By If/When/How
If/When/How is excited to announce the hire of Jeryl Hayes, J.D., LL.M., as Movement Building Director. In this new role, Jeryl will shape movement-building strategies, grow and evolve programs, and oversee the mobilization and networking of law students and legal professionals to champion reproductive justice within and beyond the legal system.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to return to work for the organization where I first learned about reproductive justice and how to use my legal training for an issue I’m super passionate about,” she said. “I’m excited to help shape and grow If/When/How’s network of law students and legal professionals to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice.”
Jeryl is a long-time member of the If/When/How network, and we know her enthusiasm for the movement and deep knowledge of the issues will immediately make her an indispensable part of a team that has grown significantly over the past year to expand our campus organizing, legal research, lawyer network, and professional development initiatives.
Prior to working with If/When/How, Jeryl worked as the Director, Public Policy for Physicians for Reproductive Health, and as the Domestic Policy Analyst with Advocates for Youth. Jeryl focused her legal training on reproductive health, rights, and justice, and engaged with If/When/How while in law school, both as a legal intern and as a chapter leader. After earning her Masters in Law in Law & Government, with a specialization in Gender and the Law, from American University Washington College of Law in 2012, Jeryl served as an If/When/How Reproductive Justice Fellow, with placement at the Black Women’s Health Imperative.
In 2017, Jeryl became the Board President of the DC Abortion Fund (DCAF), an all-volunteer non-profit that makes grants to pregnant people in the Washington, D.C. area who cannot afford the full cost of an abortion. Jeryl previously served as the Chair of the Women’s Information Network (WIN), D.C.’s premier professional, political, and social network dedicated to empowering young, pro-choice, Democratic women. She earned her law degree from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Denison University. Jeryl is based in the Washington, D.C. area.