Staff

Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins serves as president and CEO of PAI. Nabeeha brings more than 25 years of movement building, advocacy, fundraising and international development experience. She has dedicated her career to driving equitable health, social and development outcomes for women, youth and communities that have been affected by discrimination, disinvestment and displacement around the world.

Nabeeha is driving a new era for the organization, in alignment with PAI’s values of equity and supporting a global ecosystem of local advocates to advance domestic and global sexual and reproductive health and rights aspirations. Under her leadership, PAI is expanding its own advocacy and accountability in the United States and on the global stage and enhancing its investments in and collaborations with local advocacy organizations in 36 countries that are on the front lines of informing, shaping and achieving change in their own communities.

Nabeeha is the founder of Humanitas Global, an international development organization that advances programs in agricultural development, food and nutrition security, maternal and child health, climate resilience and youth and women’s empowerment. Prior to PAI, she served as executive director of No Wasted Lives, a global coalition of nongovernmental organizations, U.N. agencies and government institutions dedicated to ending acute malnutrition in children around the world. She was also vice president of programs at KABOOM!, a U.S. nonprofit, where she helped operationalize the strategy to achieve playspace equity in Black, Brown and Indigenous communities in major U.S. cities. The effort has gone on to receive national support, including a catalytic gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

In the early 2000s, Nabeeha joined the Clinton Foundation to support the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. She supported the development of national HIV/AIDS care and treatment plans and public health capacity and systems changes to deliver HIV testing and treatment at scale in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mozambique and South Africa. She directed the public health practice and co-founded the international development practice at global communications powerhouse, FleishmanHillard, implemented advocacy and research efforts to combat child trafficking in Albania, Moldova and Romania through a UNICEF-Columbia University collaborative, served as a senior advocacy advisor at the EastWest Institute and implemented communications projects at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico.

Born in Pakistan and raised in Mexico, Nabeeha has worked on development programs in more than 20 countries worldwide. She has collaborated with and advised heads of state, national and local leaders, CEOs and senior executives from across sectors, and worked side by side with community partners who are driving front-line change. A powerful speaker, strategic advocate and recognized leader, Nabeeha has received international and national awards for community health programs in HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, nutrition and unintended teen pregnancy, leadership achievements and contributions to social justice.

Nabeeha holds bachelor’s degrees in political science as well as journalism and mass communications from Kansas State University and dual master’s degrees in international affairs and public health from Columbia University. Nabeeha is based in Washington, D.C., where she resides with her family.

Cydney is a seasoned human resources (HR) executive with experience working across cultures to design and bolster global HR departments for several nonprofits. She has an extensive track record serving as a strategic advisor and creating HR and operations strategies for international development agencies in the United States and numerous other countries.

At PAI, Cydney is responsible for developing and executing HR strategy in support of the organization’s overall business plan and strategic direction, specifically in the areas of succession planning, talent management, change management, organizational and performance management, training and development as well as compensation. Additionally, she provides strategic leadership by articulating HR needs and plans to the executive team, board of directors and shareholders.

Cydney holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources from the University of Maryland.

Kadeem Brown is a Finance professional with 11 years of experience working at Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company. He has diverse experience in finance, including leadership roles in cost accounting for the largest Nescafé plant in North America, trade management for sales finance, and SG&A for both Nestlé USA and Nestlé Health Science. During his tenure at Nestlé, Brown led teams through strategic transformation, including several significant acquisitions and divestitures in the highly disruptive CPG industry. He is best known for his collaborative approach across all functions. As a strategic business partner, he has focused on using technology to deliver dynamic financial reporting for more efficient decision-making. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Skidmore College.

Christina Wegs serves as vice president of global programs and advocacy at PAI.

Christina is a seasoned and passionate social justice advocate, public health expert and nonprofit leader. Her 20-year career has focused on advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to contraception, comprehensive sexuality education, safe abortion and post-abortion care, respectful maternity care and gender-based violence prevention and care. She has also worked to promote rights-based approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. She brings deep expertise in gender justice, coalition-building, civil society strengthening, policy advocacy and people-driven accountability.

Christina has worked with a wide range of governmental and nongovernmental organizations, including working with Ipas, Pact, FHI 360 and serving in leadership roles with the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Botswana (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and Vietnam (U.S. Agency for International Development). Prior to joining PAI, she was the global advocacy director for health equity and rights at CARE, where she led confederation-wide advocacy for health rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, health equity in humanitarian crises and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Christina also brings extensive experience partnering with diverse government, U.N. agencies and civil society networks in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Christina holds dual master’s degrees in public health and social work from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She also studied social justice storytelling, documentary photography and oral history at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, and was awarded the competitive Lewis Hine Documentary Fellowship.

Prior to her career in public health, Christina worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana.

Adebiyi Adesina leads PAI’s UHC Engage, Primary Health Care Initiative and Government Accountability for Family Planning Budgets projects as well as the organization’s technical focus on health financing and health system strengthening efforts to improve and expand sexual and reproductive health and rights policies, programs and services. Adebiyi has over 20 years of experience in an array of technical areas, including strategic planning, civil society engagement and translation of data, evidence and insights for policy and donor decision-making.

