Board leadership strengthens NNAF’s commitment to funding abortion and building power
The National Network of Abortion Funds is excited to announce board officer updates. In this moment that calls for deep investment in our network, the growth of the NNAF Board bolsters our vision that member organizations have the support they need to fund abortion and build power. NNAF envisions a world where all people have the power and resources to care for and affirm their bodies, identities, and health for themselves and their families—in all areas of their lives—and where every reproductive decision, including abortion, takes place in thriving communities that are safe, peaceful, and affordable. One of the key ingredients for effectiveness in achieving this vision is a board that brings transformative leadership, wide-ranging expertise, and strong community ties with local funds and partners across our movement.
We offer an immense thank you to outgoing Board Chair Poonam Dreyfus-Pai, who will be continuing on as an at-large board member, along with Marlo Barrera, Oriaku Njoku, Rosa Yadira Ortiz, Tanya Ladha, and Valerie Peterson.
We are also grateful to fund leaders, individual members, donors, and funders for your contributions to building and growing a strong network working to make abortion access a true reality for all people who need it, regardless of race, gender, zip code, or income.
WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE CURRENT BOARD OFFICERS:
- Asha Dane'el, Co-chair
- Katherine McGuiness, Co-chair
- Kamyon Conner, Vice Chair
- Maureen Stutzman, Secretary
- Daphne Mazuz, Treasurer
Asha Dane’el is a board member for Lilith Fund and has served as the hotline chair and as a volunteer since 2015. At Lilith Fund, Asha worked with a team to refine the hotline intake to better align with the organization’s values around reproductive justice and racial equity. Asha most recently worked at Austin ISD as a chief of staff to the deputy superintendent for almost seven years. She was part of a fellowship to develop a five year plan for the district around social emotional learning, racial equity, and trauma-informed care. Prior to Austin ISD, Asha worked in state government to implement the Affordable Care Act and parent-friendly lactation policies, and she served as an aide for a Texas state senator. She holds a Masters of Public Affairs and Social Work, both from The University of Texas at Austin. Asha loves thrifting and micheladas, and recently became a community yoga teacher.
Katherine McGuiness is a current hotline volunteer at and past board president of the Northwest Abortion Access Fund (NWAAF) which helps people seeking abortion in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Alaska with funding and travel support. She helped start NWAAF by merging together two regional abortion funds into one organization with a service area of almost a million square miles to better serve callers and use resources in a way that built better capacity. In her day job, Katherine works with clinics and health systems around the country, helping them implement models of care that are shown to reduce health disparities. Prior to this, she has worked in state and county level governmental public health and non-profits, focusing on issues of health equity, HIV, breast and cervical cancer prevention, sexual health, public health accreditation, immunizations and domestic violence. She holds a Masters in Public Health and Social Work, both from Portland State University. Katherine moved to the United States from Latin America as a tween, enjoys seeing pictures of your pets, and will never turn down a chance to go swimming.
Kamyon Conner currently serves as the Executive Director of Texas Equal Access Fund, an NNAF member Fund located in the Dallas- Fort Worth metroplex. She began her work at TEA Fund has as an intake volunteer for the Texas Equal Access Fund since 2007 prior to becoming a member of their board of directors as well as the intake coordinator She serves as the Vice President of PRIDENTON, a Denton based grassroots organization that celebrates LGBTQ+ folks and hosts Pride annually with a focus on QTPOC leadership. She received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas in Arlington and her undergraduate degree in social work from the University of North Texas. She enjoys spending incorporating self care into her work and spending time with chosen family, her partner and her dog. She is an advocate for human rights and reproductive justice.
Maureen Stutzman is a Housing Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society. She represents tenants in Bronx Housing Court and advocates to keep New Yorkers in their homes. She recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. While a law student, Maureen led the campus chapter of If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice and interned with Berkeley’s Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice (CRRJ). Prior to law school, Maureen was the Public Policy Manager at Physicians for Reproductive Health, coordinating state and local policy and advocacy activities. She served for six years on the board of directors of the New York Abortion Access Fund, as both Volunteer Coordinator and Co-Chair. She holds a BA in women’s studies and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Maureen lives in Manhattan with her partner, her 1-year-old daughter, and her cat.
Daphne Mazuz is NNAF board treasurer and has been a member since 2015. She’s a former member of the board of the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund (2014-2018) and has played many roles with the organization since 2011, including intake volunteer and Bowl-a-thon fundraiser chair. She holds a master’s of public health in epidemiology and social/behavioral sciences from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Daphne works for a healthcare nonprofit, managing a team that provides technical assistance to healthcare clinics implementing an innovative care delivery model, and co-chairs the organization’s equity, diversity, and inclusion committee. She has also consulted on public health communications and advocacy projects, supported community-based public health research studies, and worked in non-profit development and communications for nearly a decade. She lives, knits, and works around and in Boston with her wife, their ever-growing family of cats, and a cute speckled dog.