Equality Now, in partnership with The OpEd Project and Senior Advisor Ann MacDougall, are delighted to announce the 2024 cohort of the Public Voices Fellowship on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls.
This US-based fellowship is part of The OpEd Project’s Public Voices initiative to change who writes history and Equality Now’s mission to create a just world for all women and girls.
Selected from an impressive pool of highly qualified applicants residing across the United States, our fellows come from a variety of backgrounds, bringing with them a wealth of experience and unique perspectives encompassing a broad range of disciplines.
During a transformative year-long program, these individuals will receive expert guidance, mentorship, and the tools necessary to effectively communicate their ideas through the influential medium of opinion writing. Through their knowledge and voices, they will advance fresh ideas to strengthen the rights of women and girls.
We invite you to join us in congratulating the 2024 class of the Public Voices Fellowship on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls and stay tuned to witness the impact of their collective voices as they challenge systemic barriers and help to create a more equitable future for all women and girls.
Dr. A. Renée Bergstrom (she/her)
Retired educator and FGM survivor activist
Dr. A. Renée Bergstrom is a survivor activist working to end female genital mutilation (FGM). She is a retired patient education specialist who taught classes and developed curriculum and educational resources at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Renée is faculty with the Academy of Communication in Healthcare and a reviewer for the Journal of Patient Experience. She was part of the Communication in Healthcare faculty in the Mayo Program in Professionalism and Ethics, and an adjunct professor in Winona State University’s Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies.
Once a year, Renée shares her lived experience of FGM with Mayo medical students in Obstetrics and gynecology studies, counseling them on how to interact with patients who have undergone the procedure. Renée collaborated with a young Somali woman, Filsan Nur Ali, to develop a bilingual brochure for infibulated pregnant Somali women to give to their healthcare providers early in their pregnancies to help plan labor and delivery and prevent unnecessary C-Sections.
Renée serves on the Advisory Council for Sahiyo, a non-profit organization working to end FGM. In October 2021, she received the Survivor Activist award from the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation.
You can follow Renée on LinkedIn.
Dr. Adanna Chukwuma (she/her)
Senior Director, Global Impact Measurement, Visa
Dr. Adanna Chukwuma is Senior Director for Global Impact Measurement at Visa, where she uses data science and strategy to drive alignment of programs and projects with digital payment growth and financial inclusion for women and small businesses.
Previously, Adanna served as a senior economist at the World Bank Group, where she advised senior policymakers and brokered national health reforms in Armenia and Romania. She is an Aspen First Mover Fellow, an associate editor on the board of the Health Systems and Reform journal, a recipient of the Future Awards Africa Prize for Public Service, and a National Community Service Awardee of the Nigerian President.
Adanna holds a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Nigeria, a Master of Science from the University of Oxford, and a Doctor of Science from Harvard University.
You can follow Adanna on X @adanna_dr and LinkedIn.
Ansa Noreen (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer, Empowerment Square
Ansa Noreen is a visionary leader and advocate dedicated to anti-trafficking and survivor empowerment. Originally from Pakistan, Ansa was a successful entrepreneur before being betrayed by a Pakistani-American suitor who trafficked her into exploitation in New York City under the guise of marriage.
Emerging from exploitation, Ansa’s experience was the catalyst for her setting up Empowerment Square, an organization that provides comprehensive support to survivors of human trafficking. Drawing from her personal journey, Ansa infuses her leadership with empathy and an unyielding belief in positive change.
In addition to her pivotal role at Empowerment Square, Ansa is a sought-after speaker and educator. She conducts trainings, workshops, and consultations on human trafficking for professionals, community members, and state and federal agencies. Ansa’s expertise extends to areas such as red flag indicators, vulnerabilities, and the intricate legal landscape surrounding human trafficking.
You can follow Ansa on X @AnsaNoreen and LinkedIn.
Aurea Bolaños Perea (she/her)
Strategic Communications Director, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights
Aurea Bolaños Perea is the Strategic Communications Director at the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), where she works to raise awareness of COLOR’s work and the importance of Latine voices in the reproductive justice movement.
She is a passionate reproductive justice advocate and storyteller with almost a decade’s experience in political science. Her work encompasses organizing actions for racial and gender justice, training and coaching elected leaders, and speaking publicly on issues such as abortion rights, language justice, and women’s empowerment.
Aurea was raised in Mexico before moving to the U.S. at the age of 13. She is the co-host of Mujeres de COLOR, the country’s only Spanish-language Reproductive Justice radio show. She also sits on advisory boards to advance language justice and advocacy in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement.
