William West

"Centering identity, justice, and equity are all things that I personally value..."

William West (he/him), MPH, CHES, grew up in a conservative community in Tennessee, but leaving home helped him expand his worldview. “Once I moved away from home, I started to assess my own identity and relationships, started to work in spaces with people who held different identities from me.” Working in domestic violence brought up a key question for William. “Why aren’t we letting individuals be the experts of their own experiences?”

The values of self-determination, autonomy, and client centeredness first drew William to Every Body Texas. William first encountered Every Body Texas, then called Women’s Health and Family Planning Association of Texas (WHFPT), while working for the Texas Council on Family Violence. “Any time I interacted with someone on staff there was a passion and determination to really center women’s health and to center folks regardless of their gender or sexuality. When WHFPT became Every Body Texas I thought ‘Oh this is perfect, this really embodies the ethos of the work [staff] have been doing.’”

William joined the Board of Directors for Every Body Texas in January 2021, bringing his experience in public health and domestic violence prevention as well as a commitment to principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). Now as President of the Board of Directors of the largest Title X grantee in country, William has an expansive vision for Every Body Texas that centers those JEDI principles. 

“I’m hoping we, together as board and staff, move forward with aligned values. That queer people belong in spaces and deserve sexual and reproductive healthcare. That abortion is part of sexual and reproductive healthcare and a decision between someone and their doctor. That we should center bodily autonomy and people having the right to make the best decision for themselves and their own situation. Centering identity, justice, and equity are all things that I personally value and I hope that we continue to shine into the community so that the network feels supported in those values as well as the clients that are coming to those clinics.”

William lives in Austin and enjoys exploring all the city has to offer in its vibrant restaurant scene. He is also an avid baker and reader.