Nadya Okamoto

Nadya Okamoto
Okamoto at the 2018 Texas Teen Book Festival
Born (1998-02-11) February 11, 1998 (age 26)
New York City, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, author
Political partyDemocrat

Nadya Teresa Okamoto (born February 11, 1998) is an American social entrepreneur who is the founder and former executive director of the non-profit organization Period Inc.,[1] which distributes menstrual hygiene products and advocates for ending what is known as the tampon tax.[2] In January 2020, Okamoto stepped down from Period Inc. as executive director; later that year, she left Period Inc. entirely after controversy over alleged misconduct.[2]

In November 2020, Okamoto co-founded and began serving as CEO of August, a for-profit, lifestyle period brand.[3][4] The company also built Ask August, an educational "judgement-free platform" that "makes it easier for Generation Z to navigate the process of menstruation."[5]

In 2017, Okamoto launched an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council.[6] Her debut book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement, was published in October 2018.

Early life and education

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Okamoto was born in New York City and moved to Portland, Oregon, at the age of nine.[7][8] She is of Japanese and Taiwanese decent.[1] Her mother is Sophia Tzeng, and her father is Shintaro Okamoto. Okamoto is no longer in contact with her father, and she has stated that she experienced sexual abuse and domestic violence from him in her childhood.[9]

Okamoto attended the private K-12 school Catlin Gabel as a Malone Scholar, a scholarship at the school offered to students in need of financial assistance.[10][11] In December 2019, Catlin Gabel School published a report on the school's history of abuse by faculty towards students, wherein Okamoto's experience of harassment and grooming from her student advisor of four years was included.[12] Okamoto came forward publicly with more details on her experience related to the abuse in January 2020.[13] It was later revealed that her former student advisor was fired immediately after the inappropriate behavior was reported to the school.[13] He publicly denied all allegations.[13]

During her senior year of high school, Okamoto received the Gates Millennium Scholarship.[14] Okamoto was also a 2016 Coca-Cola scholar.[15] She received the first place 2016 Most Valuable Student Scholarship by the Elks National Foundation.[16] In October 2019, Okamoto was given Catlin Gabel's Distinguished Alumni award.[17]

Okamoto was accepted into early admission at Harvard College and graduated in June 2021.[18][8]

Career

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In December 2014, Okamoto founded Period Inc. with her high school classmate Vincent Forand, originally under the name Camions of Care.[1] The organization distributes menstrual hygiene products, has campus chapters at universities and high schools around the United States, and advocates for ending what is known as the tampon tax.[19] Under her leadership as executive director, the organization registered 800 chapters in all 50 US states and 40 other countries.[20] In 2017, Okamoto's organization hosted their first "Period Con," a global conference for young activists.[21] In 2018, Period Inc. made $420,000 in annual revenue[2] and in 2019 it was "the largest youth-run nongovernmental organization in women's health".[22]

Okamoto moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in August 2016 to attend Harvard College. Less than seven months later, Okamoto announced her candidacy for Cambridge City Council, with a campaign team primarily composed of other Harvard students. She was the youngest candidate in the race and focused her campaign on issues of affordable housing, education equity, and climate change. Okamoto eventually lost the election, taking 15th place out of 26 candidates.[23][24][6]

In October 2018, Okamoto published her debut book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement with publisher Simon & Schuster, which made the Kirkus Reviews list for Best Young Adult Nonfiction of 2018.[19][25] In 2019, Okamoto served as the Chief Brand Officer of Juv Consulting, a marketing firm that targets Gen Z.[26]

In 2017, Okamoto was named as one of Teen Vogue's 21 Under 21.[27] Okamoto was awarded the L'Oréal Women of Worth award at the annual Glamour Women of the Year ceremony in November 2019.[28] In December 2019, Okamoto was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in law and policy[29] and Bloomberg's 50 Most Influential Ones to Watch.[22]

In January 2020, Okamoto stepped down from executive director of Period, Inc and moved into an advising role for the organization.[3][30] In June 2020, activists accused Okamoto of monopolizing visibility and resources for her organization; Period Inc. confirmed that Okamoto was no longer working with the organization.[2] Okamoto was also accused of exaggerating the extent of her experience with homelessness, as she had described herself as "legally homeless" during a period when her family was experiencing financial instability and living with friends.[2] Period Inc. later released a report on the allegations that summarized the consequences of the organization's rapid growth and visibility, which noted that Okamoto was working with a transformative justice group on accountability.[31]

