Occupation: Cofounder and Executive Director, ICAN!
City: Chicago, IL
With more than 20 years leading social change organizations, I have built expertise in reproductive health policy, nonprofit leadership, and public-private partnerships. Much of what I know about fundraising, marketing, strategy, and financial management has been learned through experience. I have considered pursuing an MBA for years, knowing it could strengthen my leadership and expand my impact, but I never felt I could step away from the work. Chicago Booth’s Part-Time MBA program at Chicago Booth means that I don't have to.
Recent federal policy changes have decimated reproductive health care access for already vulnerable communities. Unable to access basic care, women are more likely to experience unwanted pregnancy, pregnancy-related health risks, aggravation of underlying health conditions, and difficulties finding accessible and affordable health care providers. In this environment, my work with Implementing Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!) to transform how reproductive health care is paid for, delivered, and accessed has become more critical than ever.
As a tireless advocate for health care access, I am unrelenting in finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Though I have gained expertise in nonprofit finance and fundraising, Medicaid policy, and reproductive health care delivery, Booth classes will provide a much-needed opportunity for me to formally learn business fundamentals and evidence-based approaches, with a concentration in health care that will allow me to lead as an executive director and board member in an extraordinarily challenging time for the field of reproductive health.