Before joining PAI, he worked as a consultant on health financing and health systems resource planning as part of the World Bank Group’s Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice. He also spent 11 years at Avenir Heath (previously Futures Institute) working on health economics and financing modeling to make the investment case for family planning and HIV/AIDS across Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Adebiyi has a doctor of public health degree in global health policy and economics, a master’s degree in public health policy and management and a bachelor’s degree in peace and conflict studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He speaks English and Spanish and is conversational in French and Yoruba.

Eve Brecker manages engagement and strategic support of PAI civil society partners, expanding the civic space and sustaining global investments for sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy across Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining PAI, Eve served as a policy advisor at the Population Reference Bureau, managing a contraceptive use dynamics portfolio funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and leading organizational monitoring, learning and evaluation activities. She has worked in federal health both via management consulting and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, serving in Morocco where she led reproductive health programming with nomadic communities. Eve holds a master’s degree in global reproductive health from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from James Madison University.

Gerardo Lara is an international development leader who specializes in the creation and management of high-performing teams. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health Access and Equity at PAI. With 20 years of experience, he previously managed and monitored programs for different donors and international organizations, including at Plan International and the Global Fund Project in El Salvador for HIV prevention in high-risk communities. As a country director, he influenced public policy and led complex programs to achieve high-impact results in a variety of social justice topics, including combating stigma and discrimination against people vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, contributing to the reduction of gender-based violence, empowering youth and promoting the sexual and reproductive health andrights of women and girls in Central America.

An important part of his career is  promoting women’s health and rights by increasing access and availability of key services and products for family planning. Gerardo prioritizes working with civil society and strengthening local organizations’ technical, administrative and financial capacities. He also brings a wealth of experience in the development of social marketing initiatives, including the development of brands and franchises that promote sustainable services.

Gerardo also led Plan Nicaragua’s emergency response to COVID-19 and disaster relief for hurricanes Eta and Iota. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Dr. José Matías Delgado University in El Salvador.

Craig monitors and analyzes foreign assistance legislation and advocates in support of international family planning and reproductive health programs to congressional offices, executive branch agencies, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations.

Named as Senior Fellow in 2015, he joined PAI in 1981 while completing his master’s degree in International Affairs at the American University School of International Service. He received his undergraduate degree in Government from Hamilton College. Craig was previously PAI’s Director of U.S. Government Relations between 2009 and 2014. He served on the board of directors of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, a coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs promoting higher funding for international affairs programs, from 1998 to 2016. He has also been a member of the scorecard advisory committee of the League of Conservation Voters for over two decades.

Olga Laskin serves as PAI’s U.S. advocacy associate and supports sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy efforts in the United States. Olga previously managed three competitive electoral campaigns and served as a legislative aide in the Washington State Legislature. She is very involved in reproductive rights activism. As a former organizer with NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, she helped successfully flip the Washington State Legislature to a pro-choice majority during the 2018 midterm elections. In 2021, she spearheaded advocacy efforts around menstrual equity and reproductive health access in her community. Currently, she volunteers with a gender response team at the United Nations collecting data on the gender sensitivity of global COVID-19 policies. Olga graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in international relations with a focus on foreign policy and human rights.

Andrew J. Moran serves as the international advocacy associate supporting PAI’s health systems strengthening and accountability programs, including the UHC Engage and FP2030 Accountability projects. He has extensive experience advocating for health access in conflict and crisis settings around the world through his past work at humanitarian and human rights nongovernmental organizations.

Before joining PAI, Andrew worked at Physicians for Human Rights, documenting attacks against health infrastructure and personnel in Syria, as well as researching health disparities across northern Syria with an emphasis on women and girls. He began his work advocating for access to health care at MedGlobal, where he focused on health access for refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons in humanitarian crisis settings. Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Yale University with a focus on conflict and the Middle East and North Africa. He is a native English speaker and is proficient in Arabic and conversational in Spanish.

Sammy Luffy serves as the director of research at PAI. In this role, she leads PAI’s research translation and amplification efforts to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and advance the organization’s U.S. and global advocacy agenda in collaboration with partners and coalitions.

Sammy is passionate about designing intersectional research projects that amplify the needs of communities and key stakeholders, align with the broader human rights framework and support other social justice movements, such as gender justice, climate justice, racial justice and disability justice. She brings to PAI her deep experience in U.S. foreign assistance, policy research and advocacy, program management, gender transformative programming and coalition strengthening.

Sammy has an extensive background in global health, with a focus on SRHR, human rights and infectious diseases through her work with both governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Prior to joining PAI, Sammy was the policy research officer at Fòs Feminista (formerly CHANGE). In this role, she managed and led critical policy research projects to document the impact of national and U.S. foreign policies on key issues, such as access to contraception and abortion services; gender-based violence prevention and care; rights-based HIV/AIDS services; respectful maternity care; and integrated service delivery. Her research has improved technical guidance related to U.S. global health programs and increased congressional oversight of the implementation of U.S. foreign policies, such as the Global Gag Rule, by U.S. government agencies.

