News: Population Action International Appoints New President Suzanne Ehlers

Washington) Population Action International’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to name Suzanne Ehlers as President of the organization. Ms. Ehlers has been with Population Action International for six years and served as interim president during the last eight months, successfully steering the organization through the economic downturn while expanding its programs and reach.

“We are thrilled to have someone as smart, savvy and experienced as Suzanne leading our efforts to improve the lives of women and families in developing countries,” said Population Action International Board Chair Jacqui Morby.  “Suzanne is part of a new generation of leaders in this field and has done an outstanding job in her interim role as PAI’s president,” continued Vice-Chair Moises Naim, editor-in-chief at Foreign Policy Magazine.

Ehlers, 36, has overseen two of the organization’s largest projects, one to improve access to reproductive health supplies and another to incorporate sexual and reproductive health into Global Fund country proposals.  Ehlers served as a U.S. delegate to the U.N. Commission on Population and Development in April 2010. Most recently, Ehlers brought together global partners to successfully advocate for the new head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  to recognize the role of women and family planning in adapting to the effects of climate change.

“Our work to empower women by ensuring access to basic contraception has never been more important,” said Ehlers. “Population Action International’s research and advocacy will continue to tell the stories of women and communities to help prioritize family planning in the U.S. foreign policy agenda and global development efforts.”

Previously, Ehlers was a grants officer at the Wallace Global Fund and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic. A Texas native, Ehlers is a graduate of Cornell University. She lives with her husband and daughter in Washington, D.C.

Population Action International uses research and advocacy to improve access to family planning and reproductive health care across the world so women and families can prosper and live in balance with the earth.