Our Bodies Ourselves Announces New Board Members

BOSTON (November 2, 2017) — Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS), a nonprofit public interest organization that promotes evidence-based information on reproductive health and sexuality for girls and women, has announced five new members to its board of directors.

OBOS is best known for its landmark publication, “Our Bodies, Ourselves,” first published in 1971, which has sold millions of copies and received numerous honors.

The new board members are as follows:

photo of Amy CryselAmy Crysel is co-director of the Civil Liberties and Public Policy program (CLPP), a national reproductive justice organization dedicated to educating and inspiring new generations of advocates and leaders to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice. She oversees individual giving and leads the design and implementation of the CLPP Fundraising Advisory Board.

Crysel has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership in the areas of holistic and higher education and holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Naropa University.

Photo of Erin Entrada KellyErin Entrada Kelly has more than 20 years of communications experience, including more than a decade in health care communications. She has a degree in women’s studies and liberal arts from McNeese State University, a master’s degree from Rosemont College, and course certifications in several areas, including public policy, clinical trials, and drug development. Kelly is also an author. Her second novel, “The Land of Forgotten Girls” (HarperCollins, 2016), was named one of the best feminist books for young girls by Book Riot.

Kelly works pro bono for several nonprofit organizations, including Political Research Associates, the Immigrant Learning Center, and the Institute for Criminal Justice Training Reform.

photo of Joelle LeacockJoelle Leacock is a certified nurse midwife who works at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has undergraduate degrees from Boston University and Simmons College, and a master’s in nursing, with a concentration in midwifery, from Frontier Nursing University.

Leacock currently practices in the OB/GYN departments of several community health centers, where she focuses on reducing health disparities in immigrant and refugee communities. In this role she provides primary care, obstetric care, and contraceptive counseling. She is a strong advocate for women’s health and is involved in several nonprofit endeavors to provide health education and career counseling to high school and college students.

Photo of Bindiya PatelBindiya Gillenwater Patel is the deputy director for the Public Health (PH) portfolio at PATH, an international nonprofit organization focused on global public health. In this role, she helps direct and manage a portfolio of projects in health systems, sexual and reproductive health, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, and noncommunicable diseases.

Patel has advocated for new HIV prevention options for women with the Global Campaign for Microbicides, helped manage U.S. government funded projects on tuberculosis in Tanzania, served on PATH’s strategy team, and launched the PATH Center for Malaria Control and Elimination. Prior to PATH, she helped manage a child nutrition program in the townships of Cape Town, worked as a grants officer in England, and monitored World Bank projects for a watchdog group in Washington D.C. Patel has a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Cornell University and a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University.

headshot of Jenny SomersJennifer Somers is an audit manager in BlumShapiro’s accounting and auditing department. For nearly a decade, she has provided accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting services to a variety of industries, with a focus on nonprofits, including arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions, and membership organizations. She also has experience with distributors, retailers, and employee benefit plans.

Somers belongs to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants, New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. She currently sits on BlumShapiro’s Women Who Lead committee and is very excited to be joining OBOS board.

The OBOS Board of Directors provides leadership and governance for promoting, advocating, and supporting OBOS’ long-held mission.