Board and Staff

Jessica Pinckney Gil is a Black, biracial mother, advocate and Reproductive Justice practitioner born and raised in California. At the core of her work, Jessica centers the notion that we don’t lead single issue lives, so a holistic approach must be taken to our reproductive justice advocacy and movement building, to organizing, outreach, policy change, and to reach people where they are, how they are. She currently serves as the executive director of ACCESS Reproductive Justice, California’s only statewide abortion fund, building power to ensure that everyone living in California and the folks forced to travel are fully able to access their right to abortion. Jessica oversees the organization’s work to combine direct services, community education, and policy advocacy to promote real reproductive options and access to quality health care for people in California. No other organization in the state provides the same range of support for people considering or seeking an abortion.

Jessica previously dedicated her skills and time to building relationships with congressional offices, activating communities and her own individual networks and applying thoughtful, thorough analysis to policies and legislation through her work as Vice President of Government Relations at In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, the only Black women-led, DC-Based, national organization centering Black Women, girls, femmes, trans and gender non binary folks. Prior to that, she honed her government relations, legislative advocacy and policy analysis skills working on issues such as racial profiling, housing, paid leave, and immigration at YWCA USA and health and education at the University of California Office of the President.

Jennifer (she/ella) is the Operations and Administrative Coordinator at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE. She was led to reproductive justice work by her community of chosen family, poets, activists, healers, artists, full spectrum doulas, dancers, comrades, educators, therapists, co-conspirators, and dreamers. Her love for community, queer joy, and social justice was activated when she was a student organizer who uplifted immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ liberation, racial justice, the Land Back movement, and reproductive rights. As the Co-President of Students United for Reproductive Freedom (SURF) and as the Outreach Director for the Campus Contraceptive Initiative (CCI) she uplifted sexual education events, STI/HIV testing, distributed safe(r) sex supplies, and co-organized community outreach campaigns on campus.

She graduated from Salt Lake Community College with an A.S in Sociology and graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. in Gender Studies and a B.A in Sociology. She received the National AIDS Memorial’s 2019 Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship, which recognizes, supports, and encourages the educational efforts of young people committed to active roles of public service and leadership in the ongoing struggle against HIV/AIDS. Reproductive Justice has become one of her political homes because of how intersectional this movement is and that it cultivates a community of care. Jennifer has worked with various reproductive justice & health organizations such as being a Movement Makers fellow with the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) and organizing community engagement work with Planned Parenthood Action Council of Utah. In San Francisco she supported pregnant people, unhoused individuals, and immigrants accessing healthcare at Mission Neighborhood Health Center as a case manager.

When she is not working she enjoys spending time befriending plant allies, enjoying delicious food with her wife, listening to music, creating art, reading, and exploring Northern California with her pitbull puppy. She loves daydreaming of a future filled with thriving communities, rematriation, community gardens, libraries in every neighborhood, reparations, mutual aid, universal healthcare, transformative justice, rest, magic, and healing. A better world is possible when we center sustainability, care work, and the infinite possibilities for liberation.

A proud bi-racial native of sunny San Diego, Yectlie is the Director of Finance and Operations at Access RJ. Her role encompasses the dynamic management of project management, human resources, finance, and administration, reflecting her dedication to ensuring the organization and team operates at its best.

As a mother, Yectlie is deeply committed to providing her children with a brighter future, one enriched with greater rights and freedoms. In the face of challenges to these freedoms, she believes it’s her responsibility to step up and advocate for a better tomorrow. This commitment is rooted in the lessons passed down by her mother, who was an active member of a union. From her, Yectlie learned the importance of solidarity and collective action as a means to effect positive change. She firmly believes in the principle that giving back to family and community benefits all, a perspective she brings to her work at ACCESS RJ.

Yectlie’s creative spirit extends beyond her professional life. She’s a DIY home renovation enthusiast, always eager to tackle new projects. When she’s not working on an Ikea hack or painting something, you can often find her tinkering with Photoshop and her Cricut machine, crafting intricate printed projects that reflect her artistic flair. 