You can follow Aurea on X @aurea_bolanosp and LinkedIn.
Ciera Blehm (she/her)
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Survivor Fund Hub
Ciera Blehm is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Survivor Fund Hub, the first nonprofit in the U.S. to provide flexible financial care to college student survivors of sexual violence.
At 19, after witnessing firsthand the gaps that exist within universities surrounding support for college student survivors, Ciera was driven to create a better solution. Her work focuses on supporting survivor joy and resilience while raising awareness about the unjust costs of sexual violence.
Ciera’s mission is to transform personal trauma into collective empowerment, inspiring a more just and compassionate world. Her philosophy is simple: access to financial care should be easy for survivors, helping them to reclaim joy in their lives.
With degrees in Finance and Socio-Legal Studies from the University of Denver, Ciera combines business expertise with a passion for advocacy centered around human dignity. Her research focuses on the intersections between socioeconomic policy, inequalities, prevention education, and power-based sexual violence. Recognized as part of the Clinton Foundation’s inaugural fellowship program, she is dedicated to making survivor care accessible.
You can follow Ciera on LinkedIn.
Emily Reid (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer, AI4ALL
Emily Reid is the Chief Executive Officer of AI4ALL, a nonprofit working to increase diversity and inclusion in artificial intelligence. She is a dynamic leader in AI education and responsible AI, and is dedicated to promoting diversity and responsible AI frameworks in the tech industry.
Emily was the founding Director of Education at Girls Who Code, leading a team that taught over 30,000 girls to code and trained over 2,000 computer science educators. Prior to this, she was a Senior Cyber Security Engineer at the MITRE Corporation, and has published research in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Emily is passionate about making AI work for humans and believes that AI should be created by an ethics-informed, representative workforce. She is democratizing pathways to AI careers and creating opportunities for historically excluded AI changemakers. With a focus on impact and responsible AI, she is leading the charge to cultivate a new generation of AI Changemakers who will steer AI in the right direction.
Emily holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University and a B.S. in Mathematics from Tufts University.
You can follow Emily on LinkedIn.
Francesca Uriri (she/her)
Founder, Leading Ladies Africa (LLA)
Francesca Uriri is a gender equality and women empowerment advocate who works at the intersection of equity, social impact, and international development. She is the Founder of Leading Ladies Africa (LLA) — a women-led, women-focused community organization and non-profit, which works to advance gender equality and equity by building capacity and empowering African women and girls.
LLA has directly impacted 30,000 women, and 12,000 girls, and reached over 180 communities in Africa. Through its content and targeted storytelling, the organization is providing its community of over 300,000 African women and girls with the tools and skills required to challenge gender and societal norms in order to advance themselves in their careers, businesses, and leadership roles.
Francesca’s vision is to see a just world where African women and girls have equal opportunities, and access to meaningful and impactful lives unhindered by systemic, cultural, religious, and political barriers.
In addition, Francesca is a corporate and inclusive communications leader with 17 years of demonstrated experience and impact in leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), sustainability, and policy communications. She currently serves as the Communications Lead and Advisor for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Product Equity at Meta (formerly Facebook), where she’s responsible for developing and implementing strategic communications programs and campaigns to advance Meta’s Equity, Diversity, and ESG efforts.
Francesca was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent for her outstanding contributions and service towards the advancement for people of African descent worldwide. She’s also a writer and has published several non-fiction and fiction pieces — published on local and international media platforms.
You can follow Francesca on LinkedIn.
Professor Ibtissam Bouachrine (she/her)
Professor, Smith College; Faculty Associate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University
Ibtissam Bouachrine is a professor at Smith College and a Faculty Associate with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Trained as a medievalist, she adopts a comparative cultural studies approach to the study of the premodern and contemporary societies of Iberia, Africa, and the Middle East.
She has authored two books on women and gender in Muslim-majority countries: Women and Islam: Myths, Apologies, and the Limits of Feminist Critique (2014)and Anthem of Misogyny (2022). Her current research interest lies at the intersection of technology, ethics, law, and women and girls’ human rights in Muslim-majority societies.
From 2022 to 2023, she was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Rebooting Social Media, where she began working on her current book project tentatively titled, “The Digital Lives of Muslim Women.”
Ibtissam’s research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University, and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa. Previously, she was a visiting scholar at the Center for European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University.
In 2023, she was awarded a prestigious residency from The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, in Bellagio, Italy, as well as an Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.