While at the Office of HIV/AIDS at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), she managed the implementation of complex HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In this role, she provided technical support to clinical research, implementation science and human-centered design projects related to biomedical HIV prevention.

Sammy holds a master’s degree in global health with a certificate in human rights from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Mary Washington. While earning her master’s, Sammy designed and conducted a feminist qualitative research project in Ocotal, Nicaragua, to document cultural attitudes related to gender, as well as young women’s personal experiences with unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion and violence in the context of the national law banning abortion.

As director of learning and exchange, Sarah M. Reidy works to advance learning and exchange priorities for PAI and civil society partners and supports research work in partnership with PAI’s director of research.

Sarah worked in information technology for over 30 years and loves the ever-changing nature of automation and the opportunities people can gain from creating and using technology. Sarah has a dual undergraduate degree in physical anthropology and biomedical science from Western Michigan University. She learned to love computers and technology while in Archeological Field School, where she built and programmed computers to make pottery seriation more efficient.

Christine Meehan serves as the Senior Director of Individual Giving at PAI. She was previously the Director of Development at Vital Voices Global Partnership, a woman’s empowerment organization where she led the individual giving and operations functions for the department. In that role, she led the growth of five regional councils made up of supporters in key U.S. markets, oversaw digital and grassroots fundraising efforts and managed a portfolio of individual donors. Prior to that, she was the Director of Donor Engagement at The Washington Center, and also spent over a decade at Americans for the Arts where she managed leadership programs and events for key high-level supporters. Christine graduated from The George Washington University where she studied political science and criminal justice.

Katie Unthank brings over 10 years of experience as a communications specialist working to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Her passion is bringing about impact by developing and designing high-quality campaigns that amplify women’s and girls’ stories and experiences in unique and creative ways.

Katie comes to PAI from the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), where she served as the communications manager and played a critical role in developing and executing communications strategies to secure and protect SRHR by shaping U.S. foreign policy. Prior to CHANGE, she held the role of communications and knowledge management coordinator within the Population Council’s SRHR program.

Katie earned a bachelor’s degree in public communications from American University in Washington, D.C., and completed a minor in women’s, gender and sexuality studies

Kadeja Liggans has held a passion for communications and social media for the past three years. With a background in social work, Kadeja brings that same level of compassion to her work in digital communications.

Prior to joining PAI, Kadeja worked as a central member of the communications team for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. Kadeja is dedicated to using her creative eye to preserve and broaden access to reproductive health care through legislation and public education. She received her bachelor’s degree in human services from Old Dominion University and resides in Alexandria, VA, with her dog.

Emmy Cameron comes to PAI with over 15 years of experience working in operations and administrative roles throughout her career, building professional expertise in several critical functions including accounting, expense reporting, contract management and event planning. Most recently, she worked at the Liaison Capitol Hill, a part of a large hotel chain, where she worked in accounting. Emmy’s professional experience also includes working in the nongovernmental organization sector as an accountant and grants administrator in her home of Nairobi, Kenya. Emmy holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nairobi.

Alicia Frías serves as the office coordinator and receptionist at PAI. She is passionate about health equity, social justice and reproductive rights. Prior to joining PAI, Alicia worked in several administrative coordinator positions throughout her career. Of those experiences, she worked with a nonprofit clinic that specialized in providing health care and resources to those uninsured in the community; this position sparked her interest in public health and nonprofit organizations. Alicia holds a bachelor’s degree in health care management from Appalachian State University. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, taking dance classes and reading with her local book club!

Cecilia serves as the Staff Accountant and is responsible for accounts payables, receivables, financial reporting, reconciliation, tax and compliance. She is a financial professional and has 20 years of experience identifying organizational opportunities that drive down costs, enhance compliance and drive greater process efficiencies.

Prior to PAI, she worked with clients in financial services, management consulting and tax businesses. Cecilia holds a B.S. in accounting from George Mason University.

Irene Huo is responsible for PAI’s programmatic budget development and oversees the grants process and reporting requirements. She has 10 years of financial management experience in the nonprofit sector, and has worked with various donors, including governments, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations and foundations.

Previously, Irene worked at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), where she managed numerous funded grants and collaborated with donors, country officers, partners and management teams to maintain financial transparency and achieve financial benchmarks. Irene administered contracts for funders and partners, managed grant audits and performed general accounting functions. In addition, she designed and implemented an electronic accounting processing system for the organization.

Irene holds a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in financial management from American University and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland.

Jonathan serves as PAI’s Information Technology Support Specialist, providing regular IT support and maintenance for PAI’s staff. Since 2015, Jonathan has served in multiple IT Specialist roles. Most recently, he worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Acquisition Academy, where he took pride in assisting veterans to pursue their educations and to transition to various federal employment opportunities.

Jonathan considers the field of Information Technology to be a natural fit for his talents and expertise, ensuring network components work together seamlessly and are optimized to the fullest to drive success.