Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region Welcomes New CEO

For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014

Share This

The Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region (PPGMR) announces Ashley B. Coffield has been selected to take the reins as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Memphis-area Planned Parenthood affiliate effective April 8, 2013. Ms. Coffield was chosen from a wide field of qualified candidates who applied for the position held for ten years by Barry Chase, who is retiring.

Ms. Coffield has devoted her career to public health and has led a wide range of health policy, health services research, and health promotion programs. Most recently she served as Project Director of the Washington, D.C.-based Partnership for Prevention’s cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ms. Coffield has authored a number of articles for peer-reviewed journals, such as Health Affairs, The American Journal of Preventive Medicine and the Annual Review of Public Health. She served on PPGMR’s Board of Directors from 2001-2009, and was Chair from 2005-2007.

“I have long supported Planned Parenthood, and serving as PPGMR’s CEO will allow me to promote the health of young men and women and address some of the most important health challenges the Mid-South faces,” said Ashley Coffield. “Planned Parenthood’s preventive health services and comprehensive sexuality education programs can make a real difference—helping the young people of our region enjoy healthy relationships, protect themselves, and plan their fertility, their families and their lives.”

Ms. Coffield is a graduate of Rhodes College, who also holds a Masters in Public Administration from Texas A&M University. She has served as a part-time instructor at Rhodes College, teaching courses in public policy from 2001 to 2010. Ms. Coffield is married with two sons. She is also a founder of the Snowden School Foundation and active in the PTA at Snowden School. She is also a Deacon at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Midtown Memphis.

“Ashley has been at the forefront of the administration of healthcare on a national level for over 17 years,” said out-going CEO Barry Chase. “Her experience, intelligence and compassion are the perfect combination to lead our Planned Parenthood affiliate into the new world of the Affordable Care Act, granting new access to care to thousands of men, women and teens in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.”
 
PPGMR is the leading provider of comprehensive reproductive health services, including family planning services, STD and HIV testing and prevention counseling, cancer screenings, pregnancy testing and options counseling, as well as safe and confidential abortion services. In addition to its health center services, PPGMR also serves thousands of Mid-Southerners each year, providing HIV testing and prevention counseling, comprehensive sexuality education and public policy advocacy in outreach settings around the Mid-South. For more information about PPGMR, please visit our website: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/memphis/.

-End-

###

Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region (PPGMR), founded in 1938, is an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. PPGMR’s mission is to ensure broad public access to reproductive and related health care through clinic services, education, advocacy and community partnerships in serving 42 counties in West Tennessee, North Mississippi and East Arkansas.