PERSON: Sonia Ossorio

National Organization for Women of New York

President

Sonia Ossorio, President, leads the National Organization for Women of New York. NOW is the nation’s largest organization working to advance women’s rights. With more than 5,000 NYC activist members and supporters, Ms. Ossorio has led the organization in changing laws and policies to further women’s equality and to improve local government and law enforcement’s response to gender-based violence and workplace discrimination. In 2007, Ms. Ossorio was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. In 2016, she was appointed to the New York City Commission on Gender Equity by Mayor Bill De Blasio.

Ms. Ossorio has spoken widely on the topics of American feminism, women in politics, the glass ceiling, human trafficking, and the evolution of rape laws in the criminal justice system. Prior to her current post, she served as Director of Public Information for Catalyst, the preeminent research and advisory organization working to advance women in corporate America. Ms. Ossorio started her career as a journalist and has worked for American City Business Journals, Knight-Ridder and Gannett Newspapers. Her reporting and commentary on human rights, feminist issues, women in business and entrepreneurship have appeared in USA Today, the Denver Post, the St. Petersburg Times, and the New York Times, among others.

— nownyc.org