You can follow Ibtissam on X @ibouachr
Dr. Jane Ebot-Bish (she/her)
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Career Elevation Academy
Dr. Jane O. Ebot-Bish is the CEO and Founder of the Career Elevation Academy. As a distinguished global health and data professional, she is deeply committed to advancing the rights and well-being of individuals and communities globally.
Jane holds over 12 years of experience in crafting and executing impactful strategies across diverse sectors including health, education, vaccines, non-communicable diseases, and gender equality. Her expertise lies in leading global health programs, driving informed decision-making, enhancing patient outcomes, and optimizing operational efficiency.
She has spearheaded numerous projects in collaboration with UNICEF, GAVI, the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, USAID, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, the Gates Institute, and various governments and civil societies across 20 countries and over 180 cities. Additionally, she has trained over 400 public sector executives to incorporate equitable and good-quality data management practices and systems into their public health initiatives.
Jane was listed among the “Top 20 Female Disruptors” by the NYC Journal and has been featured on the CW Network. She is also a published author in several academic journals.
You can follow Jane on LinkedIn.
Jiyoo Chang (she/her)
Program Lead, Partnership on AI (PAI)
Jiyoo Chang is a Program Lead at Partnership on AI (PAI), where she leads the Inclusive Research & Design program. Her current work focuses on developing participatory design methodologies to incorporate diverse perspectives into AI development and governance.
Through collaborative efforts with experts from academia, industry, government, and civil society, she facilitates multistakeholder discourse and translates insights into actionable recommendations, tools, and guidelines.
Before joining PAI, Jiyoo contributed to AI transparency research by investigating best practices for machine learning documentation and collaborated with various AI organizations to pilot implementation projects.
Her interest in the ethics of emerging technologies grew while working on health equity issues in precision medicine at UCSF where she developed resources and software tools to increase access to genomic sequencing technology for non-English speaking, underserved communities.
Jiyoo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Dartmouth College.
You can follow Jiyoo on LinkedIn.
Lilah Drafts-Johnson (she/her)
Gender-Based Violence Education and Prevention Consultant
Lilah Drafts-Johnson is an educator, writer, and researcher at the intersection of sport and gender-based violence. She is currently working with the Aspen Institute Sports and Society Program to improve youth access to sports and physical activity. In addition, she develops and facilitates workshops on sensitive topics like healthy relationships, consent, and mental health for diverse populations throughout the sports industry.
Lilah was a four-time All-American and Division III NCAA Champion in the 400m hurdles and coached collegiate track and field before shifting focus to gender-based violence-prevention work.
In 2023, she earned her MA in Physical Cultural Studies and Kinesiology from the University of Maryland, where her research focused on the formulation and efficacy of domestic/sexual violence policies in professional sports. Prior to that, she managed the bilingual education and prevention components of Major League Baseball’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy.
Lilah has presented her research at several national conferences, including those hosted by the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, the Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium, and the University of Delaware’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence. Her work has been published in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues.
You can follow on X @lilahdj and LinkedIn.
Mariya Taher (she/her)
Co-founder and U.S. Executive Director, Sahiyo
Mariya Taher is the co-founder and U.S. Executive Director of Sahiyo, a transnational organization dedicated to empowering Asian and other communities to end female genital cutting (FGC).
Mariya has fifteen years of experience in gender-based violence (GBV), spanning teaching, research, policy, program development, and direct service. Before co-founding Sahiyo in 2015, she worked with several organizations working against domestic violence, including Asian Women’s Shelter, Jane Doe Inc., Saheli, and W.O.M.A.N. Inc.
She has been instrumental in raising awareness of FGC in the U.S., serving on the steering committee for the U.S. End FGM/C Network, aiding in the passage of state policies addressing FGC, and consulting on the 2021 Department Of Justice Office on Violence Against Women project addressing FGC.
Mariya received the Human Rights Storytellers Award (2018) from the Muslim American Leadership Alliance for her innovative use of storytelling to end FGC. In 2022, she served as a program strategist for SOAR’s transformative storytelling project for South Asian survivors of GBV.
In 2023, L’Oreal Paris USA honored Mariya with the Women of Worth Award, recognizing her as one of the top ten female nonprofit leaders.
You can follow Mariya on X @mariyataher83 and Linkedin.
Mathangi Swaminathan (she/her)
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Parity Lab
Mathangi Swaminathan is the founder and CEO of Parity Lab, a first-of-its-kind feminist accelerator for rural survivor-led organizations addressing gender-based violence in India.
