Skye L. Perryman is President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a nonpartisan, national legal organization that promotes democracy and progress through litigation, regulatory engagement, policy education, and research. Perryman took the helm at Democracy Forward a few months after January 6, 2021, in the midst of rising extremism in communities and courts across the country. She has built a visionary team of legal, policy, and communications experts to confront anti-democratic extremism head-on while also using the law to advance progress and a bold vision for the future. Under Perryman’s leadership, Democracy Forward has expanded the scope and reach of its work, emerging as a nationally recognized institution that is taking on the most significant issues affecting people, families, and communities– from defending civil rights and fair wages to seeking to expand access to reproductive health care post-Dobbs to confronting attacks on education to addressing the climate crisis and much more. Perryman often leverages the power of ordinary Americans, business, industries, and unlikely allies to create impact in this critical time. In 2024, Perryman was named one of the Most Influential People Shaping Policy by Washingtonian magazine, which noted her role as a resource for both moderates and progressives. 

Known for her strategic insight and impact-oriented leadership, Perryman has a track record of winning tough legal and policy battles, uniting diverse coalitions, and elevating voices that represent the fabric of our country to deliver results that improve the lives of millions. Over the course of her nearly two decade legal career, Perryman has provided legal and strategic counsel for a broad range of clients and institutions. She previously served as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. There, she oversaw legal and policy strategies that resulted in historic advancements in access to health care for women, including developing strategies to support the extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage for more than 500,000 people, overseeing litigation that enabled the distribution of mifepristone by mail for the first time in US history, launching an industry-wide effort to promote racial equity in medicine, and leading comprehensive legal and policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to ACOG, Perryman was a member of the founding litigation team at Democracy Forward, where, in the wake of the 2016 election, she sued to halt the voter suppression activities of the now-disbanded Pence-Kobach voting commission, developed challenges to the politically-motivated rollback of evidence-based program funding, and exposed corruption and wrongdoing through litigation. Perryman has also served in litigation roles at two global law firms where she gained the trust of clients in the health care, financial services, education, and consumer products industries while simultaneously maintaining an active pro bono practice, receiving numerous commendations and awards for her work. 

Perryman is a frequent guest lecturer and keynote speaker to national and international audiences on matters at the intersection of law and policy. Her legal work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as state supreme courts and her work and perspective are frequently covered by major media outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, The Washington Post, TIME, Forbes Women, Insider, Ms. Magazine, and Teen Vogue, among many others.

Ms. Perryman grew up in Waco, Texas and is a proud product of K-12 public education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy magna cum laude from Baylor University where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and a Juris Doctor with honors from the Georgetown University Law Center where she served as an Editor for the American Criminal Law Review and was an Editor in Chief for the ACLR’s Annual Survey on White Collar Crime. Skye serves on the boards of the Atlas Performing Arts Center, the Interfaith Alliance, the Baylor Line Foundation, and the Texas Observer.