NIRH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Interim President
- Resident Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School
Aisha Mills joined the NIRH AF Board of Directors in 2019, and transitioned to Interim President in November 2023. She brings with her more than two decades of federal policy, non-profit leadership, and political experience. A nationally renowned public affairs strategist and progressive thought leader, Aisha's analysis and advocacy at the intersections of race, class, and sexuality have shaped federal policy and national debates for over twenty years.
In the span of her career, Aisha has served at the helm of organizations including the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Institute and the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee; led policy initiatives at think tanks, including the Center for American Progress; and staffed political campaigns from Louisiana and Texas to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She founded Mills Strategies where she has advised on public health policy strategies like obtaining FDA approval for the first over-the-counter birth control regimen.
In 2019, Aisha was appointed a resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School where she taught a weekly seminar on the nation's shifting demographics and the rise of the "New American Majority" of people of color, who will soon make up the majority of the population. Her course brought together diverse activists and political leaders from across the country to share their expertise with students. She is invited back frequently to teach seminars on diversity, equity, and inclusion in government and politics.
Aisha's wide array of experience across political, policy, and communications and deep advocacy for reproductive freedom will provide NIRH and its Action Fund with a steady hand while it moves into a new chapter of state and local reproductive freedom advocacy.
The most southern Jersey girl you'll ever meet, Aisha was raised in New Jersey by her grandparents who left South Carolina in the 1950s as part of the great migration of African Americans fleeing the Jim Crow south. She now resides in the Hudson Valley with her partner and three bonus children.
Job Titles:
- Digital Communications Manager
Strategy, storytelling and audience experience: These are the key components that Ally believes build an optimal digital program. She has steered her career towards the nonprofit sector and brings a passion for all things digital with her to NIRH as our Digital Communications Manager. Ally leads the management of our digital communications strategy, email communications and website, finding new and fun ways to introduce the important and exciting things we're doing to the public. From gifs, to memes, to data tracking, she enjoys the ever-changing digital world that allows for the combination of her creative and analytical sides to develop impactful content. She has held a variety of marketing roles within different industries, but it was her time working with organizations that focused on helping people at the state and local level that she felt her passions aligned. She is excited to bring her digital knowledge to the team to help us to ensure that someday everyone has the freedom to make decisions over their own bodies.
Ally is a graduate of SUNY Cortland with a degree in Professional Writing. Along with her work at NIRH, she loves finding new trails to hike with her side kick aka dog Bender (named after a character from The Breakfast Club, not a robot cartoon), escaping reality within the pages of her never-ending list of books and discovering the best ice cream spot of whichever city she's currently in.
Andrea Miller (she/her) was the President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) and its Action Fund from 2011 - 2023. A nationally recognized expert in reproductive rights and women's health, Andrea served for more than two decades in the leadership of and as a consultant to a host of non-profit, advocacy, and philanthropic organizations.
Since becoming President of NIRH, Andrea spearheaded the growth of the organization's state and local strategies portfolio, which annually provides advocates in at least 20 states and more than a dozen localities with strategic guidance, hands-on support, and funding to create national change from the ground up. By forming strategic partnerships with a wide range of organizations to directly impact the reproductive health and lives of people across the country, in the last decade, NIRH has had the opportunity to engage with more than 150 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations in 39 states and 56 localities nationwide.
NIRH's communications and messaging initiatives expanded under Andrea's leadership. NIRH conducts ground-breaking public opinion research that has provided a new framework for talking affirmatively about abortion and mobilizing voters to take action in support of a proactive agenda. Finally, Andrea oversaw the growth of the organization's political and advocacy work, building from its historic focus on New York State to establish the NIRH Action Fund in 2016, which does non-partisan issue advocacy and electoral engagement to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice in states and cities across the country.
Andrea previously served for nearly four years as Executive Director at NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, where she was instrumental in securing no copay for contraception under state health reform (a critical proof point for adoption of this policy nationwide through the Affordable Care Act) and helped reduce barriers to affordable abortion care for low-income women. Prior to that, Andrea was a principal and co-owner for nearly a decade at Public Interest Media Group (PIMG), a national communications and public affairs firm whose portfolio included the Back Up Your Birth Control campaign and serving as the communications hub for securing over-the-counter Plan B.
Andrea's leadership in reproductive health and rights stretched back to helping to found the Center for Reproductive Rights. She started her professional career at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. Andrea had a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Columbia College, Columbia University. She was a native of Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Secretary
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Policy and Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Communications
Ellen K. Goetz (she/her), manages NIRH's Institutional Relations. After serving as NIRH's Senior VP of Development for five years, Ellen stepped back to oversee institutional fundraising in a part-time capacity. She began her decades-long development career at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and was then a founding staff member of the Center for Reproductive Rights; during her twelve years at CRR, she served as Director of Development, Managing Director, and Interim President. More recently, she has served as Director of Foundation Relations at the American Museum of Natural History, Vice President for Development at Legal Momentum, and Director of Resource Development at Common Ground Community (now Breaking Ground). Ellen earned her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Leader of Community
Haydee Morales (she/ella) is the Executive Vice President at NIRH. Haydee plays a significant role in shaping the future direction of NIRH, advancing an inclusive organizational culture which centers race equity, overseeing operational and financial systems, and ensuring staff engagement, development and empowerment.
