A trailblazer. A nurse-midwife turned international leader. An extraordinary woman who changed the course of reproductive health care in this country.
2026 Keynote Speaker & People Who Make a Difference Awardee
Faye Wattleton
We are thrilled to welcome the legendary Faye Wattleton, former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), as our distinguished Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at this year’s Annual Gala.
In 1978, she became the first woman to lead the national Planned Parenthood office since founder Margaret Sanger, and the first Black and youngest person ever to hold the role.
Before she led an international movement, Wattleton was a nurse-midwife. She saw firsthand what happens when people can't get the care they need, and she spent her career making sure more of them could.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the life and legacy of this trailblazing leader.
Pictured above: Faye Wattleton working on a statement following a Supreme Court decision around tax funding for abortion.
“One of the sad commentaries on the way women are viewed in our society is that we have to fit one category. I have never felt that I had to be in one category.”
A legacy of expansion & growth
Wattleton is credited for developing Planned Parenthood's extensive national grassroots advocacy network that became a powerful lobbying force to block efforts to restrict and overturn women’s rights to make reproductive choices.
But her most lasting legacy is growth. Under her 14 years of leadership, Planned Parenthood expanded reproductive health care from 1.1 million people to about 5 million by 1990. During her tenure as president and CEO, she restructured the organization and grew it to $500 million, making it the nation’s seventh largest nonprofit.
She understood that protecting access means more than defending it. It means building it.
Pictured above: Faye Wattleton (middle) alongside former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (left) and fellow former President of PPFA, Cecile Richards (right).
An esteemed & impactful leader
She is also the co-founder of EeroQ Quantum Hardware. Wattleton’s career spans more than three decades of governance experience. She has held approximately 20 board member positions for public and private corporations, academic institutions and high-impact philanthropic organizations.
Wattleton has also served on the boards of Estée Lauder, Quidel Corporation, Empire Blue Cross & Blue Shield, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Columbia University, among others.
Wattleton amassed numerous honors and awards during her career, including induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2004, she was awarded the prestigious Fries Prize for service to improving public health. Wattleton holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.
“We are honored to welcome Faye as our Keynote Speaker and recipient of our People Who Make a Difference Award to celebrate the ways her legacy lives on in PPMNJ, where we are growing faster than ever and reaching more patients with more services than at any point in our history.”
—Roslyn Rogers Collins, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey
Honoring Faye Wattleton
