National Staff

 Loretta Ross, National Coordinator: Loretta@sistersong.net 

A founding member of SisterSong, Loretta Ross became National Coordinator in 2005.  In 2004, Loretta was National Co-Director of the April 25, 2004 March for Women's Lives in Washington D.C., the largest protest march in U.S. history with more than one million participants.  From 1996-2004, she was the Founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Human Rights Education (NCHRE) in Atlanta, Georgia.  She is an expert on human rights, women's issues, diversity issues, hate groups and right-wing organizations.  Ms. Ross is presently writing a book on reproductive rights entitled Black Abortion.  In 2003, Loretta received an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law degree from Arcadia University.

Loretta was one of the first African American women to direct the first rape crisis center in the United States in the 1970s.  From 1985 to 1989, she served as the Director of Women of Color Programs for the National Organization for Women, organizing the first national conference on Women of Color and Reproductive Rights in 1987.  Prior to developing NCHRE in 1996, she served as the national program research director for the Atlanta-based Center for Democratic Renewal (CDR) (formerly the National Anti-Klan Network) from 1990 to 1995 and program director of the National Black Women's Health Project from 1989-1990. She is a political commentator for Pacifica News Service, and has appeared as a political commentator on Good Morning America, The Donahue Show, The Charlie Rose Show, CNN, and BET.   

Loretta's recent publications include:

• "The Color of Choice" in Color of Violence: The Incite Anthology (South End Press)
• "African American Women and Abortion After Roe," in Abortion Wars: A Half Century of Struggle: 1950-2000 (Beacon Press) edited by Rickie Solinger
• "Bringing Human Rights Home: Human Rights Education for the 21st Century," in Social Education, 62(6), National Council for the Social Studies
• Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice (South End Press), co-authored with Jael Silliman, Marlene Fried, and Elena Gutierrez, published in 2004.

 Laura Jimenez, Deputy Coordinator, Laura@sistersong.net

Laura Jimenez is a California native, a Chicana who has made her way to Atlanta by way of New York City.  Laura has been working with SisterSong since 1998, and in 2002 became the first Coordinator of the Collective.  In March 2006, Laura became SisterSong's new Deputy Coordinator.  As part of her duties in that role, she will be facilitating the internal operations of the Collective, promoting its further growth and helping to increase the visibility of the Collective and the understanding of the concept of Reproductive Justice in communities of color in the United States. 

Laura has previously worked with the Dominican Women's Development Center in New York, as well as with the National Latina Health Organization in California.  She has been involved in organizing with women of color for the last 15 years and has been doing Self-Help trainings for people of color for more than ten.  The birth of her two daughters in the last five years has brought home the issue of reproductive justice, encouraged her interest in the area of birthing work, and recommitted her to the healing of women of color.

Kai Gurley, Development Coordinator and Website Administrator, Kai@sistersong.net

Kai began working with SisterSong as a consultant in June of 2005, and became SisterSong's Development Coordinator in early 2006.  Before coming to SisterSong, Kai worked as Development Assistant at the National Center for Human Rights Education.  Kai is a gender-queer Georgia peach, and is particularly passionate about doing anti-racism work in Queer community in the South.  Currently, Kai is learning everything possible about developing alternative, grassroots models of economic sustainability for social justice organizations.

At SisterSong, Kai is working to maintain existing relationships with SisterSong's long-term funders (for whom we are incredibly grateful!) as well as diversifying SisterSong's revenue sources to ensure long-term sustainability.  Kai is also maintaining this FABULOUS website, and is serving as the National Office liaison to SisterSong's European American allies mini-community.

Kai graduated from Florida State University in 2001 with a BS in Interdisciplinary Social Science, focusing primarily on Sociology and Political Science.

Corean Elam, Executive Assistant, Corean@sistersong.net

Corean came to Atlanta to work with SisterSong in October of 2006, leaving her position as Secretary of the African American Studies Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She graduated from Champaign Community College with a degree in Secretarial Science in 1981, and completed a professional training course in Administrative Support at the University of Illinois in 2001. Corean is the former Administrative Assistant for Planned Parenthood of Champaign County

Luretha Senyo-Mensah, Advocacy and Education Coordinator, Luretha@sistersong.net

Luretha Senyo-Mensah is a California native who moved to Atlanta in 2007. She was recently hired as the new Education and Advocacy Coordinator at SisterSong and will be facilitating the Reproductive Justice Trainings, as well as providing education and advocacy around issues that impact the SisterSong constituency. Luretha firmly and passionately believes that health care is a social justice issue - it is a basic human right, not a privilege.

Luretha has over twenty years experience working in community based health organizations as a program manager, advocate and educator. She previously worked as the Director of Enrollment, Outreach and Eligibility Services at the Alameda Health Consortium, the oldest community clinic association in California; she has worked as an educator and trainer at organizations such as Planned Parenthood, West Oakland Health Council and the Salvation Army Booth Memorial Center. Luretha received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Teaching Credential and Master of Arts in Education at San FranciscoStateUniversity. Before beginning a career in community based health organizations, Luretha was a full time, high school teacher.

Heidi Williamson, Advocacy and Membership Coordinator, Heidi@sistersong.net

Heidi Williamson is the Advocacy and Membership Coordinator for SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective. She is responsible for issue advocacy and education in Atlanta, Georgia on issues around reproductive health. Heidi's position at SisterSong allows her blend two lifelong passions: social activism and empowering women of color through education and advocacy.

Prior to her position with SisterSong, she was a political organizer in the labor movement organizing public sector workers with Services Employee International Union (SEIU). During her tenure there, she developed a statewide member political program, created a local Political Action Fund, and, lobbied on behalf of the 80,000 state employees throughout Georgia.

Since 1999 she has worked with several organizations that prioritize and empower women throughout Georgia. While President of NARAL GA Education Foundation, she developed programming for women of color and teens. She also worked for 9 to 5, the National Association of Working Women, where she helped coordinate the Atlanta Living Wage Campaign.

Heidi is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and African American Studies.