Alicia Kenaley became CEO of the Southern Tier chapter of Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes (PPSFL), last year. She leads the organization’s funding campaigns and strategically manages all operations. This involves aligning all services and education PPSFL provides both with the goals of the national parent company as well as filling gaps in health services and education specific to our region, notably serving the health needs of low income households with subsidized pricing. While Planned Parenthood has been in the political limelight for many years and the poster child for pro-choice clinics, Ms. Kenaley highlights in this interview how very much more the organization contributes to the community. She has an inspiring message for any of us seeking to participate more actively in initiatives for gender equality, women’s safety, LGBTQ rights or provision for better sex education for schools. Or even perhaps those of us who may someday, like her, lead a non-profit of our own that may improve the quality of life for the community in significant and meaningful ways.
Karuna Prasad: Describe some current efforts being undertaken by Planned Parenthood (PP) in the Ithaca community.
Alicia Kenaley: Our first goal is to make healthcare more affordable. More than 50 percent of our patients fall at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line. We offer family planning services on a sliding scale basis and have funds available to help people seeking specific services, such as abortion, colposcopy, and transgender services, who may not otherwise be able to afford them.
We are also advocating for the preservation and expansion of reproductive rights. Hundreds of people across our region have connected with our Public Affairs department to advocate for Planned Parenthood and the people we serve. Our sister organizations, Planned Parenthood of the Empire State Acts (PPESA) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) are the political arms of Planned Parenthood and work to lift up legislation that supports the people we serve, fight against legislation that doesn’t, and endorse and support candidates who support Planned Parenthood.
An important responsibility of Planned Parenthood is our advocacy for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. Planned Parenthood’s LGBT Health & Wellness Project, Out for Health, provides outreach, education and information to LGBT people, their health care providers and the community at-large about the importance of inclusive, welcoming and respectful care for LGBT people.
Our LGBT Youth Groups offer a supportive, empowering environment for LGBT youth to express themselves. Our meetings provide a safe, educational, and super fun place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and allied youth. Meetings provide an accepting, judgement-free space for youth to ask questions, make new friends, and share their ideas. The group hosts movie nights, creates art projects, has discussions and guest speakers, plays games, occasional field trips, and much more.
Other LGBTQ programming in 2017 included our transgender and non-binary clothing swap, two “Night Out” social events, and a multi-session support group for parents and caregivers of transgender youth.
Finally, we are very involved in sex education efforts in the community. In 2017, we began weekly programming for the middle school program at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, focusing on issues that matter to them like puberty, relationships, dating, and communication. We also work with and provide programming for area schools—specifically DeWitt Middle School, Boynton Middle School, LACS, BOCES Alternative School and Nursing Program, New Roots, Ithaca High School, Lansing High School, Groton Elementary and JR/SR High School, Trumansburg Middle and High School, Newfield High School, and Cascadilla School throughout the year.
Additionally, we run a program called Teen Council, that teaches local high school students to be accurate and trustworthy resources for their peers on the subjects of sexual health and healthy relationships.
We’ve found that this model of teaching and learning – called “peer education” – allows teens to get the information they need to lead healthy lives on a level that’s comfortable for them, and develops strong leaders in the process.
We are actually recruiting new members for Teen Council now. If you are a rising sophomore, junior, or senior and interested in learning more or applying, check out our website.
KP: How does providing inexpensive healthcare promote more choice and freedom for everyone?
AK: I believe access to healthcare is a human right. People cannot be their best selves—showing up for their families, friends, communities, and employers—if they aren’t healthy. And when people don’t have access to affordable healthcare, they are forced to make difficult choices like paying for medicine versus putting food on the table. This is precisely why the preventive, affordable health care services Planned Parenthood provides are vitally important.
Especially for cisgender women whose behaviors include the possibility of pregnancy, access to affordable contraception allows them to determine whether and/or when to start a family, putting graduating from college and developing a career much more within reach. Currently, we are at a 30-year low for the unintended pregnancy rate, a 40-year low in the teen pregnancy rate, and a record low in the number of abortions. Researchers attribute these improvements to the increase in access to contraception, and especially highly effective methods of birth control.
KP: You became the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes the same year Trump became President. How has the year been for you so far?
AK: Equal parts challenging and inspirational! Of course it is difficult to be the subject of unrelenting attacks. While the premise of the attacks is fairly consistent (attempting to prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving Title X and Medicaid funds), the method changes and we’ve seen a shift from the legislative arena (where efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and prohibit Planned Parenthood from billing Medicaid have failed time and again), to the regulatory arena (where the latest Title X funding opportunity announcement dramatically shifts the program’s focus in ways that seem designed to make it more difficult for reproductive health care providers to participate and to open the door to abstinence-only providers and crisis pregnancy centers).
At the same time, our community of supporters has stepped up like never before and millions more have joined our movement. From the historic women’s marches in January of 2017, to the waves of new volunteers taking action every single day, I have been overwhelmed by the incredible support we have received. In fact, a recent Fox News poll conducted at the end of March 2018 reflected that Planned Parenthood is viewed more favorably than the National Rifle Association and President Trump. For a conservative news outlet, that is saying something!
I have also been extraordinarily inspired by our nation’s young people, and especially the young people in our community, who have shown tremendous courage and strength of character in standing up for the causes they care about. Remember, 4 million young people turn 18 every year, and it’s never too early to remind your elected officials of that!
