Rachana Desai Martin Joins Center for Reproductive Rights as Chief Government and External Relations Officer
05.17.23 (PRESS RELEASE) – Today, the Center for Reproductive Rights announced that Rachana Desai Martin has joined the organization as Chief Government and External Relations Officer. She will lead advocacy with the United Nations, multilateral institutions, and government bodies in support of the Center’s mission to advance reproductive rights as fundamental human rights around the world.
Desai Martin has served numerous roles in the U.S. Executive Branch, Congress, nonprofits, the private sector, and political organizations and campaigns. Most recently, she served in the Biden Administration as the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management at the U.S. Department of Labor, a role for which she was nominated by President Biden. During the 2020 election, Desai Martin worked for the Biden-Harris campaign as the National Director for Voter Protection and Senior Counsel, where she built the largest voter protection program in U.S. history, to ensure people could exercise their right to vote.
“Rachana’s extensive experience working in both the executive and legislative branches of U.S. government, in addition to her work in the private sector, with nonprofits and campaigns, makes her a powerful addition to our leadership team at the Center,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Her impressive track record building and implementing campaigns, developing innovative partnerships and knowing the right levers to engage to create change will enable us to further our work around the world.”
“Reproductive rights are under attack in the U.S. and in many places around the globe,” said Rachana Desai Martin, Chief Government and External Relations Officer at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “In this post-Roe environment, trusted organizations like the Center must find innovative methods and creative partnerships to secure rights where they are threatened and expand access in welcoming environments. I am delighted to join such an outstanding team at this critical time.”
About the Center for Reproductive Rights
The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates who seek to protect reproductive rights as fundamental human rights around the world. Since its founding in 1992, the Center’s game-changing litigation, legal policy, and advocacy work across five continents has transformed how reproductive rights are understood by courts, governments, and human rights bodies. The Center has offices in New York, Washington, Bogota, Nairobi, and Geneva.
In the U.S., the Center has litigated four Supreme Court cases in the last six years. Most recently, the Center litigated the pivotal case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
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