Prior to joining NIRH, Haydee served for seven years as Executive Director of Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, the first and oldest Latino charity in NYC, where she successfully led the organization in creating a sound infrastructure, successful programming, an ambitious five year strategic plan, a multimillion dollar fundraising strategy and managed a leadership team of professionals who in turn, reach tens of thousands of youth, families and community members with high quality education and public arts programming.
Throughout her professional career, Haydee has been a dedicated leader of community-based programming and management having worked in organizations such as Planned Parenthood of NYC, as Vice President of Education and Training, where she led programming reaching over 25,000 New Yorkers annually and where she rose through the ranks to manage international offices in South Africa and the Dominican Republic. She also worked at the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families and the Hispanic AIDS Forum, deepening her understanding and delivery of culturally informed programming. She leveraged this experience as visionary, founder and Executive Director of Casa Atabex Aché, a community based, women of color, health action organization, based in the South Bronx. For her work, Ms. Morales was recognized by the Fund for the City of New York Union Square Award, in recognition of her notable contributions as a grassroots activist who developed and initiated a youth and family organization that strengthened New York.
Haydee previously served as Director of Latino Initiatives at the national office of the March of Dimes, where she managed educational and advocacy activities directed at Latina women nationwide, the US-Mexico border and Puerto Rico. She was awarded the Groundbreaking Latina Award by the National Association of Latina Leaders, Volvo Cars and Catalina Magazine. The Honorable Senator Gilbert A. Cedillo also recognized her for her outstanding contributions towards Latina advancement and empowerment. State Senator Luis Sepulveda recognized Ms. Morales as a Woman of Distinction. El Diario La Prensa recognized Ms. Morales as a Mujer Destacada for her accomplishments as a Latina.
Haydee led the development of policy briefs and has had her work published in peer review journals. She also co-produced a video documentary about Sistersong: Women of Color Reproductive Health Initiative, which describes a national grassroots women of color initiative that addressed sexual and reproductive health. Most recently her work at Casita Maria was published in Afterschool Matters.
Haydee holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Hunter College and a Master of Science in Human Services Administration from Audrey Cohen College. She is a former Ford Foundation Fellow of the Latino Leadership Opportunity Program and is a former Research Fellow of the Robert Bowne Foundation. She completed the We Are The Bronx Fellowship and Mujeres de HACE, a women's professional development and leadership program. She was awarded the HACE Redefining Leadership award for leveraging her cultural identity to succeed professionally and make a difference in the lives of many.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Treasurer
Job Titles:
- Assistant to the President
- Senior Executive
- Special Projects Manager
- Senior Executive Assistant and Special Projects Manager
Jennifer Donovan (she/her) is the Senior Executive Assistant to the President and Special Projects Manager at NIRH, where she coordinates and manages the President's office; helps manage Board business, and works to keep organizational projects and operations moving forward. Jennifer is thrilled to finally align her passion for abortion and reproductive healthcare and her more than 20 years' experience, supporting c-suite executives in the government, non-profit, and corporate sectors. Prior positions include serving as the Executive Assistant to the Founder and CEO at Audible, Inc., the Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer at Bloomberg L.P.; and the Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of the President, at The Dow Chemical Company. Jennifer lives in Central New Jersey with her husband and two rescue dogs and enjoys writing in her downtime.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Programs and Partnerships
Jenny Dodson Mistry (she/her) is the Vice President of Programs and Partnerships at the National Institute for Reproductive Health, where she supports organizations and policymakers engaged in proactive policy work on the local and state levels. She is the creator of NIRH's Local Reproductive Freedom Index initiative, a first-of-its-kind report that evaluates 50 cities and counties on their policies related to reproductive health, rights, and justice. Jenny holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MPH in Health Policy from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Finance and Administration
Job Titles:
- Senior Development Coordinator
Kelli Callandriello (she/her) is the Senior Development Coordinator at the National Institute for Reproductive Health and NIRH Action Fund. Previously, she served as the Database and Donor Information Manager at York Street Project, an organization that works to break the cycle of poverty for families in Hudson County. Prior, she worked as a Development Associate at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey to help provide reproductive health care and family planning services to people regardless of age, ethnicity, or ability to pay. Kelli is a graduate of Monmouth University with a degree in Communication. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing video games, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Job Titles:
- Interim Vice President of Programs and Partnerships
- Managing Director of the Policy Lab
Kelli Garcia was previously the Managing Director of the Policy Lab at ideas42, where she applied a behavioral science lens to develop and advance policy initiatives that will improve the lives of under-resourced people. Kelli has over 10 years of experience working at organizations such as the National Women's Law Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center to advance access to health care, reproductive rights and justice, economic justice, and immigrant justice. On weekends, Kelli can often be found supporting the amazing Scouts in her Girl Scout troop as they take on new adventures, challenges, and community service.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Job Titles:
- People and Operations Director
Job Titles:
- Director of Integrated Strategies and Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Political and Legislative Affairs Associate
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Political and Legislative Affairs
Job Titles:
- Senior Major Gifts Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer