Contact: Ellen McDonald
816.444.0052 or
816.213.4355 cell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri Announces
New President and CEO Laura McQuade
Effective July 1, 2014
Kansas City, MO (June 4, 2014)— Jackie Johnson, Chair, Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, announced today that Laura McQuade has been selected as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. She is expected to begin early July.
Board Chair Jackie Johnson stated, “Our national search was incredibly extensive and we wish to thank everyone for their hard work on behalf of Planned Parenthood. When we first discovered Laura, we were all struck by her brilliance, her astounding commitment to our mission and work and her eagerness to lead the organization on its next journey. We could not be more thrilled to welcome her to Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri. We feel the organization is in the most capable hands and we look forward to working with her as this next chapter unfolds.”
For the past six years, Laura has been Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at the Center for Reproductive Rights, a New York City-headquartered organization that promotes women’s equality worldwide by advancing reproductive health and rights as fundamental rights that all governments are legally obligated to protect, respect and fulfill. The Center litigates and advocates in the United States and across the globe on issues including access to abortion services, contraception, and the broad spectrum of reproductive healthcare.
Ms. McQuade joins PPKM with a rich history as an organization builder, reformer of financial and democratic institutions, and women’s rights advocate. She has a lifelong passion for and commitment to women’s empowerment and ensuring that they may participate fully in all aspects of society. She has a proven track record of developing and transforming the organizations for which she’s worked. During her tenure at the Center for Reproductive Rights, she led a five-year strategic planning effort, a significant international expansion, a deepening of fundraising and communications capacity, and put in place the critical infrastructure necessary to take the organization to the next level. Since 2008, the organization’s budget and staff have more than doubled and it has grown from having a single headquarters in New York, to six offices worldwide, including Washington, DC and regional offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Prior to joining the Center for Reproductive Rights, Ms. McQuade held several positions, including Managing Director, at the Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC), nonprofit public-private partnership with a mission to help build sound banking and financial systems in developing and transition countries. She served as the organization’s chief financial officer and opened its first office in Asia, helping to develop and implement initial program activity in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and India. Earlier in her career, she was the Chief Financial and Operating Officer at the Foundation for a Civil Society, and was a Program Officer at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. In both positions, she had the opportunity to live and travel around the world promoting the democratic principles of citizen participation and government transparency, and building the capacity of civil society organizations to hold their governments accountable.
Ms. McQuade graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and holds an M.A. in International Relations from Yale University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
About Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid Missouri
PPKM and its affiliated surgical center operate nine health centers in two states, serving more than 30,000 women and men each year. PPKM provides community education in its major population centers and has an active public policy program in both states.
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Please direct all media inquiries to Ellen McDonald, 816.444.0052.
