Emily Forhman is the Executive Director at Women First, and brings 20 years of nonprofit experience and professional expertise in strategic planning and organizational development. Since joining the organization in 2016, she has spearheaded the development and implementation of Women First’s unique new strategic plan and rebranding process, established a mission-driven culture, and adopted data-driven practices and systems for grantmaking, monitoring and evaluation, as well as organizational growth.

Prior to joining Women First, Emily was the Executive Director of Spence-Chapin, a domestic and international adoption agency, and the Executive Director of The Catholic Big Sisters and Big Brothers. While her primary focus was the well-being of children both at home and abroad, she quickly recognized the importance of supporting women’s causes as intrinsic to the welfare of all children globally. She believes that Women First’s approach of investing directly in the empowerment of women and girls at the grassroots level plays a critical role in strengthening and building thriving communities. 

Emily holds a Master's Degree in Social Work from Fordham University. When not leading the organization, she can be found spending time with her 22 year old daughter, whom she adopted from Hungary, and her 15 year old poodle Tibi, who she claims adopted her.