The Guttmacher Institute’s Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that it has selected Dr. Herminia Palacio to be the Institute’s next president and CEO. She will join the Institute in early August, becoming Guttmacher’s sixth president in the 50 years since its founding.
Dr. Palacio is currently the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services for the City of New York, where she oversees 11 city agencies and mayoral offices entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the health and well-being of all New Yorkers. She brings extensive experience across a broad range of sectors, including academic and clinical medicine, health services research, public health policy and practice, crisis management, and philanthropy.
"Following a wide-ranging search, we are delighted to name Dr. Herminia Palacio to be the Institute’s next president and CEO," said Lou Zellner, chair of Guttmacher’s Board of Directors. "We are confident that Dr. Palacio will build on the Institute’s stellar reputation and lead us into our next 50 years with the strategic vision and strong leadership that have been hallmarks of her distinguished career."
In her current role as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Dr. Palacio is in charge of coordinating transformation efforts across New York City’s public health and health care system, expanding access to social services, and ensuring that agencies serving the city’s most vulnerable populations are run compassionately, equitably and effectively. Prior to this role, she served as Director of Advancing Change Leadership at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she was responsible for developing and implementing new health leadership programs. More information about her experience and expertise is available here.
"I am deeply honored to step into the role of president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute," said Dr. Palacio. "The Institute’s unwavering commitment to evidence-based policy and its mission to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights could not be more relevant or important in today’s climate. I am excited for the opportunity to bring my experience to bear to advance the Institute’s work at this critical moment, and to work side-by-side with some of the leading experts in the field."
Founded in 1968, the Guttmacher Institute is a global leader in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Through a unique program of high-quality research, evidence-based advocacy, and strategic communications, the Institute is a catalyst for sound policies and programs in the United States and internationally. Guttmacher produces a wide range of resources on topics that include abortion, contraceptive use, and adolescent SRHR, and publishes two peer-reviewed journals, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health and International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, as well as a public policy journal, Guttmacher Policy Review. In 2018, the Guttmacher Institute received a United Nations Population Award recognizing its achievements on the global stage.