Cecile Richards

Cecile Richards served as the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund from 2006 to 2018. In 2019, Richards co-founded Supermajority, a women's political action group.

Richards was born on July 15, 1957, in Waco, Texas. Her mother, Ann Richards, later served as governor of Texas (1991-1995). She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Brown University in 1980. After college, she worked as a labor organizer for low-wage workers in the hotel, health care, and janitorial industries throughout California, Louisiana, and Texas. She returned to Texas to help with her mother's campaign for governor.

Before joining Planned Parenthood, Richards served as deputy chief of staff for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. In 2004, she founded and served as president of America Votes, a coalition of 42 national grassroots organizations.