keep up with both.
Julia Kaye was a Health Policy Associate on the Health and Reproductive Rights team. She worked primarily on issues relating to Medicaid and health care reform, but was technically responsible for "a little o' this, a little o’ that." She holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies from Barnard College and formerly worked as a consultant for the National Institute for Reproductive Health’s Adolescent Health Care Communication Program. She enjoys playing capoeira, drawing, making exceptionally delicious salads, and proclaiming the merits of New Jersey as often as possible.
Catherine Kruse was an undergraduate intern in the Outreach Department. She is a student at Washington and Lee University, and hopes to graduate with a major in Psychology and English, and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She hopes to go to law school, work in public policy to improve the lives of women everywhere, and retire to a small sheep farm. She spends her free time playing Rumikub and reading Walden.
Jessica Lauredan was an intern with NWLC's Outreach Department. A senior at Rutgers University in New Jersey, she hopes to enter law school in the D.C. area after receiving a B.A. in Journalism and Media Studies. A self-proclaimed fashionista, she spends her free time (and entirely too much money) shopping and traveling the world.
Natalie Monkou was a Communications Intern at the National Women's Law Center. As a senior English major at the University of Maryland, she is both excited and nervous about her upcoming graduation in May. When she isn’t attending classes, working, or applying to graduate school, Natalie enjoys experimenting with new recipes, catching up on political news, and spending time with family and friends.
Dina Morad was the Outreach Manager, Health and Reproductive Rights at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, DC. Prior to joining NWLC she consulted on adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues, advocated for human rights, and has remained committed to reproductive rights. Dina is originally from Pakistan and continues to be dedicated to sexual health issues surrounding the Asian Subcontinent. She has an MSc in Reproductive and Sexual Health Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a BA from Mount Holyoke College.
Chad Newcomb was an Analyst in NWLC's Family Economic Security Program. As his title suggests, he analyzed data on a variety of issues that affect the ability of women and their families to make ends meet, with particular emphasis on taxes, retirement security, and the federal budget. Prior to joining NWLC, Chad worked at the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Policy of the Social Security Administration. He received a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota. When not blogging or crunching numbers, Chad enjoys a good scone and an Anthony Trollope novel.
Ellen Newcomb was the program assistant for Health and Reproductive Rights. She provided administrative and research support to the Health and Reproductive Rights team. She holds a BA in Government from Colby College and previously interned for Congresswoman Lois Capps. While she loves DC and its restaurants and nightlife, she very much misses her friends in Boston and her family in Santa Barbara. Also, she loves pancakes. And waffles.
Rose O'Malley was a program assistant for the Family Economic Security team. She has a BA in politics from the Catholic University of America, where she also studied German, English, Philosphy and Religion. Obviously, she is a huge nerd. When she’s not working she enjoys reading comic books, obsessively analyzing television shows, and indulging in all things science fiction.
Golda Philip was a Health Fellow on the Health and Reproductive Rights team. She works on a variety of issues involving women in health care reform. After graduating from Stanford with a degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology, she worked on immigration policy at the National Immigration Project in Boston. She then completed a dual law degree and Masters in Public Health from Northeastern University School of Law and Tufts School of Medicine. As a law student, Golda worked at the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal District Court of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Refugee and Immigrant Health Program. She loves to make art (photos, films, food) and explore new things (people, places, ideas).
Amy Quinn was Senior Policy Analyst for Family Economic Security. Prior to joining the Center, she served as a consultant on the Africa Early Childhood Care and Development Initiative at the World Bank. Amy is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Senegal (2005-2007) and has also worked as a Research Assistant at Mathematica Policy Research and as an intern at the Women’s Law Project and the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. She earned her Master of Public Policy at Georgetown University in 2009 and her A.B. in Sociology at Bryn Mawr College in 2002. In her free time, Amy enjoys studying languages, especially Pulaar, a language that is widely spoken in West Africa.
Jenifer Rajkumar was a fellow in health and reproductive rights. Prior to joining the National Women’s Law Center, she litigated class action and whistleblower lawsuits at a civil rights firm. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and the University of Pennsylvania. While at Stanford Law, she worked at the ACLU Women’s Rights Project and in the international women’s human rights program of the Center for Reproductive Rights. She has also worked in domestic violence legal services at Sanctuary for Families. In her spare time, Jenifer serves on the board of the Women’s Information Network (WIN), raising money and planning activities to create the next generation of pro-choice democratic women leaders.
Rachel Rebouche was a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow. She worked on judicial nominations and in the Family Economic Security section. Before joining NWLC, Rachel clerked for Justice Kate O’Regan on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and worked for Ibis Reproductive Health, Johannesburg. She attended Harvard Law School and Trinity University. Rachel worked for the Human Rights Commission in Northern Ireland and Queen’s University, Belfast before law school. She likes rock and/or roll.
Robin Reed was NWLC’s Online Outreach Manager. She worked on the organization’s blog and other online communications. A graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., Robin previously worked at the Human Rights Campaign and the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights. In her off time, Robin enjoys reading, writing, and consuming pop culture.
