Elise Higgins (she/they) is a state policy expert and reproductive rights and justice movement leader. Elise’s career has spanned dental care access, queer and trans rights, Medicaid policy, and municipal elections, but her primary focus over the past 15 years has been reproductive health, rights, and justice. Before joining SiX as its reproductive rights director, Elise taught and conducted award-winning reproductive rights and justice research at the University of Kansas. Between 2013 and 2017, Elise served as the Director of Public Policy and Organizing for Kansas and Mid-Missouri at Planned Parenthood Great Plains. Outside of SiX, Elise is a PhD candidate completing their dissertation about abortion stigma in state legislatures at the University of Kansas. She is also the immediate past Vice President of the Kansas Abortion Fund and the past president of the URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity board of directors.  You can follow Elise on Twitter at @elisehiggins.