In her free time, Yectlie is an avid traveler, always seeking to explore new cultures and savor diverse cuisines. This love for cultural experiences fuels her passion for a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and enjoy the richness of our global community.

Bee (she/her) is the Intake Coordinator and supports ACCESS’ bilingual Healthline to further our mission, vision and values through our direct service work. She is one of the first people to speak with our new callers and thoughtfully listens to their needs. Bee works closely with our Healthline Associates to coordinate callers in having their procedural and practical support needs covered. 

Sasha first got her footing in reproductive justice and sexual education through her studies and work experience at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. There she studied Anthropology and Women’s Studies and worked as a peer educator in her campus’s Wellness Center, where she facilitated workshops and distributed safer sex supplies by bike. She began volunteering with ACCESS RJ in 2019 and in 2020, took a full time staff position as the bilingual Healthline Coordinator. Now the Practical Support Manager and co-manager of the Healthline, Sasha spends her days getting callers where they need to go, improving internal systems to support the coordination of those journeys, and thinking about the many ways we can care for one another. In addition to reproductive justice, Sasha adores reading novels, frolicing in the sun, and dancing to reggaeton.

Michelle (she/her) is one of our Healthline Associates at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE. She offers nonjudgemental information to ACCESS’ callers to provide support with the full range of their practical support needs. She also coordinates with our Practical Support Volunteer Network and team to ensure our callers needs are taken care of. Michelle also works with our larger network of clinics, abortion funds, and other procedural/practical organizations to collaborate in supporting callers as they navigate barriers both within and outside of California.

Daisy (she/ella) is the Development and Communications Manager at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE. She has worked as a passionate advocate for multiple organizations at the intersection of reproductive and environmental justice. Most recently, Daisy served as the Program Manager for the Department on the Status of Women. She is also the former Public Affairs Officer for Planned Parenthood Northern California, serving as a key government relations liaison between elected officials and San Francisco’s diverse communities, while also advancing access to reproductive and sexual health resources.

In 2022 Daisy was named one of Next Gen Collective’s 30 Under 30, celebrating her years as a public servant and community advocate.

Daisy is a proud first-generation college graduate and alum of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University.

Outside the office Daisy runs City Gurlz Hike, an urban hike and community programming series for women to connect, heal, and liberate through nature. Through its programming, City Gurlz Hike seeks to center Black, Latinx, and Indigenous femmes in San Francisco’s great outdoors and beyond.

Xochitl (She/Her) is the Policy Advocacy Coordinator at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE. Xochitl was raised in the heart of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley on occupied Tongva lands by her hardworking parents. Her drive for adventure took her to Alaska for the last 14 years where she had her “Clark Kent ” day job of Managing Store Sale Operations for the largest telecommunications company in Alaska. After work, She channeled “Superman” and has been involved in several volunteer roles to advocate for Social, Racial, and Reproductive Justice. She has always advocated for affordable, safe, accessible, and inclusive reproductive health services for all by working in policy and legislation. In the last 7 years she shifted from Reproductive Rights to a Reproductive Justice mind-frame. She previously served on the board for the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, and was the Vice President of the Board of Directors at Kachemack Bay Family Planning. She is a part of the Homer Pride Planning Committee and She graduated from Movement Makers leadership development program from the National Network Abortion Funds and joins fellow graduates in joining ACCESS Reproductive Justice. She is supported by her spouse Don and their two loveable dogs, Laika and Charlie.

Trish (she/her) is the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE. Trish supports ACCESS’ volunteer network by collaborating with community partners, abolitionists and radical visionaries to provide BIPOC-rooted training and engagement opportunities necessary for immersing volunteers in the racist and pervasive barriers Californians face in acquiring equitable reproductive healthcare. Trish is born and raised in California, and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Cal Poly Pomona. She comes to this work after fifteen years experience providing direct-service within LA county’s foster/DCFS, juvenile justice, community mental health, TAY (transitional-age youth) aging out of foster care, and suicide intervention. Trish envisions a volunteer network that not only has access to up-to-date information on policies, practices and systemic barriers impacting equitable reproductive care access, but also a network of volunteers that has active engagement within the communities ACCESS serves. When not working, you can find Trish “in community” with her “plant”cestors, ancestors and activist peers working to dismantle white supremacy in all of its manifestations.

