As president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Cecile Richards leads a national organization that works for a healthier and safer world for women and teens.
Since joining Planned Parenthood in 2006, Ms. Richards has expanded the organization’s advocacy for access to health care, and ensured that Planned Parenthood played a pivotal role in shaping health care coverage and services for women under the Affordable Care Act. In 2011, she led an unprecedented nationwide campaign to preserve access to Planned Parenthood preventive care through federal programs. Among her many initiatives to reinvent Planned Parenthood for the 21st century, Ms. Richards invested in Planned Parenthood Online, thus exponentially expanding Planned Parenthood’s reach. She has also introduced the PPFA Youth Initiatives Program, and has increased Planned Parenthood’s presence by providing mobile access to health information and piloting Planned Parenthood texting, which delivers real-time access to services and information.
Ms. Richards previously served as deputy chief of staff for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. In 2004 she founded and served as president of America Votes, working to maximize registration, education, and voter participation nationwide. The daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards, she worked side by side with her mother on her very first campaign — the election to the state legislature of Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who successfully argued the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.
Ms. Richards has been recognized by the National Council of Jewish Women, U.S. Action, and the Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship. In 2010, she received an honorary doctorate from Brown University. In 2011, she was named to TIME Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She currently serves on the board of the Ford Foundation, is a frequent speaker and commentator on issues related to women’s rights, reproductive health, and sex education, and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. Cecile and her husband, Kirk Adams, reside in New York City and have three children.
