Announcing Christine Soyong Harley as SIECUS’ new President & CEO
For Immediate Release
March 18, 2019
Contact: Zach Eisenstein
Phone: (202) 265-2405 ext 3330
zeisenstein@siecus.org
(Washington, DC) – The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) is excited to announce that Christine Soyong Harley has been selected to lead the organization as its next President & CEO.
“It’s only fitting that as SIECUS celebrates its 55th anniversary next month, we welcome Chris Harley to serve as our new President & CEO,” said Kristine A. Kippins, SIECUS’ Board Chair. “Chris not only honors the organization’s rich history, but also, provides the innovative leadership needed to set SIECUS up for another 55 years of success. I am thrilled to have Chris leading the charge as we continue advancing sex education and sexual and reproductive health and rights more broadly.”
Chris joins SIECUS with a robust background in public policy, advocacy, program management, and strategic thought leadership, with an emphasis on increasing civic engagement in immigrant communities, communities of color, and other underserved groups.
Prior to working with SIECUS, Chris ran her own consulting business, directed The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ 2020 Census Campaign, served as Deputy Director for the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans and as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under the Obama Administration. Chris also spearheaded health justice and reproductive justice policy efforts for the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and brings experience working in state-level agencies and community organizing to SIECUS.
“I’m humbled and honored to step into this role. I look forward to continuing SIECUS’ long history of advancing the rights of young people to understand and manage their own sexual and reproductive health. In this moment, the lived experiences of our nation’s youth are more diverse and complex than ever before. And yet, also in this moment, women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and other marginalized groups continue to be sidelined by the policies that shape and shift our communities. It’s past time we move these groups from the margins of our society to the center. I’m excited to work with the SIECUS staff, board, and community partners to advance sex education and create the social change that we need–right now–to achieve a more equitable tomorrow.”
Chris will officially begin her tenure as SIECUS’ President & CEO on April 15, 2019. She has been serving as the Interim President & CEO for SIECUS since October 2018.
“I envision a world where young people receive sex education that is affirming, empowering, and spans the intersections of health, access to care, race, gender identity and expression, ability, and sexual orientation. It’s the world we deserve and I’m ready to fight for it.”
###
The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) has served as the national voice for sex education, sexual health, and sexual rights for over 50 years. SIECUS asserts that sexuality is a fundamental part of being human, one worthy of dignity and respect. We advocate for the rights of all people to accurate information, comprehensive sexuality education, and the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health services. SIECUS works to create a world that ensures social justice inclusive of sexual and reproductive rights.
