Faye Wattleton is a left-of-center activist who previously served as president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) from 1978 to 1992. Wattleton was also the first woman to lead the organization since its co-founder Margaret Sanger. ^{1 2}

In 2017, she co-founded the quantum computing company EeroQ. ^{1 3}

Early Life

Faye Wattleton was born on July 8, 1943 in St. Louis, Missouri, and was an only child raised by a Protestant minister mother and a construction worker father. ^{1 4}

Wattleton earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Ohio State University, graduating in 1964. ^{5 4} After college, she taught maternity nursing for two years at the Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing in Dayton She attend Columbia University in 1966, where she earned a Master’s Degree in maternal and infant healthcare and a certificate in nurse-midwifery. ^{4 6}

Planned Parenthood

In 1971 Faye Wattleton became the executive director of the Planned Parenthood chapter for Dayton, Ohio. ⁴

Wattleton later became president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America from 1978 to 1992. ¹ She was the first African-American to lead the organization as well as the first woman to lead the group since its founder, Margaret Sanger. ^{2 3}

Wattleton launched Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 1989 as Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s advocacy arm. ⁷

Post-Planned Parenthood Career

In 1995, Faye Wattleton founded and was president of the Center for the Advancement of Women, a think tank that engaged in research of women’s issues. ^{1 5} The organization closed in 2010. ¹

In 2017, Faye Wattleton co-founded quantum computing company EeroQ and became its executive vice president. ^{1 3}

Board Memberships

Faye Wattleton has held board positions with over 20 organizations. ¹ These include Columbia University, the United Nations Association of the United States of America, Empire Blue Cross & Blue Shield, the Pardee RAND Graduate School, Ehrlich-Bober Financial Services, Leslie Fay, Estée Lauder Companies, WellChoice, Inc., Quidel Corporation, and Savient Pharmaceuticals. ^{5 1 8}

1. Hasan, Zoya. “Women’s Rights Champion Faye Wattleton Took A Quantum Leap To Cofound An Advanced Computing Company.” Forbes. August 1, 2023. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomenvoices/2023/08/01/womens-rights-champion-faye-wattleton-took-a-quantum-leap-to-cofound-an-advanced-computing-company/
2. “Faye Wattleton.” National Women’s Hall of Fame. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/faye-wattleton/
3. Suggs, Ernie. “3 decades after Planned Parenthood, Faye Wattleton still fights for reproductive rights.” Atlanta Journal Constitution. May 12, 2025. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://www.ajc.com/uatl/faye-wattleton-on-her-historic-tenure-at-planned-parenthood/T3CN4BYO4VH7NJOFZKUCDAVWAQ/
4. Staff. “Humanist Profile: Faye Wattleton.” The Humanist. March 8, 2022. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://thehumanist.com/commentary/humanist-profile-faye-wattleton-2/
5. “About.” Faye Wattleton. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://fayewattleton.com/about/
6. Neale, Susan. “Committed to Women’s Health.” Nursing. Fall 2021. 2021. https://nursing.osu.edu/transformations-nursing-and-health/fall-2021/faye-wattleton
7. “Faye Wattleton.” Life Stories. Accessed May 29, 2025. https://www.lifestories.org/interviewees/faye-wattleton
8. “Faye Wattleton.” Columbia University. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://worldleaders.columbia.edu/directory/faye-wattleton