Establishing a permanent legacy to honor and carry on the work of Judy Lichtman
“For over 50 years, I’ve tried to make this world a better place for women and families. We’ve come a long way, but our work is far from done. My daughters, and all of our children, deserve a future that is truly free of discrimination, and where all families have the support they need to succeed at home and on the job. I know from experience — if we can imagine it, we can make it happen.”
– Judy Lichtman
Establishing a permanent legacy to honor and carry on the work of Judy Lichtman
The National Partnership for Women & Families is proud to announce the Judith L. Lichtman Legacy Fund (Lichtman Legacy Fund) in recognition of Judy’s 50th anniversary as a member of the National Partnership’s staff.
“For over 50 years, I’ve tried to make this world a better place for women and families. We’ve come a long way, but our work is far from done. My daughters, and all of our children, deserve a future that is truly free of discrimination, and where all families have the support they need to succeed at home and on the job. I know from experience — if we can imagine it, we can make it happen.”
– Judy Lichtman
About the Lichtman Legacy Fund
The Lichtman Legacy Fund will establish a general fund that can be used to support projects that honor Judy’s visionary spirit, strategic wisdom, legal expertise, coalition building, and unwavering commitment to equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. The fund will support, among other initiatives, the creation of the Judith Lichtman Fellowship, a 12-month position for a recent law graduate to work at the National Partnership as a policy counsel, which is consistent with Judy’s longstanding efforts to mentor countless young women and launch them into fields such as law, policy, and social activism. The fund will also be used to support transformative projects, infrastructure, and leadership investments at the National Partnership.
Check out the 2024-2025 report highlighting the initiatives and impact made possible by the Fund’s generous supporters.
Honoring Judy Lichtman’s 50 years of service
At the 2024 Democracy in Action event in Washington, D.C., the National Partnership recognized the extraordinary contribution of our first paid staff member, Judy Lichtman. Here is a tribute video and remarks by NPWF President Jocelyn Frye.
Become a Lichtman Legacy Fund donor
The Lichtman Legacy Fund will support projects that honor Judy’s visionary spirit, strategic wisdom, legal expertise, coalition building, and unwavering commitment to equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. If you’d like to add your name to this incredibly important initiative, please contact Sarah Broudy at sbroudy@nationalpartnership.org to learn more or make a donation today.
Meet the Lichtman Fellow: Maria Ortiz Pineda
Maria Ortiz Pineda is a Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellow at the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she supports the Economic Justice team in advancing policies that promote workplace equity and protect the rights of women and families.
She earned her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2025, where she was a Public Interest/Public Service Scholar. During law school, Maria worked as a Peggy Browning Fellow with the Communications Workers of America and represented clients in gender marker and name change cases and civil protection order proceedings in D.C. Superior Court as a student attorney in the Elliott S. Milstein Civil Advocacy Clinic. She also gained litigation experience at a civil rights law firm and served as a Peggy Browning Fellow at a union-side law firm, focusing on labor law issues.
Outside of work, Maria enjoys going to Orangetheory, reading, and spending time with her husband and her fur baby, Rio. She is committed to advancing equity and workers’ rights both professionally and personally.
Maria Ortiz Pineda is a Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellow at the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she supports the Economic Justice team in advancing policies that promote workplace equity and protect the rights of women and families.
She earned her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2025, where she was a Public Interest/Public Service Scholar. During law school, Maria worked as a Peggy Browning Fellow with the Communications Workers of America and represented clients in gender marker and name change cases and civil protection order proceedings in D.C. Superior Court as a student attorney in the Elliott S. Milstein Civil Advocacy Clinic. She also gained litigation experience at a civil rights law firm and served as a Peggy Browning Fellow at a union-side law firm, focusing on labor law issues.
Outside of work, Maria enjoys going to Orangetheory, reading, and spending time with her husband and her fur baby, Rio. She is committed to advancing equity and workers’ rights both professionally and personally.
Highlights of the Lichtman Legacy Fund launch event
On September 16, 2024, nearly 250 people gathered to honor Judy Lichtman with the formal launch of the Judith L. Lichtman Legacy Fund at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, which featured special guest speaker Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Judy Lichtman’s Impact
Under Lichtman’s leadership, the National Partnership helped champion the enactment of landmark pieces of legislation, including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
Lichtman was instrumental in helping shape the Affordable Care Act’s historic anti-discrimination provisions – making it the first federal civil rights law ever to broadly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded health programs. Throughout her entire career, Judy also fought tirelessly to defend reproductive freedom against far-right attacks, expand access to abortion and reproductive care, and advance health equity and justice. Furthermore, she worked to elevate more women to leadership roles in public office, policymaking, and private industry — along with pushing for more women nominees to the federal bench who demonstrated a commitment to equal justice.
Judy has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Hubert H. Humphrey Award, and the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award.
