Planned Parenthood Announces New Senior Hires  

Top officials from health care policy, advocacy, and public health to join organization's senior staff 

Washington, DC — Planned Parenthood Federation of America is thrilled to announce new additions to the organization's senior staff. Melanie Roussell Newman will join PPFA as Senior Vice President of Communications and Culture. The organization also congratulates Dana Singiser, who currently serves as Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, on her new role of Senior Vice President for Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns. Finally, joining our Health Care Division, Marisa Raphael will serve as the Vice President of Public Health and Strategic Operations.

Statement from Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

I am thrilled to welcome Melanie and Marisa to our team, and to welcome Dana into her new role. For more than 100 years, Planned Parenthood has been at the forefront of providing high-quality, expert health care and education to all people, and fighting to protect access to that care. These leaders in health care policy, social justice, and public health all bring exceptional experience to our organization, and at a time when these issues have never been more important, they will help us ensure that access to reproductive health care, including abortion, is protected and expanded.

Melanie Roussell Newman brings over 15 years of strategic communications and public affairs experience to the Communications, Brand and Culture team. Melanie joins Planned Parenthood from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), where she’s been serving as the Chief Communications Officer, overseeing the expansion of the communications department and shaping communications strategy across all LDF practice areas and the Thurgood Marshall Institute. 

Prior to LDF, Newman led Communications and Public Affairs at the Department of Justice under Attorney General Loretta Lynch, as well as at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the White House Office of Budget and Management. Melanie served as the national press secretary for the Democratic National Committee during the 2012 election cycle, and coordinated Southern regional media on the 2008 Obama campaign. She also spent five years working on Capitol Hill, including as Communications Director for the House Committee on the Judiciary. She is a proud graduate of Florida A&M University and has a master’s degree from American University.

Dana Singiser will start a new role as Senior Vice President for Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns. Singiser currently serves as Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs and recently celebrated seven years with PPFA. She has been at the forefront of every major policy and legislative initiative during her tenure, from expanding access to reproductive health care under the Obama administration, to defeating recent efforts to “defund” Planned Parenthood, to fighting against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. She has led the way on Planned Parenthood’s government relations and policy work, and will continue to draw from her more than 20 years of legislative, policy, and political experience.  

Prior to Planned Parenthood, Singiser worked at the White House as the Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, held leadership positions on both President Obama and then-Sen. Clinton’s presidential campaigns, and worked under former Sen. Clinton and Majority Leader Harry Reid on Capitol Hill. In total, her experience spans two presidents, two senators, and five presidential campaigns.

Marisa Raphael will be joining PPFA as the Vice President of Public Health and Strategic Operations. Marisa comes to Planned Parenthood directly from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response and led a team of 100 people. In her new role, she will oversee the Research and Evaluation and Data Analytics teams. She will help to identify and inform strategies to apply a public health and equity lens to all PPFA work, strengthen PPFA’s data analytics function including increased measurement of public health outcomes and health disparity impact, and lead emergency preparedness and response across the national office and federation.

Newman, Singiser, and Raphael start their new roles during an exciting time at Planned Parenthood. With the arrival of Dr. Leana Wen, the first doctor to lead Planned Parenthood in nearly 50 years, the organization is reiterating that it is well past time that women's health care — including abortion, birth control, cancer screenings, and STD testing and treatment — is recognized for what it is: standard health care.

Annually, Planned Parenthood health centers provide more than 9.5 million reproductive health care services, including more than 660,000 cancer screenings, 2.7 million birth control services, more than 700,000 HIV tests, and more than 4.4 million STD tests total. Planned Parenthood provides transgender hormone therapy in 17 states. Planned Parenthood health centers provide care for 2.4 million people each year.

Planned Parenthood and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund also represent more than 12 million activists, supporters, and donors, and work with officials at the federal, state, and local level to shape pro-women, pro-family health policies.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.