Speakers: Breakout Sessions #2

Team-Building as Leadership Pipeline Development (Chapter Strategy Track)

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Facilitator: Ethan Stein

Scholars Strategy Network

Stein is Director of Chapters at the Scholars Strategy Network, where he helps connect scholars with policymakers and community leaders. With experience in community organizing and education, he is dedicated to expanding opportunity through public engagement and learning.

The Abortion Attention Deficit

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Facilitator: Lisa Hernandez

Scholars Strategy Network

Lisa Hernandez is Senior Reproductive Health & Rights Associate at the Scholars Strategy Network. She is responsible for connecting reproductive health, rights and justice scholars and their research to civic organizations and policymakers at the federal, state and local levels across the U.S.

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Tarina Keene

REPRO Rising Virginia

Keene has led REPRO Rising Virginia (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia) as the organization's executive director since 2008. She is on the Executive Committee for Virginians for Reproductive Freedom, which is leading the charge to pass the Virginia Constitutional Amendment for Reproductive Freedom in 2026.

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Krystal Leaphart

Guttmacher Institute

Leaphart is a Senior Policy Associate for State Partnerships at Guttmacher and an award-winning organizer and strategist. She brings more than a decade of experience in legislative advocacy and grassroots activism to build power toward a world that is equitable for all people, especially Black women and girls.

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Carolette Norwood

Howard University

Norwood is Professor of Sociology at Howard University. She is a Black feminist sociologist whose research focuses on the impact of various forms of violence on reproductive and sexual health injustice for Black women, particularly at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and space.

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Sofia Resnick

Stateline

Resnick has worked as a National Reproductive Rights Reporter since 2023. Previously, she worked as a freelance reporter and editor, as an investigative reporter for Rewire News Group and the American Independent, and as a copy editor for the Austin Chronicle.

Engaging Lawmakers on Affordability Issues

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Facilitator: Jessica Thompson

Scholars Strategy Network

Thompson is a Senior Policy Associate at Scholars Strategy Network, where she collaborates with scholars to connect and strengthen engagement with policymakers and advocates. Before joining SSN, Thompson spent more than eight years working as a legislative staffer for Congress.

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Sen. Jennifer B. Boysko

Virginia State Senate

Senator Boysko represents the 38th District in the Virginia State Senate. She serves on the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee and champions pro-business and progressive causes. Prior to being elected, her career included public service and community organizing.

Economic Security Project

McCarthy leads campaign communications for the Economic Security Project. She manages media relations, narrative strategy, and content development on issue advocacy campaigns, including healthcare and tax reform.

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Ellen Nissenbaum

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Nissenbaum is a Senior Advisor to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' president and a senior member of the Government Affairs team. She leads the Center's work on tax and nutrition policy, including a fair and sustainable revenue system, tax credits, and vital anti-hunger programs such as SNAP and WIC.