Mariana is the Outreach and Education Coordinator at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE. She is proudly an immigrant from Mexico, and a prominent advocate and educator, devoted to providing reproductive care for all, including monolingual Spanish-speaking communities. Her dedication brings much-needed representation and advocacy to a field or reproductive justice, ensuring that important issues receive the attention they deserve.

Her expertise spans a wide range of reproductive health topics, including birth control, sexually transmitted infections, minor consent laws in California, and reproductive justice initiatives. Beyond her role as an educator, Mariana actively engages in advocacy efforts. Mariana has developed engaging gender-neutral presentations in both English and Spanish, which she offers to stakeholders and community members. She also creates workshops for community partners to foster open discussions about birth control and provide unbiased information, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.

Mariana’s exceptional work in the field of reproductive health education has garnered recognition, including awards from UCSF, affirming her dedication and impact in the field. Through her work, Mariana strives to promote equity and education surrounding reproductive rights, ensuring that all individuals receive the care they need and deserve. Her efforts are aimed at creating a more informed and empowered society regarding reproductive health where bodily autonomy is respected

Cynthia (she/ella) is an award winning first-generation Nicaraguan Salvadoran reproductive justice activist, full spectrum doula, cultural strategist, writer, and public speaker. Her work looks at the intersection of reproductive justice, the criminal injustice system, disability justice, and environmental justice. 

Cynthia was a graduate of the 2021 Rockwood Leadership Institute Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice cohort. Cynthia‘s work has been featured in the New York Times, The Lily News, Elle Magazine, Parents Latina, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Rewire News Group, ect. 

She is currently the Program Manager for UCSF’s Hub of Positive Reproductive and Sexual Health (HIVE) and Team Lily programs. Cynthia is a proud abortion storyteller with We Testify. She serves on the boards of ineedana and the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom. Her work can be found on her website. 

She has a Bachelors in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Cynthia is originally from San Francisco’s Excelsior District and now resides in East Oakland with her husband and son.

LaKia (she/her) is a proud descendant of enslaved people of Texas, and a Reproductive Justice (RJ) organizer, content creator, and abortion advocate. LaKia is the creator and executive producer of the Black Feminist Rants podcast, an independent Reproductive Justice podcast that centers new voices in the RJ and Black Feminist movements. As an undergraduate student at Tulane University, she founded Big Easy EC, a sexual health program that provides free emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, and safer sex supplies to students. LaKia also advocates for increased access to abortion care and the destigmatization of abortion. She is the Project Manager of the Abortion on Our Own Terms campaign where she co-created the Stigma-Free Zone, a traveling abortion destigmatization exhibit. LaKia is also the social media manager for the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline, which provides free medical advice to people self-managing an abortion or miscarriage. In addition to her abortion destigmatization work, LaKia works on UCSF’s Preterm Birth Initiative’s team. LaKia Williams was awarded Newcomb Institute’s 30 Under 30 award for her work in the Reproductive Justice and abortion access movements. 

In her free time, LaKia likes to crochet, cuddle with her kitten, take walks, and dissect pop culture and viral social media moments through a social justice lens.

Lisa is the General Counsel and Vice President of Policy at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California where she works on statewide public policy and advocacy focused on access to sexual and reproductive health care. Throughout her career, she has worked on a wide range of health care legislation and legal actions including birth control coverage, access to abortion services, medication abortion, public health, telehealth, patient privacy, and Medi-Cal. Lisa was raised in Japan and the United States and is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Amy grew up in Stockton, and is a first generation Mexican American and university graduate. She is an experienced project and event manager, with a focus on process improvement and implementation. Amy is currently the Administrative Manager at Advancing New Standards In Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), a sexual and reproductive health research program at UCSF. Prior to working at ANSIRH, she worked at Sutter Health’s Institute for Health & Healing and NARAL Pro-Choice California, where she established their volunteer program. In her free time, she is a translator and hotline volunteer for Freedom For Immigrants and attempts to learn French. Amy is passionate about social justice and true equity. Her interests include learning about different cultures, sharing random animal facts, attending pre-pandemic comedy shows and her recently adopted senior dog, Little Mouse.

