A Featured Profile of Nancy Keenan
Our president is Nancy Keenan. She is a nationally recognized progressive leader. You may have seen her on TV or read her quotes in news stories since she joined us in December 2004.
Nancy always says that the three Ps—the power of people, political acumen, and policy expertise—are critical to protecting a woman's right to choose for generations to come.
Under Nancy's leadership, NARAL Pro-Choice America produced enormous pro-choice gains in Congress and helped elect pro-choice President Barack Obama. She also worked with affiliates in four states to defeat seven anti-choice ballot measures, including two successive attempts to ban abortion in South Dakota. After the 2008 elections, National Journal ranked us second among the nation's top 21 political organizations for our impressive win rate among endorsed congressional candidates in hotly contested races.
Nancy's work to reshape the debate on reproductive rights and protect women's access to safe, legal abortion has gained significant attention. In 2006, she made Washingtonian Magazine's list of the top 100 most powerful women in Washington, D.C. and the Detroit News described her as both "forthright and politically savvy." The American Prospect described the group's new pro-choice message as "a cunning strategy" that allows "pro-choice advocates to define the terms of the debate."
In January 2008, as part of the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, Nancy delivered a speech at the University of Texas at Austin. She charted a future for the pro-choice movement while urging us to acknowledge the moral complexity that many Americans feel about abortion. A writer for Slate magazine described the speech as including "the kind of language that makes people wake up and listen."
Nancy's commitment to public service was shaped early in life. She is one of five children born into an Irish-Catholic family in Anaconda, Montana, a small copper-smelting town in the state's western region. Nancy worked at the copper smelter to pay her way through college. She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Montana State University. She also has a master's degree in education administration from the University of Montana. Before seeking elected office, Nancy taught children with disabilities in her hometown.
Prior to becoming president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Nancy served as a Montana state legislator and state superintendent of public instruction. She ran a strong campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000.