Mary Robbins was the Program Associate for Communications. She kept track of news coverage with mentions of NWLC and provided administrative support to the Communications team. She graduated from University of Maryland with a degree in journalism and is a self-proclaimed "news junkie." When she isn’t working, she enjoys being outside and making her three favorite foods: baked ziti, Denver chocolate pudding cake, and macaroni and cheese.
Jocelyn Samuels was Vice President for Education and Employment. She focuses on barriers to the advancement of women and girls at school and in the workplace. Prior to joining NWLC, Jocelyn was Labor Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and she also worked for a decade as a senior policy attorney at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she specialized in issues of sex and race discrimination. Jocelyn is confident that with the help of Title IX and a little athletic talent, she could have been a star in a wholly different realm of courts.
Diana Santos was a law clerk for the Health and Reproductive Rights team. She conducted research on a broad range of issues affecting women’s access to reproductive health services including pharmacy refusals and health care provider mergers. She is a law student at American University, the Washington College of Law and a graduate of the University of Rochester. As a second year law student she worked as a student attorney in the Women and the Law Clinic and as an intern for Judge Beck of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She enjoys traveling, learning foreign languages, and bike-riding through Rock Creek Park.
Darsana Srinivasan was a Fellow on the Health and Reproductive Rights team. She worked primarily on issues affecting women’s reproductive rights, including legal research on increasing access to emergency contraception and insurance coverage of prescription contraceptives. She graduated with a degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, and from Yale Law School. Darsana loves knitting and is grateful that Washington in winter is still cold enough to wear warm things made with sticks and string — unlike her hometown in Southern California.
Becca Stanger was an intern in the Outreach Department. She was a junior at Stanford University majoring in American Studies and Human Biology. Like any idealistic college student, she aspires to save the world after graduation. How exactly she will go about accomplishing this, however, remains to be determined (Law school will most likely be involved). In the meantime, she enjoys pretending to be an indie snob, procrastinating homework with crosswords, and writing horrible email poetry.
Amanda Stone was a Fellow in the Health and Reproductive Rights Department of the National Women’s Law Center. She is a 2009 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, as well as a 2004 graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University. She has a passion for women’s advocacy. To this end, she has worked as an intern at the Pace Women’s Justice Center in White Plains, NY, as well as at the Georgetown Law Domestic Violence Clinic in Washington, DC, in order to assist women who suffer from domestic violence in obtaining orders of protection. In her free time, Amanda enjoys reading novels, spending time with friends, and walking all over the city. Her favorite topic of conversation is her adorable nephew, Toby!
Jen Swedish was a Health Law Fellow at the National Women’s Law Center. Jen worked on a variety of issues as part of the Health and Reproductive Rights group, including state and federal legislation affecting women’s reproductive rights, access to contraception, and health care reform. She co-authored the Center’s report, Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women. Before joining the Center, Jen served as a law clerk for the Honorable Martha Craig Daughtrey on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Nashville, TN. She is a graduate of Brown University and Northwestern University School of Law.
Katrina Tsukuda was an Outreach Intern at the National Women's Law Center. Soon she will be graduating as a Politics major from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduating, Katrina plans on attending graduate school for an MA in International Conflict Studies and joining the Peace Corps. During her spare time, she likes to bake vegan desserts, hike, oil paint, and attend indie rock shows.
Christie Turner was the MARGARET Fund Fellow with the Education and Employment team, where she works on issues related to employment discrimination and Title IX. Originally from the great state of New Hampshire, Christie recently graduated from law school at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to law school, Christie worked at the Federal Trade Commission for three years. Although it’s good to be back on the east coast, Christie misses Texas barbeque and the great Austin music scene.
Candace Webb was an Outreach Manager for Health and Reproductive Rights. She managed the Center’s outreach, advocacy, partnership development, and grassroots/grasstops mobilization around policy, legislative issues, and court decisions related to women's health and reproductive rights. Before joining the Center, she was a program associate at AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth, and Families; conducted women’s health research at the University of South Florida; and served on the Advocates for Youth National Young Women of Color Leadership Council. Candace received her Master of Public Health degree in maternal and child health from the University of South Florida and a BS in health education and anthropology from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). She enjoys exploring new places, people and ideas; salsa dancing; movie-watching; musical theater; and as a Floridian living in the D.C. area –- experiencing all four seasons.
Taryn Wilgus Null was a MARGARET Fund Fellow with the Education and Employment team. She worked on issues related to Title IX and employment discrimination against women. Taryn is a graduate of Stanford University, where she studied History, and the University of Michigan Law School. Before law school, she worked for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. In her spare time, Taryn enjoys reading fiction, bicycling, cooking, and spending time with her husband and their cats, Moses and Arthur.
Has the WLC considered adding housing access to this blog?
Posted by: Susan M. | May 11, 2007 at 09:08 PM
Aunt Jill, You're a Boss!!
Posted by: Jada Brown | May 11, 2007 at 12:33 AM