Yamelsie Rodríguez started her career as a Planned Parenthood health center translator for Spanish-speaking patients. Through that first volunteer engagement, she immediately understood that barriers to care for marginalized communities are layered and complicated. She now serves as the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (PPSLRSWMO). Under Yamelsie’s leadership, PPSLRSWMO has expanded its scope of care in the most difficult environments at an affiliate that straddles a geographic region that poses two realities — one where those whose reproductive freedom belongs to themselves and another whose reproductive freedom belongs to a small group of politicians who have effectively appointed themselves as decision-makers over our bodies, lives, and futures. Before taking on this role at PPSLRSWMO, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Planned Parenthood of Illinois. Yamelsie brings a wealth of experience in innovative and patient-centered health care delivery models that adapt to the evolving needs of the communities in which her health centers serve.