Gloria Feldt (born April 13, 1942) is a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' best-selling author,

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

, commentator, and feminist activist who gained national recognition as a social and political advocate of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. In 2013, she and Amy Litzenberger founded Take the Lead, a nonprofit initiative with a goal to propel women to leadership parity by 2025. She is a former CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, directing the organization from 1996 to 2005.

Early life and career

Gloria Feldt was born on April 13, 1942 in

Temple, Texas Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the U.S. census, and is one of the two principal cities in Bell County. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in ...

. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974 from the

University of Texas Permian Basin The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) is a public university in Odessa, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTPB was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973. UTPB is now home to over 7,000 student ...

. Feldt joined Planned Parenthood in 1974 at the Permian Basin Planned Parenthood office (now Planned Parenthood of West Texas). Beginning in 1978, she headed the organization's Central Northern Arizona office. "Her superlative compassion and conviction," according to Women in the World Foundation, "combined with her intelligence and charisma, have carried her from teenage motherhood in West Texas to a thirty-year career with the reproductive health provider and advocacy group Planned Parenthood Federation of America." Feldt ran the Central Northern Arizona Planned Parenthood office during a time when family planning was becoming increasingly controversial and politically charged. During this time, she travelled with a bodyguard and avoided working in well-lit, open offices with large windows which could be targeted by protestors. Roevwade

From 1996 to 2005, Feldt was CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She was the architect of contraceptive coverage by insurance. She was active early in her career in the civil rights movement. Feldt often comments on women's issues, including in a June 2012 '' Salon'' online magazine article. MSNBC interviewed her for a piece about the War on Women that aired March 19, 2012. ''The New York Times Adriana Gardella did a Q&A with Feldt in 2010, featuring her in the newspaper's business section. As president of Take The Lead, Feldt oversees learning programs, mentoring, networking, and role modelling programs for women. She is a professor at Arizona State University, where she teaches the course Women, Power, and Leadership. She also serves on the boards of the

Women's Media Center Women's Media Center (WMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit women's organization in the United States founded in 2005 by writers and activists Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem.

and the Jewish Women's Archive and on the advisory board of

Our Bodies, Ourselves ''Our Bodies, Ourselves'' is a book about women's health and sexuality produced by the nonprofit organization Our Bodies Ourselves (originally called the Boston Women's Health Book Collective). First published in 1970, it contains information rel ...

Appearances

Feldt is a frequent

public speaker Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...

, lecturing at universities, civic and professional organizations, as well as national and international conferences on women's rights, politics, leadership, media, and health. In October 2011, she sat on a panel, moderated by attorney mediator Victoria Pynchon, with feminist leaders

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Steinem was a c ...

, Shelby Knox and Jamia Wilson at the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association annual conference She has also appeared in several forums on C-SPAN's Book TV. In addition to speaking engagements, she tours with an intergenerational feminist panel titled WomenGirlsLadies.

Writing

Feldt's commentary has appeared in ''The New York Times'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', among other publications. She has contributed also to ''

Truthout Truthout is a non-profit news organization which describes itself as "dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social justice issues". Truthout's main areas of focus include mass incarceration, prison a ...

'', ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'', ''

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...

'',

ForbesWoman ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

, '' Democracy Journal'', ''

Women's eNews ''Women's eNews'' is a nonprofit online news service based in New York City. It was founded by the late Rita Jensen. Lori Sokol, PhD, now leads the organization, assuming the title of Executive Director since July, 2016. Women's eNews publishes int ...

'', ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', ''WIMN's Voices'', the

, the International Leadership Forum's ilfpost,

BlogHer BlogHer is an American media company founded by Elisa Camahort Page, Jory des Jardins, and Lisa Stone in 2005. It is an online blogger community and holds a yearly conference for women bloggers. BlogHer is owned by SHE Media which is a division o ...

, and on her personal website. Feldt has written several books. Her latest, ''No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power'', was published by Seal Press in October 2010.

Works

* ''Behind Every Choice is a Story'' (

University of North Texas Press The University of North Texas Press (or UNT Press), founded in 1987, is a university press that is part of the University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as ...

, 2003) * ''The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women's Rights and How to Fight Back'' (Bantam Dell, 2004) * ''Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on My Life, Love, and Leading Roles'' (Springboard, 2008), co-authored with actress Kathleen Turner and a ''New York Times'' best seller. * '' No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power'' (Seal Press, 2010)

Awards and recognition

* New York Newswomen Front Page Award, 2007 *

, 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, 2007 * Women Lawyers Los Angeles, Courage Award, 2005 * Arizona Civil Liberties Union, Civil Libertarian of the Year, 2005 * Planned Parenthood Golden Gate Sarah Weddington Award, 2005 * Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Margaret Sanger Award, 2005 * ''

Glamour Magazine ''Glamour'' is today an online women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. For many years a traditional hard-copy magazine, it was founded in 1939 and first published in April 1939 in the United States. It was originally called '' ...

'', Woman of the Year, 2003 * '' Vanity Fair'' magazine, America's Top 200 Women Leaders, Legends and Trailblazers, 1998 * World Academy of Art and Science, Special Award, 1998 * ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

'' Texas Twenty 1996 * City of Phoenix Human Relations Commission, Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream Award, 1996 * National Organization for Women, Sun City Chapter, Golden Apple Award, 1995 * Soroptimist International, Women Helping Women Award, 1994 and 1998 * Planned Parenthood National Executive Directors Council Ruth Green Award, 1990 * Woman of Achievement, 1987, Junior League, Mujer, and AAUW * ''New Times'', Best of Phoenix, 1987

Personal life

At age 15, Feldt married her college-age boyfriend and had three children by the time she was 20.Gloria Feldt
''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

,'' March/April 1997. She currently lives with her husband Alex Barbanell and splits her time between

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

References

External links

*
Take The Lead Women

"Why women must seize this moment," CNN Opinion, by Gloria Feldt
*
Planned Parenthood site

Seal Press author page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Feldt, Gloria 1942 births American feminists American non-fiction writers American abortion-rights activists American women's rights activists Feminist bloggers Jewish American writers Jewish feminists Jewish women writers Living people Presidents of Planned Parenthood University of Texas Permian Basin alumni Writers from Arizona Writers from Texas 21st-century American women writers American women bloggers American bloggers 21st-century American Jews