Keely is a Co-Director with Gender Funders CoLab. Keely was formerly the Director of Programs at Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights where she supported women’s human rights defenders around the intersection of security and sustainability in time-urgent situations. This experience made her a strong advocate for the necessity of funding feminist movements. Previously, she worked with refugees and asylum seekers in the United States, Moldova, and Turkey. Her gendered lens has always focused on the particular needs of refugee and internally displaced women and girls. Her experience ranges from the UN High Commission for Refugees and Caritas at the global levels to local resettlement programs. Additionally, she has conducted research for Transparency International-Moldova and managed a program for immigrant families in the United States. Keely received her M.A. in International Human Rights with a Certificate in Conflict Resolution from the University of Denver and holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Rebecca is the Communications Manager for the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco. Before joining the Bixby Center, she worked as Associate Director of California Programs at NARAL Pro-Choice America, spearheading campaigns to pass proactive reproductive freedom legislation including the Reproductive FACT Act—the nation’s first statewide law targeting anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. She served previously as the Political Director for Peace Action West, an advocacy organization that works for smarter solutions to global problems. She grew up in Maine and has lived in the East Bay since 2003.

Sonja (she/her) is an Oakland-based queer organizer, pro-abortion advocate, and researcher who brings her experience in direct service, program development, policy advocacy and grassroots fundraising to the Reproductive Justice movement. 

Originally from a working-class community in rural Northern California, Sonja works to expand access to affirming, affordable and comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare. In coalition with ACCESS RJ, Sonja spent three years organizing UC and CSU students to advance and implement the College Student Right to Access Act – which now requires all California public university health centers to provide medication abortion. She first learned about Reproductive Justice as a Healthline Intern at ACCESS RJ in 2015, and is thrilled to now serve on the board of directors with her first political home.

Sonja holds a B.A. in Community Studies and Feminist Studies from UC Santa Cruz, completed the Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizer Training Program in 2022, and currently works as a Project Coordinator at the Person-Centered Reproductive Health Program at UCSF. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, cooking elaborate breakfasts and dancing to live music.

Nikki (she/her) is a public health researcher and advocate based in Bishop, CA. She is currently the Project Director of the Abortion Care Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars (ACTIONS) program at University of California, San Francisco. Her professional interests include health care reform, reproductive health workforce development, health communications, and expanding access to sexual and reproductive health care in rural areas. Nikki grew up in the Eastern Sierra and is excited to bring her lived and professional experience in rural communities to the ACCESS Board. Nikki received her MPH from UC Berkeley and BA in Political Science with a minor in Women’s and Gender studies from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Sheila is the Research Director at the Coalition to Expand Contraceptive Access, where she provides strategic leadership to shape and implement a research portfolio that advances sexual and reproductive health equity and justice in the United States. She has dedicated her career to expanding abortion provision and access, advancing immigrants’ sexual and reproductive health, and supporting adolescent sexual health across the country. Sheila has previously served on the board of the New York Abortion Access Fund and is a proud We Testify abortion storyteller. She earned her DrPH in epidemiology from the CUNY School of Public Health and her MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Melissa is a trauma-informed, full-spectrum doula and marketing consultant serving and empowering communities of color in the Bay Area. Melissa is passionate about reproductive justice, policy advocacy and maternal health. A Chicago native, Melissa received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, Language Literature and Linguistics and Marketing from Butler University.

Theresa is a Deputy Director in the Gender Equality Division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she leads a team that elevates the strategic importance of gender equality across the foundation’s global programs. Previously she spent over a decade designing, implementing and evaluating gender justice programs across 90 countries at CARE. Her feminist and activist roots stem from formative experiences working at the Global Fund for Women, and as a community organizer for affordable childcare with Parent Voices. She grew up in New York, has lived and worked in multiple countries in South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, and now lives in the East Bay with her spouse and two kids.