KP: How has Trump’s presidency affected the organization’s support and funding?
AK: There has been great diversity of experience across the country, with some Planned Parenthood affiliates experiencing harder hits than others depending on the laws and processes in their states. In New York State, we have been fortunate to not feel the sting of Trump’s efforts when it comes to our budgets yet. However, that could always change, so we remain vigilant. And many of the communities we partner with have been under attack as well – immigrants, LGBTQ people, people of color – the current administration’s policies and efforts to undermine rights and support have been unrelenting.
KP: How has the organization dealt with political leaders trying to cut federal funds, and what steps must the local community take that are useful to counter these political actions?
AK: We educate, advocate, and mobilize. We work very hard to ensure that our legislators understand the services we provide and the value of those services for our patients and our community. We advocate for policies and legislation that support those we serve, and we mobilize our community of supporters to ensure that those in power aren’t just hearing from Planned Parenthood staff, but the millions of people across the country who support our mission. Locally, individuals can take the same steps and share why the work of Planned Parenthood is important to them.
KP: The current nationwide CEO of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, has been a vital force and voice for the organization, but she plans to step down from her position next month. Please tell us a little bit about the new leadership replacing her and what their next steps and goals are to prevent a vacuum. Any other information you may share about Ms. Richards herself would be great too!
AK: Under Cecile Richards’ leadership, Planned Parenthood has reached new heights in health care, education, and advocacy, and has led the fight to expand access to health care to more people than ever. During Cecile’s tenure, Planned Parenthood has achieved new levels of success, offering more health care services and educational tools to millions of people by working with our dedicated affiliates across the country. I know Cecile’s commitment to reproductive rights is far from over—she will always fight alongside Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s (PPFA) Board of Directors has put together a phenomenal search committee and has worked with Cecile and other senior staff at PPFA to ensure that interim leadership is in place while the search for PPFA’s new leader is conducted. I feel very confident in the process they have developed and in the people they have put in place to help during this time of transition.
KP: The illegal “sting” operation from 2015 grossly misrepresented what PP stood for, and while it was exposed as illegitimate, it wasted and deflected a lot of time and resources. How has PP planned to prevent a similar incident from occurring again in the age of fake news?
AK: Planned Parenthood makes such consistent and extraordinary efforts to ward off the attacks of those who would like to see our doors closed. And many may not know that Planned Parenthood staff and patients in our own community experience protesters outside their workplace or the place at which they are seeking health care.
While we certainly made changes to our security protocols after the 2015 smear campaign, Planned Parenthood has been a “fake news” target for decades and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I think the bigger question is: what is our society going to do to address “fake news”? As a start, I think it’s important for everyone to become an informed consumer of news and information. We need to think critically about, ask questions of, and check the sources of information before we adopt it as gospel and share it with our universe of connections. We all share responsibility for ensuring that we are pushing back against sensationalized and ill-informed content.
KP: As a woman in a leadership position, what would you like young women (and men) to know about your experience that would help them with their own careers?
AK: I have a lot to say about this – it could be another whole article! In general, here are my top five big lessons:
- Know that your path is unlikely to be straight and easy. Most people I know who are in leadership positions in the nonprofit realm have had 2-3 careers (and maybe more!) before evolving into a leadership role.
- Don’t let your mistakes and failures decimate your drive. Every mistake/failure holds at least one lesson. Use what you learn to grow and evolve and get better at your work. My experience is that your most challenging experiences, be they in the personal or professional realm, hold the most precious lessons.
- Trust your instincts and build your “kitchen cabinet.” I have the incredible good fortune to have a number of mentors – people with whom I have had the occasion to work for or with. They are a wonderful resource when I need input on a challenging decision. At the end of the day, I know I have to trust my instincts, but I always try to ensure that my instincts are informed by the perspectives of other people.
- Get gritty: show up and work hard. Don’t assume/expect that you will grow into a leadership or managerial role within a relatively short time frame. I started working as soon as I could with permission from my parents (age 14). I’ve been a busgirl, a waiter, a bartender, and an administrative assistant. I’ve done direct service work as a social worker, and I’ve held other managerial positions. No matter what level you occupy in a company or organization, you always have the opportunity to show up as a leader. And no matter what your level in your organization, you are never too high up to take out the garbage or wash dishes.
- Believe in yourself. Golda Meir once said, “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” I couldn’t agree with her more.
And finally, speaking specifically to young women and other people who don’t often see people like themselves in leadership positions: I’ve noticed that we talk a lot about making advances in the diversity of STEM programs and elected positions and those are really important things; however, we don’t talk enough about diversity in leadership positions within organizations or companies. I just completed an executive MBA program where fewer than 20 percent of my class identified as female. We have work to do in this area to ensure that the diversity of those in leadership positions reflects the diversity we see in our communities.
KP: What are five (or more!) things people in my age group (13-18) may do to help support Planned Parenthood’s local branch?
AK:
Learn more about our organization and the services we provide.
Join us in advocating for our organization and the people we serve (you can learn more about this by emailing volunteering@ppsfl.org)
Take care of yourself! Get the information and services you need to be smart and engaged in your health care.
If you have benefited from the services Planned Parenthood provides, please consider sharing your story. Statistics are powerful, but not nearly as powerful as a personal story. If you would like to share your story, email volunteering@ppsfl.org
If you are able – VOTE!