Jeannette Pai-Espinosa is the President of The National Crittenton Foundation and a firm believer in the power and potential of all girls and young women. Jeannette brings more than thirty years of experience in advocacy, education, intercultural communication, public policy, strategic communication, program development and direct service delivery to this 125 year old foundation. Pai-Espinosa joins Speak Up! to discuss the extraordinary history of the Foundation and its current programs that will focus on raising the awareness of policy makers about young mothers.

More about Jeannette Pai-Espinosa
A firm believer in the power and potential of all girls and young women, Jeannette Pai-Espinosa assumed leadership of The National Crittenton Foundation in January of 2007. Jeannette brings to this institution more than thirty years of experience in advocacy, education, intercultural communication, public policy, strategic communication, program development and direct service delivery. Jeannette began her career as a vocal advocate and activist for issues of importance to girls and young women in the early seventies as a young woman working to open doors and address gender bias. Today, she is nationally known as an expert on issues related to increasing ethnic and racial diversity in communities, and she will weave this expertise into all her work on behalf of The Foundation.

Prior to coming to The Foundation, Jeannette was a partner for nearly ten years at Metropolitan Group, an award winning social change agency specializing in serving social purpose organizations and businesses.  During her tenure there she worked with clients to develop inclusive brand, communication and campaign strategies, work environments, strategic planning processes, broad-based community outreach plans, and innovative public will building initiatives. Much of her work focused on creating collaborative approaches to compelling social issues such as poverty, racial and gender disparities in educational outcomes, the disproportional representation of children and youth of color in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and bias crimes.

A passionate advocate for human rights, Jeannette was appointed by Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts in 1991 to the positions of state director of affirmative action and senior policy advisor on human rights. She has served as director of the Metropolitan Human Relations Commission for Portland and Salem, Oregon; chair of the Oregon Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission; and president of the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment. Additionally, Jeannette has experience as the founder and executive director of a nonprofit middle and high school alternative school, as a university administrator, and as a board member of numerous organizations. She is currently vice chair of the National Foster Care Coalition.  Jeannette holds a master’s degree in student development and education administration. She and her husband have four “nearly grown” children who are 22, 24, 26 and 28 years old.

More about The Crittenton Foundation
People who recognize the Crittenton name may recall only the often hidden maternity homes that welcomed girls and young women seeking support during their unplanned pregnancy. Much less is known about the lasting social impact of its co-founders Charles Crittenton and Dr. Kate Waller Barrett—both inspiring visionaries and leaders ahead of their times. Even less is known about the influence of the national network of affiliated Crittenton agencies and their impact on the professionalization of social work and on attitudes about the role of women in society. There were once 76 agencies across the country, including 5 international homes. Today approximately 34 historical agencies remain in active operation.

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