Doris Quintanilla

Doris is on a mission to educate, empower, mentor, and effect change in the lives of women of color. Throughout her career, Doris has focused on expanding access to healthcare and higher education and on championing social justice and sexual and reproductive health for all. Her journey started in 2009 in Oakland, California, where she spearheaded community health education and youth leadership development with La Clínica de la Raza. In 2014, she moved to the Dominican Republic to work in youth education and leadership and returned to the United States to continue this work, focusing on building partnerships and recruiting student leaders. In 2016, she joined the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) as a program manager and managed a portfolio of continuing education programs focusing on the intersection of sexual and reproductive health and chronic conditions. After nine years of working in non-profit spaces, Doris decided to venture off on a new path: creating The Melanin Collective: Women of Color, Standing Together, a space for women of color to see their true self and value, to work as a collective for the common good, and to develop supportive, professional, and lasting relationships. This newest chapter in her life is focused on empowering and supporting women of color so they can thrive freely and live happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives. Doris grew up in Santa Ana, California, and went on to receive a bachelor’s in International Development with a focus on Latin America and the Middle East from UCLA in 2008.