News Room

Media Contacts

Amaya Smith

Amaya Smith

Position: Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Phone: (202) 986-2600
Email: asmith@nationalpartnership.org
Categories: Media

Amaya Smith is vice president for marketing and communications at the National Partnership for Women & Families. In that role she oversees strategic messaging as well as digital and earned communications around issues important to women and families. These issues include reproductive justice, women’s health care and workplace fairness. Smith works to ensure that stakeholders and the public understand that women’s health and reproductive freedom is inextricably entwined with economic justice. Before joining National Partnership she served as Communications Director and Strategic Advisor to the President, at the AFL-CIO. Prior to joining the AFL-CIO Smith served as a Press Secretary for the American Association for Justice (AAJ). She also served as the South Carolina Press Secretary for the Obama for America campaign during the 2008 Democratic primary.

Smith developed experience working with diverse media outlets and constituencies as a Regional Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee, where she handled press for the women’s, African American, labor, faith, college and youth communities. She got her start in legislative advocacy working for former Congressman Albert R. Wynn, her local representative. She served as a Communications Director for Congressman Wynn for four years and built relationships with Capitol Hill and Washington reporters. Smith is a graduate of American University and is originally from Silver Spring, Md. Her passion for social justice and women’s health comes from a mom who is a retired registered nurse and an eternal activist.

Amaya Smith

Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Llenda Jackson Leslie

Llenda Jackson-Leslie

Position: Senior Communications Specialist, Health Justice
Phone: (202) 986-2600
Email: ljackson-leslie@nationalpartnership.org
Categories: Media

Llenda Jackson-Leslie is a senior communications specialist at the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she works to showcase reproductive health and health care issues.

Prior to her work at the National Partnership, Llenda was a senior communications associate at McKinney & Associates, where she led campaigns on transformative justice, gender justice and health equity. Previously, she served as director of legislative communications for the American Civil Liberties Union where she managed communications initiatives to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act.

A native Detroiter, Llenda served as communications director for Michigan’s largest trial court and marketing director for the Detroit Branch NAACP before moving to Washington, D.C.

Llenda Jackson-Leslie

Senior Communications Specialist, Health Justice
Gail Zuagar

Gail Zuagar

Position: Senior Communications Specialist, Economic Justice
Phone: (202) 986-2600
Email: gzuagar@nationalpartnership.org
Categories: Media

Gail Zuagar is a senior communications specialist at the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she works to amplify the organization’s economic justice work to a range of audiences. Prior to joining the National Partnership, Gail developed a passion for combining communications with advocacy and outreach in previous roles at The Education Trust and the National Women’s Law Center.

Gail earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple University and her master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their children.

Gail Zuagar

Senior Communications Specialist, Economic Justice

For general inquiries, please email Emily Roe at eroe@nationalpartnership.org.

Press Statements

Dismantling OFCCP Will Have Far-Reaching Repercussions for Civil Rights, Disabled Workers and Veterans

Dismantling OFCCP Will Have Far-Reaching Repercussions for Civil Rights, Disabled Workers and Veterans

The DOGE mandate to cut the vast majority of OFCCP employees and shuttering of most OFCCP field offices is an assault on the civil rights of America's workers, particularly disabled workers and veterans.

NPWF Condemns Plans to Eviscerate the Department of Health & Human Services

NPWF Condemns Plans to Eviscerate the Department of Health & Human Services

"The deceptive nature of the Trump Administration’s claim to care about 'making America healthy again' was laid bare by today's announcement to fire 10,000 workers across the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) apparently without regard to the potential harms to the health and well-being of families and health care delivery overall."

NPWF Condemns VA Governor Youngkin’s Veto of Paid Leave Legislation

NPWF Condemns VA Governor Youngkin’s Veto of Paid Leave Legislation

"This latest veto by Governor Youngkin is deeply troubling and disappointing and sends a clear message about his lack of commitment to adopting concrete policies to address the real needs of families across the state. For too many families, the lack of access to caregiving supports like paid family and medical leave means that they must make impossible choices..."

Nearly Two Dozen Leading Civil Rights Groups Condemn Trump Administration Memo Threatening Lawyers and Law Firms That Bring Suits Against the Federal Government

Nearly Two Dozen Leading Civil Rights Groups Condemn Trump Administration Memo Threatening Lawyers and Law Firms That Bring Suits Against the Federal Government

A group of 22 civil rights organizations vehemently condemn President Trump's latest memorandum. The organizations call for urgent action to defend the rule of law.

NPWF Condemns Trump Administration’s Threat to Close the Department of Education

NPWF Condemns Trump Administration’s Threat to Close the Department of Education

The Administration's ongoing obsession with attacking the Department of Education is the latest effort to undo critical tools for ensuring that educational opportunity is accessible for everyone.

News Coverage

Young Women Are Starting to Recession-Proof Their Lives – Wall Street Journal

Young Women Are Starting to Recession-Proof Their Lives – Wall Street Journal

“Young women in particular have a better feel for something going south,” says Anwesha Majumder, economist at the National Partnership for Women & Families, a nonprofit organization. When their spending starts pulling back, she says, “it’s possible that things will quickly spiral for the economy as a whole.”

Young Women Are Starting to Recession-Proof Their Lives – Wall Street Journal

Virginia women earn nearly $15K less than men – Axios

“Gender pay differences reflect in part ‘a lack of workplace policies that support family caregiving, which is still most often performed by women,’ according to the National Partnership for Women and Families.”

Young Women Are Starting to Recession-Proof Their Lives – Wall Street Journal

7 Experts Rebuke EEOC For Unlawful Anti-DEI Targeting Of Employers – Forbes

“The Chair is not authorized to unilaterally issue demand letters to any employer and publicly announce them to the world just because she wants to do so,” said Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families, in a March 19, 2025 statement. “Lucas’ action seems designed to be an intimidation tactic, without sufficient legal authority.”

Young Women Are Starting to Recession-Proof Their Lives – Wall Street Journal

17 states want to end an abortion privacy rule. A federal judge is questioning HIPAA itself. – Stateline

“The threats to the 2000 privacy rule would be a seismic shift that could erode patients’ trust entirely in their providers and dissuade them from wanting to seek out health care and be transparent about their symptoms,” said Ashley Emery, a senior policy analyst for the nonprofit Partnership for Women and Families. “A law enforcement officer could pressure a psychiatrist to share patient notes from therapy sessions without a subpoena, without a warrant, if the 2000 privacy rule is invalidated.”

Young Women Are Starting to Recession-Proof Their Lives – Wall Street Journal

Women already earn less. Trump’s labor cuts could make the pay gap easier to hide. – The 19th

“‘It’s not unusual to have different emphases across Republican and Democratic administrations, different levels of enforcement,’ said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, a national nonpartisan organization that advocates for family policy. ‘What’s different this time around, unlike the first Trump administration and [any other] since [former President Lyndon B.] Johnson’s administration, they have sought to eliminate the underlying executive actions and infrastructure that is critical to doing robust enforcement.'”