Heather Booth

Heather Booth is a strategist known for her contributions to progressive issue and electoral campaigns. She began her career as an organizer in the civil rights, anti-Vietnam War and women’s movements of the 1960s and has continued to drive change through the present day. One of Booth's early significant contributions was the creation of JANE, an underground abortion service that began its operations before Roe v. Wade was enacted.

Booth founded and served as President of the Midwest Academy, an institution dedicated to training leaders and organizers for social change. She has taken on numerous roles in political campaigns and served as the Training Director of the Democratic National Committee. In 2000, Booth took up the Directorship of the NAACP National Voter Fund, a role in which she helped increase African American election turnout by nearly 2 million voters. In 2005, she was the lead consultant directing the foundation of the Campaign for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

In 2008 and 2009, Booth directed impactful campaigns in health and finance sectors, leading the Health Care Campaign for the AFL-CIO and the campaign passing President Obama’s first budget, respectively. In 2010, she was the founding director of Americans for Financial Reform, advocating for the regulation of the financial industry. Booth's influence extends to social issues as well; she served as the National Coordinator for the coalition around marriage equality leading up to the 2013 Supreme Court decision. She also provided strategic advice to the Alliance for Citizenship, the most extensive coalition of the immigration reform campaign. In her role as Field Director for Americans for Tax Fairness, Booth worked to prevent tax cuts for millionaires that could potentially lead to reductions in Medicare, Medicaid, and education.

In addition to these accomplishments, Booth has a strong presence in the media. She has been featured in numerous documentary films and television programs, such as the 2016 documentary by Lilly Rivlin, "Heather Booth: Changing the World." Her activism and political strategies have also garnered attention on podcast platforms. Booth's work has been pivotal in multiple social movements over the decades, including the Freedom Summer project in 1964, feminist advocacy starting in 1965, and the establishment of the Chicago Women's Liberation Union (CWLU) in 1969.

Booth has been recognized for her contributions with multiple awards, including the Thomas-Debs Award from the Democratic Socialists of America in 1987, and the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Women's Health Award from the National Organization for Women in 2013. Most recently, in March 2022, she received the Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award from T'ruah, the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. She continues to contribute her expertise as a member of Democracy Partners, a group of political consultants.