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
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
Gail Zuagar

Gail Zuagar

Position: Senior Communications Specialist
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

For general inquiries, please email press@nationalpartnership.org.

Press Statements

National Partnership Welcomes Dvora Lovinger as Vice President of Congressional Relations and Social Impact, Sara Goldberg as Vice President of Development

National Partnership Welcomes Dvora Lovinger as Vice President of Congressional Relations and Social Impact, Sara Goldberg as Vice President of Development

"I am thrilled to welcome Dvora and Sara to the National Partnership," said Jocelyn C. Frye, President of National Partnership for Women & Families.

U.S. Missed Out on Close to $7 Trillion in GDP Over Last Decade

U.S. Missed Out on Close to $7 Trillion in GDP Over Last Decade

Our new analysis shows the wage gap for all women workers is now 75 cents, 3 cents wider than last year, and the first time the wage gap has grown in over 20 years.

Advocates Commemorate First-Ever Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day September 18

Advocates Commemorate First-Ever Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day September 18

Today, the National Partnership released a new analysis on the likely impacts of abortion access on state ballots in the November 2024 election. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago continues to cause significant harm to millions across the nation.

New Analysis: Abortion on State Ballots Could Impact 16.5 Million Women

New Analysis: Abortion on State Ballots Could Impact 16.5 Million Women

Today, the National Partnership released a new analysis on the likely impacts of abortion access on state ballots in the November 2024 election. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago continues to cause significant harm to millions across the nation.

For the First Time in 20 Years, Gender Wage Gap Widened, with Women Paid Just 75 Cents to a Man’s Dollar

For the First Time in 20 Years, Gender Wage Gap Widened, with Women Paid Just 75 Cents to a Man’s Dollar

Our new analysis shows the wage gap for all women workers is now 75 cents, 3 cents wider than last year, and the first time the wage gap has grown in over 20 years.

News Coverage

Abortion-rights groups are courting Latino voters in Arizona and Florida – AP News

Abortion-rights groups are courting Latino voters in Arizona and Florida – AP News

“Sinsi Hernández-Cancio, vice president for health justice at the National Partnership for Women & Families, said abortion-rights supporters cannot afford to assume Latino voters do not support abortion rights, especially in majority-Republican Florida, which requires 60% voter support to pass a constitutional amendment.”

Abortion-rights groups are courting Latino voters in Arizona and Florida – AP News

Today is the first Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day – The 19th

“‘There is no one reason for these wage gaps to occur. There’s a lot of deliberate economic policies, a lot of which are based in our history of eugenics, ableism, racism and sexism in wages, whether people can work, how people can work and all of these different things,’ said Marissa Ditkowsky, disability economic justice counsel for the National Partnership for Women & Families and a lead author of the analysis.”