Maya Paley
Co-Founder, Change the Talk (National Council of Jewish Women)
"I never made an intentional decision to be an activist. I remember becoming aware of gaps in wealth, education, professional opportunity, and racial and gender equity between the two sides of my family. I began identifying as a feminist and I had this intense need to make things better, but I didn’t know how. I still don’t know sometimes. What I’m most grateful for are the people I’ve learned from along the way—the refugees who have taught me true gratitude for each day in which we are safe and free; the sex workers who have taught me about dignity and self-respect; and the survivors of sexual violence who have shown me how to lead with honesty and vulnerability. Change happens when we come together, speak loudly, and persevere. I hope for a world in which every individual is safe, free, heard, visible, and can live with dignity."
Biography
Maya Paley is a proud Los Angeles native who has specialized in gender justice, migration, and human rights throughout her professional and academic career. She currently serves as the senior director and co-founder of Change the Talk for the National Council of Jewish Women, Los Angeles, equipping and mobilizing youth to create a culture of consent and build a movement against sexual violence. Prior to this role, Paley was NCJW|LA’s Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement and was responsible for the organization’s advocacy and policy agenda, including advocating for paid sick days for workers, an expansion of paid family leave, numerous state bills in support of reproductive rights, health, and justice for survivors of human trafficking.
Paley also launched NCJW|LA’s Advocacy Training Project and the Human Trafficking Outreach Project. She also served on the executive committee of the California Work and Family Coalition, as well as the steering committee for the Los Angeles Coalition for Reproductive Justice. Paley also founded Right Now: Advocates for African Asylum Seekers in Israel. Paley earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley and her master’s in international affairs from Columbia University. She received the Outstanding Woman Leader Award from the city of Santa Monica in 2018 and the Women in Leadership Award from the city of West Hollywood in 2019. She has served on the Governing Board of the New Leaders Council Los Angeles and of MuJER, an organization that advocates for the rights of sex workers in Guatemala City.