In November 2020, Okamoto co-founded the lifestyle period brand August with Nick Jain, the founder of Juv Consulting.[3] Okamoto serves as the CEO of the company.[4][8] In March 2021, August launched a free educational database called Ask August.[32][5] August raised nearly $2 million for their seed round, led by venture capital firm, Hannah Grey.[33] The company sells direct-to-consumer period products and pays the tampon tax for customers in states where the tax is applied.[18][34]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kasulis, Kelly (September 28, 2016). "This Harvard 'Period Girl' Wants to Help Lead the 'Menstrual Equity Movement'". NBC News. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e Peel, Sophie (July 29, 2020). "A Portland Student Became the Face of the Menstrual Equity Movement. Others Say She Silenced Them to Become Famous". Willamette Week. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Murray, Rheana (November 24, 2020). "The period industry is all about shame — this brand wants to change that". Today. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Berger, Chloe (April 16, 2022). "The Gen-Z CEO and influencer with almost 3 million followers explains how she makes it work". Fortune. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Rodriguez, Leah (May 28, 2021). "This Judgment-Free Platform Is Ending Period Stigma One Embarrassing Question at a Time". Global Citizen. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Okamoto, Nadya (January 11, 2018). "I'm 19 and I Ran for City Council". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  7. ^ Johnson, Akilah (April 13, 2017). "19-year-old Harvard freshman runs for City Council". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Jones, CT (November 22, 2022). "This TikToker Wants the Internet to Like Periods. She Needs People to Like Her First". RollingStone. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022.
  9. ^ Tretler, McKinley (November 8, 2018). "PERIOD talk with Nadya Okamoto". Assembly. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  10. ^ Dumont, Katana (October 26, 2015). "Character Sketch PDX: Nadya Okamoto". Willamette Week. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "Contributor Nadya Okamoto". HuffPost. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  12. ^ Manning, Jeff (December 12, 2019). "Scathing report outlines decades of sexual abuse, inadequate response, at Catlin Gabel private school". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Manning, Jeff (January 11, 2020). "Catlin Gabel's dirty secret: Former students go public for first time about private school's dark side". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  14. ^ Hammond, Betsy (May 4, 2016). "23 amazing Oregon students win full-ride Gates scholarships". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "December 2018 Connections". Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. December 17, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  16. ^ "2016 MVS Scholarship Recipients Contest Winners". Elks. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017.
  17. ^ "Distinguished Alumni Awards". Catlin Gabel School. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Kim Raczka, Rachel (February 9, 2022). "This Gen Z-founded period brand is building a community around sustainable, inclusive menstrual care". Fast Company.
  19. ^ a b Wischhover, Cheryl (October 18, 2018). "How one woman is trying to end period stigma and the 'tampon tax'". Vox. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  20. ^ Santilli, Mara (May 28, 2020). "There's a Global Movement to End Period Poverty, and Young Women Are Leading the Way". POPSUGAR Fitness. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  21. ^ O'Brien, Sara Ashley (December 1, 2017). "First Period Con celebrates everyone who bleeds". CNN Business. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "The Bloomberg 50". Bloomberg News. December 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "Nadya Teresa Okamoto – Cambridge City Council Candidate 2017". vote.cambridgecivic.com. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  24. ^ Reichel, Chloe (October 13, 2017). "The Harvard Sophomore Aiming for City Council". Harvard Magazine.
  25. ^ "Best YA Nonfiction of 2018". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  26. ^ Cheslaw, Louis (July 29, 2019). "Gen Z Are Pressuring the Travel Industry in All the Right Ways". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  27. ^ Bridge, Lizzie Arneson at (December 15, 2017). "Meet Teen Vogue's 21 Under 21 Class of 2017". Teen Vogue. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  28. ^ Browchuk, Eliseé (November 12, 2019). "Tears of Triumph and Cheers for Change at the 2019 Glamour Women of the Year Awards". Vogue. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  29. ^ "Nadya Okamoto, 21". Forbes. December 3, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  30. ^ "Nadya Okamoto on Instagram: "BIG NEWS, @periodmovement is bringing on a new Executive Director! We've grown so much, and we're excited to keep going! ❤️ Yes, I'll keep…"". Instagram. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  31. ^ "PERIOD Independent Review Dragonfly Partners" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2022.
  32. ^ Srikanth, Anagha (March 30, 2021). "Gen Z is taking their sex education into their own hands — and tackling period poverty in the process". The Hill. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  33. ^ Ell, Kellie (June 25, 2021). "Period Products Brand August Secures Nearly $2 Million as the Menstrual Industry Continues to Blossom". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  34. ^ Barnes, Jenae (June 25, 2022). "These Menstruation Startups Offer Solutions To Tampon Shortage". Forbes.
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