Staff & Board
Meet the NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland Staff!  Jenny Blasdell Executive Director
Jenny Blasdell joined NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland’s staff as Executive Director in May 2008. Jenny attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning her BA in English with a minor in Spanish in 1995 and her JD in 1998. After interning at Legal Services of North Carolina during law school, she spent a summer working at the National Abortion Federation (NAF) in Washington, DC. Jenny joined NAF full time in 1999 and became the Director of Public Policy in 2004, a position she held until joining NARAL ProChoice Maryland. At NAF, Jenny was responsible for policy analysis, advocacy, program development, and outreach. She worked to improve access to abortion care for low-income women, advocated against restrictions on mifepristone, and fought against the Federal Abortion Ban. Jenny has presented on abortion access issues in numerous settings, including the annual conferences of the National Council of Jewish Women and Law Students for Reproductive Justice. She is the author of a journal article about parental involvement laws published in the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law, and was a nominee for a Women’s Information Network Young Woman of Achievement Award in 2006. In her spare time, Jenny plays soccer in the Washington Area Women’s Soccer League. Jenny and her husband live in Silver Spring. Melissa Kleder Reproductive Health Program Coordinator
Melissa is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, who joined the NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland team in July 2007. She received a BA from The Ohio State University, where she studied sociology and women’s studies. She relocated to Silver Spring after completing her Masters in Gender Studies from the University of Essex. Her past work experience includes serving as a women's advocate at the Domestic Violence Center in Cleveland, and as a patient counselor/advocate, PR Coordinator, and intake staff at two Cleveland area abortion clinics, PRETERM and the Cleveland Surgi-Center. Melissa manages our EC Access & Truth Revealed Crisis Pregnancy Center campaigns, organizes 5 student activist groups, coordinates our community festival schedule, maintains our Community Action Teams, and directs many other research/policy/organizing projects. Alexandra Communications Intern Alexandra was born in Congo, Central Africa and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. She attended University of Maryland, College Park and graduated in 2009 with a degree in Biology. Alexandra hopes to pursue a career in either public health or publishing and is planning to enroll in a masters program next year. She is particulary interested in health promotions and disease prevention as a means to reduce the costs of care. In her spare time, Alexandra loves to read. Rachel Communications/Program Coordination Intern A Silver Spring native, Rachel graduated in 2008 from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC with a degree in Latin American Studies. She studied and taught English in Buenos Aires for one year. She has volunteered with many organizations including International Link of Asheville, Manna Food Bank, and has tutored students in a juvenille correctional facility in North Carolina. Some of her hobbies include reading and knitting. Presently, she is pursuing a degree in interior design from Montgomery College. |
