California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ)

Marisol Franco is California Latinas for Reproductive Justice’s (CLRJ) Director of Policy and Advocacy. Marisol works to connect Latina/o communities across California to policy efforts and decision-makers in order to promote Latinas’ reproductive justice. Ms. Franco is a founding member of CLRJ and served on its Advisory Board for over three years. Prior to joining CLRJ as the Director of Policy and Advocacy, Marisol worked to mobilize and train community leaders to address local community concerns with the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Marisol’s work entailed building a coalition to address the public health issues confronting Hollywood youth and families through community organizing tactics and a public health framework. In addition to her work in community mobilization and empowerment, Marisol has significant experience conducting policy analysis, coordinating advocacy efforts and campaigns on statewide and regional issues. Prior to her work with CHLA, Marisol served as Policy Analyst for Community Health Councils, Inc., where she worked to develop better policies to improve critical health care delivery systems, in particular the safety net comprised of Los Angeles County emergency rooms and public hospitals. Marisol began her career in public policy as a Policy Fellow with Latino Issues Forum (LIF). Upon completing her fellowship, Marisol was promoted to Policy Analyst where she worked on tracking and researching pertinent legislation and coordinating a number of policy initiatives addressing access to health care in California and improving Latinas’ reproductive health. Marisol has also worked and volunteered her time for different campaigns, including the employer-sponsored health insurance and parental notification initiatives on the 2005 California ballot. Marisol graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Latin American Studies and is a University of California Public Policy and International Affairs (UCPPIA) Fellow. She has completed diverse trainings in policy, advocacy, and organizing, most notably the Women’s Policy Institute Fellowship through the Women’s Foundation of California and the Midwest Academy’s Organizing for Social Change training.