Home About Jean

Current Affiliations


Founder and President Emerita, Political Research Associates, Somerville, MA

Political Research Associates is an independent, nonprofit research center that exposes and challenges the Right and larger oppressive movements, institutions, and forces. PRA produces accurate applied research and useful analytic tools to inform and support progressive activism that promotes equality and justice.

Visit Political Research Associates website.

Senior Scholar, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College

For more than 30 years, the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) has been a driving force, both behind the scenes and in the spotlight, promoting positive change for women and girls. The world's largest women's research center, WCW is the powerful alliance of the Center for Research on Women and the Stone Center at Wellesley College.

Visit the Wellesley Centers for Women website.


Biography Timeline


2010 -present Boston Busing/Desegregation Project, Union of Minority Neighborhoods
2010 -present Member, National Advisory Committee, FOCAL, Federation of Children Centers of Alabama, Inc.
2006 -present Member, Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity, sponsored by Interfaith Worker Justice and Good Jobs First
2001 -2007 Member, Board of Directors, Highlander Research and Education Center,
New Market, Tennessee
2000 -2005 Member of the Board of Directors, Center for Community Change,
Washington, D.C.
1989 -2013 Founding Member, Women's Community Cancer
Project, Cambridge/Boston, MA
1995 -2007 Education Consultant, Ms. Foundation Democracy
Funding Circle, New York City
1981 -2004 President, Political Research Associates
Somerville, MA
Director of an independent research center that
monitors anti democratic and authoritarian trends and
movements. PRA maintains a library of primary and secondary material,
publishes, books, monographs and reports, works with the media,
and provides speakers for small and large groups.
1981 -2004 Member of the Board of Directors, Political
Research Associates, Cambridge, MA
1997 -2000 Member of the Board of Directors, The Sister Fund, NYC
1993 -1999 Member of the Board of Directors, Center for
Women Policy Studies, Washington, D.C.
1994 -1997 Member of the Board of Directors, Community Works,
Boston, MA.
1991 -1997 Founding Member of the Board of Directors,
Institute for Affirmative Action, Boston, MA
1994 -1996 Visiting Research Scholar, Wellesley Center for Research
on Women, Wellesley, MA.
1992 -1996 Member of the Board of Directors, Grassroots
International, Somerville, MA
1985 -1995 Member of the Board of Directors, Center for
Democratic Renewal, Atlanta, GA.
1988 -1994 Member of the Board of Directors, American Civil
Liberties Union of Massachusetts.
1992 -1993 Member of Advisory Board, Reclaiming
Diversity Project, Council for Research on
Women, New York, NY
1985 -1987 Member of the Board of Directors, Illinois
Justice Foundation, Chicago, IL. IJF is a Chicago
organization that funds local community organizations.
1984 -1987 Member of the Board of Directors, Ms.
Foundation for Women, New York, NY. MFW is a
national foundation that funds grassroots
women's organizations.
1980 -1987 Founding Member of the Board of Directors,
The Crossroads Fund, Chicago, IL. President,
1985 1987.
1980 -1981 Consultant, Reproductive Rights Project of the
Roger Baldwin Foundation, American Civil Liberties
Union, Chicago, IL. Researched and wrote A
Speaker's Manual on Abortion. The handbook is
in its second edition and is available on request.
1979 -1980 Assistant Professor, Lake Forest College,
Lake Forest, IL
1978 -1980 Founding Member of the Board of Directors,
Chicago Abused Women Coalition, Chicago, IL.
1977 -1979 Visiting Assistant Professor, Northwestern
University, Evanston, IL
1976 -1977 Assistant Professor, Colgate University,
Hamilton, NY
1971 -1976 Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Ph.D., Political Science
1970 -1971 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
M.A., Political Science
1963 -1967 Northwestern University, Evanston, IL