Esperanza Garcia Walters

Esperanza Garcia Walters is chairperson of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the PPFA Executive Committee.

"Before becoming PPFA chair in 2005, Ms. Walters held a number of volunteer roles with Planned Parenthood at the national, regional, and local levels, including chair of the National Organization Planning Committee; the PPFA Visioning Steering Committee, which developed the Planned Parenthood Vision for 2025, and the Planned Parenthood Western Region. She also served as a member of the PPFA Finance Committee. She recently was a member of the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Mar Monte (San Jose, CA), where she was board president from 1990-1992. Presently, she is chair of the East Valley Community Clinic board of directors.

"Ms. Walters' many contributions to Planned Parenthood were honored in 2000, when she was named PPFA Volunteer of the Year. Her work and advocacy have also been recognized by the Human Rights Commission, and she received the prestigious Outstanding Women of Santa Clara Award from the Women's Fund, the YWCA's Tribute to Women in Industry, and the Good Samaritan Health System's Visionary Award. She was formerly involved with the United Way of Santa Clara, Santa Clara County's HIV/AIDS Care Consortium, and the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. She served as vice chair of the California Department of Health Services' Breast and Cervical Cancer Advisory Council, where she was recognized for her community health expertise.

"She is principal of Garcia Walters Consulting, which offers health services consulting to companies and organizations. She is the former director of the Health Education and Training Center, a division of the Community Health Partnership, which focused on increasing access to quality health care for underserved and culturally diverse communities. Ms. Walters' expertise in her field is widely recognized, and she consults and lectures on multicultural health, community organization, health education, and health promotion at the Stanford School of Medicine and other colleges and organizations. She is a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley, which brings together the area's most effective leaders to develop their skills and capacity to work together on public issues.

"Ms. Walters received a nursing diploma from the San José Hospital School of Nursing, and holds BA and MPH degrees in health education from San José State University. She lives in Hollister, CA, with her husband, Archer."