Meet RHAP’s New Team Members!

RHAP has a lot of new faces – please join us in welcoming our new team members!

Hannah Cavendish-Palmer (she/her), Interim Executive Director 

Where are you located?

• • • The Seattle area.

Why did you join RHAP?

• I am fired up about reproductive health and body autonomy. I love transition leadership and I am thrilled to have an opportunity to contribute to RHAP. 

What do you hope reproductive justice will look like in the future?

• My hope is that any debate about body autonomy fades away as younger people become voters and get politically active. Ideally this will happen quickly, so that this painful phase can be over as soon as possible!

What are your hobbies/outside-of-work interests?

• I spend the majority of my outside-of-work time with my kids, but when I can, I love karaoke, eating out, dancing, and traveling. 

What has been your latest go-to song playlist?  

• The Fresh Folk playlist on Spotify is my go-to for discovering new music! 

Share one thing you would like our readers to know about you. 

• Rubber boots are my default footwear- essential to my life as a Pacific Northwest parent!

Amelia Cecchetto (she/her), Social Media Associate 

Where are you located?

• New York City! 

Why did you join RHAP?

• Reproductive health access is one of the most important issues to me, and social media can be such an effective tool for education, mobilization, and change. I’ve seen social media fuel rapid response and advocacy movements, and there is so much potential to continue to use social media as a way of change. I’m excited to use RHAP’s platforms to keep our community educated and involved in the most pressing issues facing reproductive health care access. 

What do you hope reproductive justice will look like in the future?

• I hope reproductive justice looks like bodily autonomy and freedom from legislation that controls access to reproductive care. I want a future where nobody needs to navigate a complicated system just to receive basic care, and that they feel empowered and free from judgment when they make their own decisions. 

What are your hobbies/outside-of-work interests?

• I love finding new coffee shops, going on walks, and film photography. 

What has been your latest go-to song playlist?

• I just went to a Broadway show – so show tunes are on repeat lately. 

Share one thing you would like our readers to know about you. 

• I have to start my day with a coffee! Warm drinks every morning are critical to get through fall/winter. 

Vishu Chandrasekhar (she/her), Development Associate 

Where are you located? 

• Queens, NY.

Why did you join RHAP? 

• I joined RHAP because I deeply admired its work connecting clinicians with the resources they need to provide essential abortion and reproductive care, and I stayed because I’ve only become more committed to its mission (and the fantastic team!) ever since.

What do you hope reproductive justice will look like in the future?

• I envision a future where essential health care is provided to whoever needs it, whenever they need it.

What are your hobbies/outside-of-work interests?

• Doing crosswords and going on scenic walks.

What has been your latest go-to song playlist?

• I’ve had the Derry Girls soundtrack on repeat since Season 3 was released on Netflix a few weeks ago.

Share one thing you would like our readers to know about you. 

• I first came to RHAP as an intern with the Reproductive Rights Service Corps back in 2020.

Zoe Klett (she/her), Operations Coordinator 

Where are you located? 

• Brooklyn, NY. 

Why did you join RHAP?

• Joining RHAP is a dream come true. Having spent the majority of my professional career with organizations centered around public health initiatives, I became deeply aware of the encompassing barrier of accessibility. Then, following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, I became intent on joining an organization on the forefront of combatting restrictions to reproductive care. RHAP’s mission to revolutionize the way people can access reproductive care is integral to the fight for accessible sexual and reproductive health care for all. I am so grateful to be a part of such an essential organization.

What do you hope reproductive justice will look like in the future?

• In the future, my hope is that Reproductive Justice will be widely understood and accepted for what it means: the human right to maintain autonomy over one’s body and choices. This right should be protected by law, inclusive of all aspects of reproductive care, centered around marginalized communities, and, as a result of the incredible work conducted at organizations like RHAP, accessible to everyone.

What are your hobbies/outside-of-work interests?

• Outside of work, you can find me engaged in numerous activities. I’m a huge animal enthusiast and spend a lot of my extra time walking the neighborhood dogs through Wag. Additionally, I love making cross-stitches and embroidery.

What has been your latest go-to song playlist?

• Recently I’ve been playing the Spotify playlist “autumn in new york” on repeat.

Share one thing you would like our readers to know about you.

• One thing to know about me is I am constantly seeking the opportunity to learn and grow and value any experience that allows me to do so.

Ruth Leal (she/her/ella), Manager of Individual Giving 

Where are you located?

• Virginia. 

Why did you join RHAP?

• I joined RHAP because I wanted to actively support the reproductive justice movement instead of continuing to watch through the sidelines. We are living through a crucial moment where the fight for proper reproductive health access and bodily autonomy is more vital now than ever. So when the opportunity arose to join the RHAP team, I did not think twice! 

What do you hope reproductive justice will look like in the future? 

• In the future, I hope that conversations surrounding reproductive health access become free of stigma and judgment. I wish essential health care becomes a conversation between health care providers and people, not between political parties and legislators. With access for all, regardless of gender, identity, beliefs, race, or economic status. 

What are your hobbies/outside-of-work interests? 

• I love food! I enjoy cooking and baking (big Great British Bake Off fan over here!). To burn all the calories from baking, I run 10k races and do cycling, which also helps me manage stress. Lastly, but most importantly, I love naps. I look forward to the weekend when I get to nap and be a bit lazy. 

What has been your latest go-to song playlist?  

• I am training for a 10k, so I am fine-tuning a list I like to call “Leg Fuel.” It is very random: Lil Nas  X, songs from the movie Encanto, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Miki Matsubara, etc. 

Neha Vasudeva (they/them), Organizer 

Where are you located? 

• Sacramento, CA. 

Why did you join RHAP?

• I joined RHAP because of my passion for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and felt a sense of urgency to rejoin the repro sphere after the fall of Roe. I particularly appreciate RHAP’s niche approach of integrating repro health care into primary health care. 

What do you hope reproductive justice will look like in the future?

• In the future, I hope repro justice will continue to look queer and Black and brown, as it was when it first started out. I hope for a future where queer BIPOC folks can access their sexual and reproductive health care easily, safely, affordably, and without judgment or shame.

What are your hobbies/outside-of-work interests?

• I am a coffee connoisseur, also known as a coffee snob, so in my free time, I love exploring new and local cafes. I also love to go solo-hiking and binge-watching the newest shows on Netflix/Hulu/all the streaming platforms. 

What has been your latest go-to song playlist? 

• I actually don’t listen to playlists…I do however listen to the ‘radio’ option of a song on Spotify. Right now, my go-to Radio is Girls by Doechii.

Share one thing you would like our readers to know about you.

• I am a writer with a focus on poetry and creative fiction. I currently have an unfinished story of roughly 71,000 words that I’ll maybe, hopefully, finish in the next couple of years.