President & CEO

As the threat of a government shut down looms over head, we FEATURE Avis A. Jones-DeWeever, who served as the Executive Director of the National Council of Negro Women, where she led in a new organizational push towards policy advocacy and impact. Prior to her position at NCNW, Dr. Jones-DeWeever held positions in a variety of highly esteemed organizations and governmental institutions including the Governor's Office of Virginia, the Maryland State House of Representatives, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Institute for Women's Policy Research. Media includes: CNN, PBS, CBC, CTV, Al Jazeera.

New York City Council Member

With Congress voting on the bill to defund Planned Parenthood this week, we FEATURE Jessica González-Rojas, the Executive Director at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, the only national reproductive justice organization that specifically works to advance reproductive health and rights for Latinas. She has been a leader in progressive movements for over 15 years. Jessica is successfully forging connections between reproductive health, gender, immigration, LGBTQ liberation, labor and Latino civil rights, breaking down barriers between movements and building a strong Latina grassroots presence. Media includes: The New York Times, PBS (Bill Moyers), The Huffington Post, The Nation, El Diario/La Prensa.

Principal Advisor, Civilian Harm Mitigation & Response (CHMR)

To discuss the Taliban overtaking a city in Afghanistan, we FEATURE Marla Kennan, managing director at Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) and subject matter expert in civil-military relations and civilian protection. Marla helps shape the Center’s programs in conflict zones and oversees operational aspects of the organization. Since joining the organization in October 2005, she has managed programs and research in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, Mali, Israel, Jordan, Nepal, Georgia and the Central African Republic. Media includes: Rolling Stone, Radio Lab, Thompson Reuters, Buzzfeed, The Christian Science Monitor.

Astrophysicist

This week we FEATURE Jane Rigby, uses telescopes on earth and in space to study how galaxies and black holes have evolved over the history of the universe. She is principal investigator on multiple scientific programs using the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Herschel Space Telescope. She is author of more than 70 scientific papers. Rigby has four years' experience at NASA and four prior years' experience at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Media includes: Nature, Science, TEDx, Physics World, Astrobetter.