She is an Echoing Green Fellow who has been working globally for women and girls for the last decade. Mathangi dreams of eliminating gender-based violence by identifying, supporting, and amplifying survivor-led grassroots organizations addressing the root causes of violence.
Previously, Mathangi co-directed Waste Ventures India, where she led efforts to train and formalize employment from the informal waste picker community while providing recycling services to households and corporates.
As a Senior Fellow at Foster America, she evaluated community-led preventive solutions to child abuse against government-led responsive solutions. She is also an Acumen India Fellow, a World Bank Scholar, a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and was awarded the Jane Mansbridge Award by Harvard University for her work on reducing gender bias in organizations in India.
She is a graduate of the MPA/ID program at HKS, a rigorous, economics-centered quantitative program with a focus on Monitoring & Evaluation, and holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business.
Her work has been published as op eds in leading media journals such as Devex, The Hindu, and LiveMint and also in several peer-reviewed publications such as the Child Welfare Journal.
You can follow Mathangi on LinkedIn.
Mona Sinha (she/her)
Global Executive Director, Equality Now
S. Mona Sinha is the Global Executive Director of Equality Now, which campaigns for legal and systemic change around the world to address violence and discrimination against women and girls.
For 25 years, Mona has leveraged her corporate experience to launch, lead, or advise over 90 mission-aligned organizations to create a gender-equal world. She is the former Board Chair of Women Moving Millions and serves on the Executive Council of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, Columbia University’s Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise, and the Advisory Board of Gucci CHIME. Creating inclusive communities is at the center of her strategic approach, which she believes is the key to unlocking sustainable organizational growth.
Mona is the Executive Producer of 2024 Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger, which speaks to male allyship being critical in supporting survivors of sexual violence. Equality Now serves as Impact Partner to the film.
She was Executive Producer of Disclosure, an award-winning Netflix documentary on the representation of trans people in entertainment, which premiered at Sundance in 2020. She has produced Sell.Buy.Date (premiered at SXSW, 2022) and My Name is Andrea (premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, 2022). She is also an
Executive Producer of the 73rd Tony Awards nominee for Best Play and finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, What the Constitution Means to Me (2019).
Mona has been recognized for her leadership by Forbes 50 over 50: Impact, NY Women’s Foundation, Apolitical’s 50 Women Gender Equality Changemakers, the New York Bar Association, Columbia Business School, Smith College, Children’s Hope India, CARE USA, Modern High School (Kolkata), Women’s eNews, Breakthrough, Gloria Steinem, and Apne Aap.
In 2015, she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award presented annually to US citizens whose accomplishments and service in their field are cause for celebration.
You can follow Mona on X @monanyhk and LinkedIn.
Professor Nahid Fattahi (she/her)
Psychotherapist, and adjunct professor of psychology, Pacific Oaks College
Nahid Fattahi is a psychotherapist and human rights activist whose work is centered around themes of human connection, human rights, and mental health.
She is currently an adjunct professor of psychology at Pacific Oaks College and practicing as an LMFT in the Bay Area, CA. In addition, she serves as a member of the advisory board at Partnerships for Trauma Recovery.
As a psychotherapist specializing in trauma counseling and self-compassion, Nahid provides critical support to individuals who have experienced trauma, oppression, and violence, with a focus on marginalized and vulnerable populations, including women and children.
Her expertise is deeply informed by her personal background living under Taliban’s rule in the 1990s and as a survivor of forced marriage when she was a child. This experience grants Nahid a unique perspective and profound empathy, enabling her to connect with her clients on a deep level and understand the complexities of their trauma within cultural and societal contexts.
Nahid also shares her passion for holistic well-being through teaching yoga.
You can follow Nahid on X @NahidFattahi and LinkedIn.
Oxana Pushkina (she/her)
Journalist and human rights activist
Oxana Pushkina is a prominent Russian journalist and advocate for children’s and women’s rights. From 2016 to 2021, Oxana was elected to the State Duma representing the United Russia party in Odintsovo.
Oxana is an outspoken voice against sexual harassment and gender inequality, standing in solidarity with journalists who accused a fellow Duma member of misconduct. As Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Family, Women, and Children, she has championed legislative changes to enhance protections for women and children across Russia, including the establishment of crisis centers for mothers and children affected by domestic violence.
