Faye Wattleton

Faye Wattleton is a Co-Founder of EeroQ, a leader in the field of quantum computing hardware. Wattleton’s distinguished career spans more than three decades, during which she has amassed an extraordinary track record for leadership, both as a CEO of national not-for-profit organizations and as a board member of public and private corporations, academic institutions and high-impact philanthropic organizations.

Prior to joining EeroQ, Wattleton served as Co-Founder and President of the Center for the Advancement of Women, an independent, nonpartisan think tank, conducting women-focused national research for public education and policy advocacy. During her leadership, the organization received national and international acclaim for its groundbreaking research on women’s opinions, experiences, roles and status in society.

Wattleton is best known as a reproductive rights activist and women's health care advocate. From 1978 to 1992, she was President and CEO of the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary reproductive health provider, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). She was the youngest, first woman and first African American to hold this position. At the time of her departure, a restructured Planned Parenthood had grown to become the nation’s seventh largest nonprofit organization, with an aggregate budget of $500 million, providing medical and educational services to four million Americans each year, through 170 affiliates operating in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Under its international arm, known as Family Planning International Assistance, PPFA provided technical assistance and commodities to organizations in dozens of developing countries.

Lauded as a public spokesperson and for her managerial skills and revolutionary public policy advancement by Business Week and Money, Wattleton has received countless honors and awards, including being named to Forbes' "50 Over 50 - Innovation" list in 2023. She is the 2004 recipient of the prestigious Fries Prize for service to improving public health and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.

Wattleton is an active member of the board of trustees of Columbia University; the board of governors of the PardeeRand Graduate School; and serves on the board of directors of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Previously, she served on the boards of directors of public companies including Ehrlich-BoberFinancial Services, Leslie Fay, Estée Lauder Companies, WellChoice, Inc., QuidelCorporation, and SavientPharmaceuticals.

Wattleton earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She holds fourteen honorary degrees.