By the Numbers

Dear OWA Family,

When 2022 began, the United States Supreme Court had just heard final arguments in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and an opinion was looming that would impact millions of Ohioans’ access to abortion health care. Before 2016, the overturn of Roe seemed unimaginable, but with each appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, the unimaginable became inevitable. And that’s exactly why Erin Scott and I founded the Ohio Women’s Alliance and the Ohio Women’s Alliance Action Fund—to prepare for this moment, and get to work. 

OWA spent the first six months of 2022 creating the infrastructure necessary to sustain the ongoing, comprehensive programming we knew Ohiaons would need when anti-abortion Justices and state legislators would inevitably try to take our rights away. Although the official SCOTUS decision did not come down until June, we grew our team by hiring our Deputy Director Jordyn Close, Director of Membership Myia Rucker, Senior Campaign Manager Anastasia Martinez, Director of Operations & Finance Sarah Inskeep, and Director of Communications Mary Ellen Madden to make sure we were prepared. And in 2023 we have continued to grow by hiring Manager of Social Impact Lena Collins and a Member Assistance Program Coordinator Colleen Damerell.

With this new evolution of Ohio Women’s Alliance, our vision for change remains the same: We believe that building power in Ohio begins with an engaged constituency. Developing an engaged constituency requires trusted, well-resourced organizers and advocates who are actively engaging and expanding the electorate. The strongest voices in movements for collective liberation have always been women, particularly women of color. Our theory of change is that by resourcing, connecting, and investing in women and gender-nonconforming grassroots leaders across Ohio, we can create a cultural narrative shift that champions a better Ohio for all.

In addition to all of the wonderful program updates below that highlight how we are investing in BIPOC communities and leaders to advance Reproductive Justice in Ohio, I am also thrilled to announce that we will be embarking on our second state-wide listening tour this spring to ensure that our Pillars of Prosperity and our strategic priorities remain relevant to the BIPOC women and gender-nonconforming folks whose wellbeing and prosperity are central to our mission. In order to move the needle on Reproductive Justice in Ohio, we need you to help guide our work. Stay tuned for info about when we will be coming to a town near you in the months ahead!

In the meantime, I hope you find joy in reading OWA’s highlights of 2022, including how much we have grown and the impact we have had across the state of Ohio. Thank you for the ways you have walked this journey with us, and amplified our work over the last year. We truly could not do it without you!

In Community & Solidarity,
Rhiannon Carnes
Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director 

Click through the images below to read our full 2022 Impact Report!