---
title: Founders
date: 2024-04-03T17:46:00-04:00
author: Eva Parker Passalacqua
canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story/founders"
section: Our Story
---
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[Our Bodies Ourselves People Through the Years](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story/our-bodies-ourselves-people-through-the-years)# Founders

![Some of the founders of Our Bodies Ourselves, circa 1975](data:image/png;base64,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)Photo courtesy of Phyllis Ewen

In May of 1969, as the women’s movement was gaining momentum, a group of women in Boston met during a [“female liberation conference” at Emmanuel College](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story/the-birth-of-our-bodies-ourselves-remembering-the-1969-female-liberation-conference). A year later, they put together the [first newsprint edition](https://assets.ourbodiesourselves.org/documents/Women-and-Their-Bodies-Free-Press-1970.pdf) of "Our Bodies, Ourselves"*.*

Over the years, the initial group of founders expanded to include other women who dedicated themselves to furthering the work and mission of the Our Bodies Ourselves organization.

- Ruth Davidson Bell Alexander | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/ruth-davidson-bell-alexander)
- Pamela Berger | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/pamela-berger)
- Ayesha Chatterjee | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/ayesha-chatterjee)
- Vilunya Diskin | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/vilunya-diskin)
- Joan Ditzion | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/joan-ditzion)
- Paula Doress-Worters | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/paula-doress-worters)
- Nancy Miriam Hawley | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/nancy-miriam-hawley)
- Elizabeth MacMahon-Herrera | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/elizabeth-macmahon-herrera)
- Pamela Morgan (1949-2008) | [Remembrances](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/pamela-morgan)
- Judy Norsigian | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/judy-norsigian)
- Jamie Penney | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/jamie-penney)
- Jane Kates Pincus | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/jane-kates-pincus)
- Esther Rome (1945-1995) | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/esther-rome)
- Wendy Sanford | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/wendy-sanford)
- Norma Swenson | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/norma-swenson)
- Sally Whelan | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/sally-whelan)
- Kiki Zeldes | [bio](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/kiki-zeldes)

The founders group continues to work and advocate for women’s health. To learn more about them, see:

[We Sparked a Women’s Health Movement by Speaking and Listening to the Truth](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/obos-founders-jumpstart-womens-health-movement)

[The Founders’ Chronicle: 2017](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/the-obos-founders-chronicle-2017)

![Founders-2016](data:image/png;base64,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)Our Bodies Ourselves founders, 2016. Back row, from left to right: Wendy Sanford, Paula Doress-Worters, Norma Swenson, Elizabeth MacMahon-Herrera. Third row: Pam Berger, Joan Ditzion, Nancy Miriam Hawley. Second row: Judy Norsigian, Ruth Davidson Bell Alexander, Sally Whelan. First row: Jane Pincus, Vilunya Diskin. 

[Learn more about the history & legacy of Our Bodies Ourselves](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/history-legacy)

![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)More of Our Story

- [ Our Bodies Ourselves Timeline: 1969 – present](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story/our-bodies-ourselves-timeline-1969-present)
- [ Our Bodies Ourselves People Through the Years](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story/our-bodies-ourselves-people-through-the-years)
- [ Publications](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/publications)
- [ The 40th Anniversary Symposium](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story/the-40th-anniversary-celebration)
- [ Other Our Bodies Ourselves Archives](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story/other-archives)

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