As a journalist and television personally, Oxana launched Oksana Pushkina’s Women’s Stories on ORT ( now known as Channel One Russia), hosted Oksana Pushkina’s Female View and Mirror for Heroes on Russian station NTV, leading the controversial I am Filing for Divorce, and appeared on Russia’s version of Stars on the Ice.
Oxana holds a degree in journalism from Leningrad State University and has authored 25 bestsellers on women’s personal development and empowerment.
You can follow Oxana on X @OPushkina and LinkedIn.
Sandy Guadalupe Torrez Chavez (she/her)
Human rights foreign-trained attorney
Sandy G. Torrez Chavez is a foreign-trained human rights attorney from Mexico, with nearly a decade’s experience working on immigration and women’s rights issues. She has led workshops at several universities and governmental institutions in Mexico on the humanitarian provisions of U.S. immigration law, international public law, and gender studies.
In 2016, Sandy migrated to the U.S. with the aim of working on humanitarian and social justice issues. For seven years, she was based in Los Angeles, California, where she worked with and advocated for the rights of asylum seekers, immigrant women survivors, and victims of domestic and gender-based violence.
In 2023, she relocated to Washington D.C. to advance her career in public policy and advocacy. In 2024, Sandy became a legal fellow at Capitol Hill, working for the Democratic U.S. House Judiciary Committee at the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity.
Sandy holds an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law with a concentration in Human Rights from The George Washington University Law School.
You can follow Sandy on LinkedIn.
Sara Rodriguez (she/her)
Director of Communications, New York Legal Assistance Group
Sara Rodriguez is the Director of Communications for the New York Legal Assistance Group, where she drives the communications and digital strategies for local, state, and national audiences from ideation to execution. She holds experience working in politics, government, and advocacy.
Combining traditional earned media tactics with digital and social media engagement strategies, Sara spearheads robust and comprehensive communications programs, approaching all her work with creative empathy and a desire to meet diverse audiences and stakeholders where they are.
Sara’s greatest ambition and hope in her work revolves around the power of narratives — the voices we elevate, the ways we tell our stories, and who hears them. She is most passionate about humanizing the ways we discuss the realities of gender, racial, social, and economic injustice to inform more inclusive and actionable solutions.
Sara is on X @sarodriiiguez
Shivangi Misra (she/her)
Global Legal Advisor, Equality Now
Shivangi Misra is the Global Legal Advisor at Equality Now, contributing to advocacy, developing legal strategy and submissions for strategic litigation, thematic reports to strengthen the legal rights of women and girls, and engaging with the United Nations on women’s equality and access to justice.
While she often leans on Equality Now’s campaigns in North America, her work focuses on the meaningful implementation of international human rights standards and holding governments accountable globally including in West Asia, South Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Originally from Dehradun, India, and trained as a lawyer in India and Canada, Shivangi has a strong background in defending and advancing the rights of women and girls against sexual violence, erosion of constitutional rights, and the suppression of civil society and human rights defenders from state and non-state actors. She holds a specialization in international human rights law.
Shivangi is committed to ending systemic inequality and addressing the roots of crisis in society impacting the youth, migrants, Indigenous peoples, and marginalized women. She actively writes, speaks, and publicly intervenes to advance individual and collective human rights.
You can follow Shivangi on LinkedIn.
Tsehaitu “Tubi” Retta (she/her)
Director of International Program, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Obama Foundation
Tsehaitu “Tubi” Retta is the Director of International Programs for the Girls Opportunity Alliance (GOA), a program of the Obama Foundation founded by Michelle Obama to increase investments in adolescent girls globally. She is a lawyer and gender equity advocate passionate about building a movement of multi-sectoral actors to invest in young women around the world.
Tubi leads the development and implementation of the GOA Fund, which has invested millions of dollars in grassroots organizations serving 100,000,000 girls across 33 countries. Additionally, she leads the GOA Network, a community to connect thousands of leaders to resources to scale their impact.
Previously, she served in the White House as Associate Policy Director to First Lady Michelle Obama, where she led Let Girls Learn, an initiative that drove more than $1 billion in investments to support adolescent girls’ education. Tubi spearheaded the efforts to cultivate multi-sectoral commitments from multilateral corporations, NGOs, and others. Tubi previously worked at the U.S. Department of State leading on initiatives to advance equity within and across the agency.
Tubi currently serves on the Advisory Board for Girl Rising, a nonprofit media organization that uses storytelling to change the way the world values girls. Tubi is also an Estee Lauder and Vital Voices Visionary Fellow.
You can follow Tubi on LinkedIn.