Silvia Henriquez | Executive Director

Silvia Henriquez is primarily responsible for the overall management, fundraising and administration of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. In just three years, Silvia has positioned NLIRH as one the leading organizations working to advance the reproductive health and rights of Latinas. She has increased national visibility through the March for Women’s Lives, the National Latina Summit, developed national organizing and advocacy programs as well as tripled the funding base for the organization. Prior to her leadership position at NLIRH, Silvia has worked with various reproductive rights organizations. She was the National Campus Coordinator at the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Outreach Director at the National Abortion Federation and a Policy Analyst with the Latino Issues Forum.

Silvia currently sits on the Board of Directors of both the Reproductive Health Technologies Project and the Guttmacher Institute. She has also been recognized by the National Women’s Health Network at their 30th Anniversary as one of 30 activists working on behalf of women’s health. Silvia is also the recipient of the 2005 Young Professional Award from the American Public Health Association. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in International Affairs and a Master’s in Women’s Studies both from the George Washington University.

Karla Ayala | Office Administrator/Executive Assistant

Karla graduated from Hunter College (CUNY) with a B.A. in Communications and Africana/Puerto Rican Studies. Throughout her high school and college career, Karla worked and interned with several non-profit social service organizations, including ASPIRA of NY and the National Latina Health Organization. Most recently, Karla worked at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in various administrative roles within the Departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Human Resources. She currently serves as Executive Secretary on the National Board of Directors for Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a Latina-oriented service organization comprised of prominent collegiate and professional leaders. At NLIRH, she is responsible for office administration, supporting the Executive Director and assisting with Community Mobilization and Policy and Advocacy projects.
> Contact Karla

Policy and Advocacy Department

Aishia Glasford | Policy Analyst

Aishia Glasford comes to NLIRH with experience in community organizing, legislation, and policy analysis, both domestically and internationally. Aishia’s public interest work began as a mentor for African American and Latino youths in Harlem and the South Bronx. Later she worked extensively with Costa Rican women as a Peace Corps community development coordinator focusing on the issues of sexuality and self esteem, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. While obtaining her J.D. and M.P.P. at Georgetown University Law Center, she worked on international human rights and economic development legislation addressing human trafficking between nations. Additionally, she has worked extensively in contributing to draft legislation to a Divorce Statute and a Human Rights Report on the state of marriage and divorce in Swaziland. She has also studied and worked on policies affecting the Latino immigrant community, addressing issues such as TANF and Medicaid, domestic violence, feminization of migration, as well as social inclusion and economic development in Latin America. At NLIRH Aishia will be researching, analyzing, writing and speaking about policies that affect the reproductive health and rights of Latinas.
>Contact Aishia

Community Mobilization Department

Ligia Rivera | Director of Community Mobilization Programs

Ligia Rivera has worked in humanitarian organizations and donor agencies in Central America and the Caribbean coordinating the implementation of regional programs geared towards increasing access of basic services, especially health and education, for marginalized populations. After working in this capacity for approximately seven years, Ligia moved to the United States to earn her Master’s degree in Human Geography from the Ohio State University. During her Master’s program, Ligia focused her research on understanding the way in which access to and quality of household water in indigenous communities in the tropical forest of Guatemala influenced women and girls’ social development. While Ligia was a graduate student, she was a FLAS (Foreign Language Area Studies) Fellow, served as President of the Hispanic Graduate Organization, and worked as Editor of a community-based magazine, a publication focusing on Latino students and Faculty at Ohio State. At the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, Ligia is responsible for increasing Latina’s participation in the Reproductive Justice Movement through Latinas Organizing for Leadership and Advocacy (LOLA) Training Series, the Latina Advocacy Networks (LANs), and the institute’s participation in cross-movement initiatives such as the Young Women’s Collaborative.
> Contact Ligia

Miriam Pérez | Advocacy Associate

Miriam is a recent Swarthmore College graduate, with a B.A. in Anthropology, and minors in Spanish and Latin American Studies. While at Swarthmore, she was an active member of the pro-choice and feminist movements on campus, as well as a sexual health counselor. She focused her academic study on traditional and alternative birth practices, working both with midwives in Ecuador as well as women in the United States. Miriam is a trained doula, and wrote her senior thesis on birth in the hospital setting. She has also done work with various Latino community reproductive health organizations in Pennsylvania, helping pregnant immigrant women access prenatal care and health insurance. At NLIRH, Miriam oversees the Latina Advocacy Networks, as well as assisting with policy and advocacy campaigns and the LOLA trainings. She also manages the website and online Instantes newsletter.
> Contact Miriam