Maya Rupert

Maya Rupert joined the Center in 2017 and is responsible for overseeing the Center’s federal, state, and local policy work in the U.S., and is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the Center's multi-faceted reproductive rights policy initiatives and strategies across multiple branches of government. Maya also leads the Center’s Washington, D.C. office and focuses on deepening the Center’s efforts, maximizing impact, and forging new partnerships and opportunities in our nation’s capital. Prior to joining the Center, Maya served the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary Julián Castro and earlier, as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel. Prior to HUD, Maya was Policy Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. In that role, she led the organization’s policy and legislative work and advocated on behalf of the LGBT community in areas including housing, employment, relationship recognition, and immigration. Maya has also been a contributing writer to a number of media outlets—including O Magazine, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and The Huffington Post—where she frequently addresses the intersection of politics, race, and gender. She has been recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists for her writing and by national outlets like Ebony Magazine and The Root for her leadership in the black community. Maya received her B.A. from U.C. Santa Barbara and her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley. She clerked for the Honorable Eric L. Clay of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal