PAI Welcomes Two New Board Members

PAI welcomes Dr. Vineeta Gupta and James Siegal to its board of directors. The board’s combined expertise and strategic support guide PAI toward achieving its mission, vision and goals.

“PAI is extremely pleased to welcome Vineeta and James to our board of directors in this critical moment for the organization and the movement,” said Neeraja Bhavaraju, Chair of the PAI Board of Directors.  Their track record of leadership, strategy and engaging with expansive networks to sustain and advance organizational mandates is extraordinary and their contributions to PAI will undoubtedly strengthen our impact.”

Dr. Gupta, is a leader with a rich legacy of advocacy and leadership. Her recognition as a public health leader, maternal health physician and human rights lawyer is a testament to her exceptional qualifications. Her personal journey from being a clinician focusing on reproductive and maternal health programs in rural communities and communities affected by the greatest health disparities in India to advocating for and influencing global health policies for health equity across the United States and around the world has made her a force within the sexual and reproductive health and rights movement.

“I am thrilled to join the PAI Board of Directors and am committed to supporting one of the leading advocacy, accountability, and research institutions for the sexual and reproductive health and rights sector around the world,” said Dr. Gupta. “PAI has a critical role in the broader global health ecosystem, working in partnership with civil society. I look forward to supporting its governance and strategy imperatives that enable PAI to achieve its mission and mandate.”

Dr. Gupta has brought her expertise to bear by stewarding global coalitions, working with leading donor institutions to support strategy development and sharing her technical expertise through panels, workshops and presentations for prestigious organizations and institutions like The Lancet, Women Deliver, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Student Association, the Bloomberg American Public Health Summit, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, Brown University, UPenn, Georgetown University and the Public Health Law Conference. Dr. Gupta is also published in national and international media, has been a vocal spokesperson for health and human rights, has led programs in over 30 countries and has supported the capacity of over 140 nonprofit organizations and associations.

Mr. Siegal, a Senior Fellow at KABOOM! and its former CEO, is a recognized national champion in the fight against inequities that affect youth and communities impacted by discrimination and inequities in the United States.  He is a sought-after strategic, financial and organizational leader who has worked across the government, non-profit and private sectors to strengthen and transform organizations and their mandates in service to communities most affected by injustice.  At KABOOM!, he led a bold mission refresh grounded in achieving play space equity to close the pay gap among Black, Brown, and Indigenous children in the United States as a result of structural and systemic racism. Mr. Siegal’s deep experience in forging strategic institutional, major donor and national and local government partnerships has been instrumental in driving positive change and enabling intersectional action across play and mental health and belonging, physical and cognitive development, academic achievement and social justice.

“PAI’s mandate is so critical in this time where inequity, discrimination and inequality continue to have harmful and lasting effects on the agency of women and youth across the United States and globally,” said Mr. Siegal. “I am honored to serve on PAI’s Board of Directors and am committed to helping advance PAI’s mission in advancing global health and rights in partnership with communities around the world.”

Before KABOOM! James served as Chief of Staff for the Corporation for National and Community Service. This federal agency supports citizen engagement to address community challenges through AmeriCorps, the Social Innovation Fund and other programs. James has broad experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors, including having served as Vice President of Nonprofit Programs and Practice at the leading non-profit coalition, Independent Sector. He also served as Registration Section Chief and Assistant Attorney General at the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau and as an associate at the global law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

“James and Vineeta’s experiences and leadership come to PAI at a time when the sexual and reproductive health and rights movement is front and center in advancing human rights, gender equality and economic prosperity for women, youth and at-risk communities,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of PAI, who also serves on PAI’s board of directors. “James and Vineeta have a first-hand appreciation of the role of civil society to enable and sustain change while also bringing deep strategic, fiduciary, philanthropic, and governance experience that aligns with PAI’s priorities and our future needs. We are so fortunate to benefit from their leadership as the newest members of our Board of Directors.”

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About PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. 

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