Origins and
Objectives
Origins and
Our Team
OUR MISSION
The Pad Project’s mission is to create and cultivate local and global partnerships to end period stigma and to empower women and all menstruators worldwide.
OUR VALUES
Agency
The Pad Project’s pad machines and washable cloth pad programs utilize a social enterprise model. Instead of simply distributing products, these programs employ women to run their own businesses by making and selling menstrual pads. Our programs also involve implementing menstrual hygiene management workshops, all of which are created and run by our nonprofit partners to fit the needs of their community members.
Collaboration
The Pad Project isn’t alone in the fight for menstrual equity. We partner with domestic and international nonprofits to make sure our programs fit the individual menstrual hygiene needs of each community where we work. We also founded the Ambassador Program to connect and engage menstrual equity activists around the globe.
Education
The Pad Project believes that educating people about menstruation is a necessary part of the menstrual equity movement. We created the documentary Period. End of Sentence. to raise awareness about period poverty, and we’ve included menstrual hygiene management education as a key component in all of our international programs. We are also committed to using education to debunk myths about menstruation and combat menstrual stigma around the world.
Equity
Lack of access to affordable and hygienic menstrual products is a global problem. The Pad Project learns from our NGO partners and then funds a variety of programming to meet the access needs of different individuals and communities. Our goal is to help each community provide adequate menstrual health to menstruators, which, according to Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, requires “complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in relation to the menstrual cycle.”
Inclusivity
Not all women menstruate, and not all menstruators are women. At The Pad Project, we are dedicated to supporting all menstruators, and we want to make sure our fight for menstrual equity is gender inclusive. We use the term “menstruators” to refer to all people who experience menstruation, including cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid individuals. However, we as an organization are still learning and growing, and we welcome all feedback. If you see a way for us to be more inclusive, let us know at info@thepadproject.org!
OUR STORY: THE CAMPAIGN
The Pad Project was started in 2013 by a youth-driven community of students and educators convinced that menstruation matters for everyone. What began as a documentary film project highlighting a single village has expanded to an organization with global reach. In 2019, that documentary film, Period. End of Sentence., won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, and since then, The Pad Project has continued to grow.
We’ve placed 9 pad machines in 2 countries and are working to place 7 more pad machines in 4 countries. We’ve launched 8 washable pad programs in 6 countries and are working to launch another washable pad program soon! In the U.S., we’ve started two programs to combat period poverty: Pads for All and Pads for Schools. So far, we’ve partnered with 10 NGOs and grassroots organizations in 8 states and 5 schools and school districts in 4 states to provide menstrual products to those in need. We also launched The Pad Project’s Ambassador Program, which is designed to unite menstrual equity activists around the world!
Meet the team
behind the movement
OUR STAFF
Melissa Berton
Co-Founder/Executive Director
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Sorelle Cohen
Director of Development, Marketing & Communications
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Rachel Wilson
Associate Director of Domestic Programs
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Nicolette Harutunian
Education Programs Manager
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Tanya Mahajan
Director of International Programs
New Delhi, India
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bob Gatto
CFO
Vice President of Acquisitions & Business Development, Nestle
Garrett Schiff
COO
Writer, Producer
Anissa Siegel
Secretary
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Artist
Bonnie Abaunza
General Board Member
Social Impact Producer, Human Rights Activist
Dr. Tamyra Comeaux
General Board Member
M.D.
Nicole Jain Sharma
General Board Member
Education Policy Advocate and Advisor
Stacey Sher
General Board Member
Film Producer
Lisa Taback
General Board Member
Vice President of Awards & Talent Relations, Netflix
Rayka Zehtabchi
General Board Member
Film Director
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Michaela Carter
Author
Jodie Chan
Fashion Marketing Executive
Victor Cohen
PhD
Dr. Supriya Garikipati
University of Liverpool Associate Professor Economics
Mia Glass
Community Leader
Dr. Sarah Haynes
Philanthropist
Beth Laski
Partner at Pastime Productions
Sajji Lazarus
Founder and CEO Panthera Collective
Jordan Levine
Epidemiologist at Youth Development Labs
Cara Familian Natterson
M.D.
Hannah Matluck
Founder and Producer of The V Hive Podcast
Abby Maxam
VP Meno Enterprises and Owner/Partner SKS Management
Onelia Miller
Founder of Conspiracy LA PR and Marketing
Sheila Minton
President & Chief Executive Officer at TAGNOS
Nancy Muller
Independent Consultant
Professor Julie Rajan
Associate Teaching Professor, Rutgers University
Adjunct: Columbia University
Dr. Sarena Ravi-Toellner MD
Endocrinologist
Pavita Singh
MPH, Executive Director, Girls Health Education
Anjana Sivakumar
Chief Human Resources Officer at StoneTurn
Susan Stover
Marketing Lead Hyivy Health
Jeremy Tepper
Growth Equity Investor at Spectrum Equity
Phu Tranchi
Director of Community Engagement & Experiential Learning, Oakwood School
Sateria Venable
Founder & CEO at The Fibroid Foundation
FOUNDERS BOARD
Sophie Aschiem Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, Yale University ’23
Carly Gatto University of Michigan ’22
Alden Sabah Scripps College ’22
Ruby Schiff Kenyon College ’21
Avery Siegel Community Outreach Coordinator, Tulane University ’21
Charlotte Silverman Brown University ’22
Claire Sliney Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator, University of Pennsylvania ’21
Helen Yenser Scripps ‘17, University of Southern California MFA ‘19, Cinematic Arts
YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD: Current Oakwood Students
