Laura McQuade grew up in a small town in central Illinois and developed a relationship with Planned Parenthood during college in Indiana. She later moved to Texas to build Planned Parenthood of Texas’ statewide organization before becoming the organization’s New York City president in 2010. Under McQuade’s leadership, Planned Parenthood has put a human face on reproductive rights, covering everything from birth control to sex education. But McQuade also has insisted on remaining steadfast on core reproductive rights. She has been an LGBTQ rights advocate and has spoken out against attacks on Planned Parenthood, including Donald Trump’s attempts to defund the organization.
Laura McQuade said, “This merger is about shaping a community health system where we have the ability to provide services for an additional 25,000 people, expand services to underserved populations, and integrate health care so that we’re able to fill gaps in care in the community. This is really transformative.” McQuade’s mantra for leadership is simple: Empower staff, get everyone in the room, find allies and do things together. “It’s making sure that everybody can access health care and that everybody has a voice and a seat at the table,” says McQuade, 51, who has led the organization since 2016.
When she arrived, she prioritized increasing engagement with partners, as well as bolstering relationships with community groups such as the Health Care Council and the National Organization for Women, whose leaders joined Planned Parenthood for a “State of the Planned Parenthood” meeting in March. The consensus was clear, McQuade says, that the organization has to be more present in New York State, which has a large population of immigrants, and is a frequent destination for tourists. Planned Parenthood’s chief also plans to launch a new public service campaign next year. Called “Unstoppable,” it’s intended to debunk common myths about abortion.
Connect Laura at professional network: http://Linkedin.com/in/laura-mcquade-624a764